Watching the situation in the Ukraine unfold, we are alarmed for the citizens of Ukraine and especially the nation’s children who are fleeing – sometimes alone – to safe havens. The well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children is at stake.
Knowledge ignites action. That’s why we base our work in research. We conduct studies, develop tools and write and present best practices that illustrates what business can do when challenged with safeguarding children’s rights.
The security situation in Ukraine has significantly deteriorated following the launch of a Russian Federation military offensive on 24 February 2022. Learn how the private sector can help in this brief OCHA Business Guide to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis.
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Publisher
United Nations
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine poses an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of the country’s 7.5 million children and is displacing a growing number of them from their homes. UNICEF and ICC have set out the actions companies can take to support children in Ukraine affected by the crisis.
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Publisher
UNICEF and ICC
As a global technology company, Microsoft is in a unique position to support children’s access to education and information while helping to ensure their safety online. The company has done this in three main ways, elaborated on in this case study:
Safaricom, a Kenyan based communications and technology provider servicing more than 38 million customers, has long been working to make the SDGs a central pillar of their business. In doing so, the company as a whole has made sustainable development a part of the organizational and business culture, while also making sure the products and services they design present sustainable solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on their strategy, the company has made a specific effort to improve and secure respect for children’s rights through several initiatives, some of which are elaborated on in this case study.
Respecting children’s rights is an inherent part of good business practice and risk management and should, therefore, have implications for a company’s financial results. Few investors would contest the sound logic of this statement. However, there is still little empirical evidence to directly connect a company’s profitability to how well it manages children’s rights. To help fill this knowledge gap, Global Child Forum, in cooperation with Boston Consulting Group, has conducted an analysis of the relationship between a company’s profitability and its score in the 2021 Children’s Rights Global Benchmark. The research looked at both EBITDA margin and Total Shareholder Return (TSR) for all 853 companies surveyed. Download the study to learn more about the results.
Vodafone’s purpose is to “connect for a better future” enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society. Its know-how and scale – with over 315 million mobile customers in Europe and across Africa – gives it a unique opportunity to drive positive change for society. Vodafone’s networks connect family, friends, businesses and governments and play a vital role in keeping economies running, including critical sectors like education and healthcare. With such scale, Vodafone recognises not only the positive impacts on people’s rights from digital technology, but also the potential that its operations could impact human rights – including children’s rights, even though Vodafone’s services are not marketed to them. Based on this insight, the company has been working actively to strengthen children’s rights across their business in the several ways, elaborated in this case study:
As a global electronics company with more than 260 000 employees in 74 countries, one of the core values of Samsung is “People First”. Based on the firm belief that a company is only as good as its employees, and with an ambition to continue to be an attractive employer, the company has prioritised implementing a range of family-friendly policies promoting employee wellbeing and work-life balance. The case study was published together with the global benchmark; The State of Children’s Rights and Business 2021. Click here to get to the full report. Download the case study to learn more.
What needs to be done to advance children’s rights? Listen to some of the voices from Global Child Forums. Scroll right for more videos.
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