ExxonMobil Foundation and United Nations Foundation Undertake Comprehensive Research To Identify Investments that Promote Women′s Economic Advancement

On the eve of International Women′s Day, the ExxonMobil Foundation and
the United Nations Foundation today announced a collaboration to
identify the most effective global investments that promote economic
opportunities for women. The initiative will provide a roadmap for
action by identifying various interventions countries can implement in
different stages of economic development and for differing types of
women′s economic participation.

The initiative is led by internationally recognized gender and social
development expert Dr. Mayra Buvinic and will identify and evaluate
practical and applicable program interventions. Prior to joining the
research project, Buvinic served for six years as director of gender and
development at the World Bank. She was also founding member and
president of the International Center for Research on Women from 1978 to
1996 and chief of the social development division at the Inter-American
Development Bank from 1997 to 2004.

'There is a crucial knowledge gap around the most effective investments
that promote women′s economic opportunities,? said Buvinic. 'Our goal is
to create an innovative tool by convening some of the best experts in
the field, including UN agencies, to join in a research effort to help
close this critical gap.?

Research has demonstrated that when women ? who make up half the world′s
population ? are empowered, entire communities and economies benefit.
The World Bank stated in its 2012 World Development Report: Gender
Equality and Development that 'gender equality is a core development
objective and is smart economics. It can enhance productivity, improve
development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more
representative.?

The partnership between the United Nations Foundation and the ExxonMobil
Foundation will build on recent research findings, including those of
the 2012 World Development Report.

'The research is designed to tell us how best to help women build strong
communities, through their own economic empowerment,? said Suzanne
McCarron, president, ExxonMobil Foundation. 'When women thrive
economically, entire societies are transformed by becoming healthier,
more stable and more prosperous. We are excited about this opportunity
to add to the body of knowledge and to share the findings with the broad
community engaged in investing in women.?

The results and information collected through the research process will
be widely shared with researchers and program implementers, as well as
funding agencies in the private and public sectors. 'It′s our desire
that the research will be used to spur strategic investments in quality
programs aimed at improving economic outcomes for women and
communities,? ?said Buvinic.

For more information on this research, visit www.UNFoundation.org/TheRoadmap.

ExxonMobil has committed more than $10 million in 2012 grants to spur
economic opportunities for women. Today′s $1.5 million grant is part of
more than $53 million invested by ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil
Foundation in the last seven years to support the economic advancement
of women.

For more than a decade, the United Nations Foundation has helped the
United Nations in addressing the rights and needs of women and girls. It
fosters cooperation and helps the UN link with private sector partners
to advance reproductive health, provide women and girls with economic
opportunities and ensure their human rights. Empowering women and
girls?providing them with educational and economic opportunities and
securing their health and human rights?is essential in the global drive
to eliminate poverty, achieve social justice and stabilize the world′s
population.

About ExxonMobil Foundation

ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon
Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) in the United States. Globally,
ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation provide funding to improve
basic education, promote
women as catalysts for development, and combat
malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In
2011, together with its employees and retirees, ExxonMobil, its
divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $278
million in contributions worldwide, of which $120 million was dedicated
to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil′s community
partnerships and contribution programs is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.

About United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public/private partnerships to
address the world′s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the
United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative
campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and
resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was
created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and
philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations,
foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

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United
Nations Foundation

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