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Clé de Peau Beauté Strengthens Commitment to Girls' Empowerment with UNICEF

In a significant move to continue supporting global girls' education, Clé de Peau Beauté recently announced the renewal of its three-year partnership with UNICEF. This collaboration aims to reach an additional 7.3 million girls, bringing the total commitment since 2019 to $17.4 million. This investment marks the largest private sector contribution to UNICEF's Global Gender Equality Program, designed to foster transformative change for adolescent girls worldwide.

This partnership has already surpassed expectations, having positively impacted 12.9 million girls to date. Such impressive numbers emphasize the necessity and effectiveness of sustained financial and programmatic support in addressing gender disparities in education. The renewed commitment includes a notable shift from a traditional STEM focus to a more comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) framework, thereby integrating creativity into the curriculum.

In particular, initiatives in regions such as Indonesia reveal how combining scientific principles with artistic expression enhances learning outcomes. Girls engaged in project-based learning are applying their scientific knowledge with innovative thinking to address pressing issues like climate resilience.

According to Naomi Kawanishi, Global Brand President of Clé de Peau Beauté, the decision to renew this vital partnership is rooted in witnessing the transformative effects on girls' lives. "Seeing how the partnership has inspired confidence, creativity, and new possibilities for their futures deeply resonates with our mission. We are thrilled to emphasize STEAM, empowering these girls with not just technical skills but the creative confidence necessary to become innovators in their own right. This is the key to unlocking their full potential," she said.

UNICEF's response to this renewed partnership is equally optimistic. Carla Haddad Mardini, UNICEF's Director of Private Sector Fundraising and Partnerships, remarked, "Clé de Peau Beauté's ongoing leadership on gender equality is commendable. Our renewed partnership, with its focus on enhancing critical STEAM skills, is a valuable investment in empowering girls as future changemakers who can significantly influence our world's direction."

The urgency of this renewed commitment cannot be overstated. Around the world, significant barriers persist that hinder girls' access to education and skill-building opportunities. Currently, 122 million girls are out of school, and nearly 40% of adolescent girls and young women do not complete their upper secondary education. Even more striking is the underrepresentation of girls in STEM fields, as they comprise only 35% of STEM graduates and a mere 3% of graduates in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

In many low-income countries, the digital divide is stark; approximately 90% of girls lack internet access, limiting their educational opportunities and essential skills in today's digital age. This pervasive inequity is driven by various intersecting barriers, including harmful gender norms, child marriage, and unpaid care responsibilities, highlighting a critical need for targeted investment and gender-sensitive approaches that enable girls to gain necessary skills and opportunities to secure their futures.

Through this renewed partnership, Clé de Peau Beauté and UNICEF are dedicated to expanding access to critical resources for girls globally. Since its inception in 2019, the partnership has focused on several pivotal areas: providing future-ready skills such as digital literacy, enhancing STEAM education, and addressing the existent socio-structural barriers preventing girls from reaching their full potential.

About Clé de Peau Beauté: Founded as part of the Shiseido Co., Ltd. in 1982, Clé de Peau Beauté encapsulates elegance and scientific innovation. Its philosophy centers on unleashing a woman’s inner radiance through advanced skincare and makeup technologies. Today, the brand operates in 28 countries and regions worldwide, continuously redefining the standards of luxury beauty.

About UNICEF: UNICEF works tirelessly in over 190 countries and territories, advocating for and protecting the rights of the world's most disadvantaged children. The goal is to ensure that every child can thrive and reach their full potential, making a better world for all.

For more information about the partnership between Clé de Peau Beauté and UNICEF, visit their respective websites: Clé de Peau Beauté and UNICEF.