UN Women: We’re Not Partnering With Uber
UN Women is sorry if they gave Uber wrong idea, but they just want everyone to know that they were never officially together. Ten days after Uber announced a partnership with UN Women to create 1 million new jobs for women as drivers, UN Women backed out, stating that a formal partnership with the ride-sharing startup never existed in the first place.
The initial announcement from Uber raised eyebrows from observers who saw it as a PR move calculated to boost the company’s reputation among women, which had taken a hit in light of multiple reports of drivers sexually assaulting and harassing female passengers. The International Transport Federation didn’t think it was a good idea, either, citing concerns that the driver jobs created would be “precarious and informal” and “[contribute] significantly to women’s economic disempowerment and marginalization across the globe.”
UN Women heard those criticisms loud and clear, and in a speech last week, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka confirmed that they would not pursue the partnership. While Uber did sponsor an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, that would be the extent of the relationship, she said: “I want to assure you that UN Women will not accept an offer to job collaboration on job creation with Uber—so you can rest assured about that.”
We’re curious: do you think UN Women made the right call here? Or are they missing an opportunity to negotiate a massive change in Uber’s corporate culture? Let us know in the comments.
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