Programs and Partnerships
All businesses, regardless of size, location or sector, have potential to impact children’s rights and contribute to achieving the SDGs. But given the scale of many of the world’s problems, widespread collaboration is essential. Forming partnerships benefits all involved. Partnerships allow for exchange of knowledge and experience. They enable organizations to avoid duplication of efforts, and they’re better suited for building long-term business and social value than unilateral action. The benefits of a successful children’s rights program extend beyond doing good for children. In the business community, corporates are increasingly seeing links between maximizing societal impact and maximizing shareholder value.
An introductory film about Save the Children's Child Rights and Business cross-thematic area. Hear from Elisabeth Dahlin, CEO of Save the Children Sweden, and Business Partners about the importance of social responsibility and cooperation between businesses and rights-based groups.
Save the Children is helping the leading Nordic toy and children’s products retailer to assess all their impact on children, from supplier to toy store. Christoffer Falkman is the Sustainability Specialist at TOP-TOY. Children’s rights and business videos
Safaricom is one of the leading mobile operators in Kenya with over 23 million customers and almost 4500 employees. They are partnering with Save the Children to implement the Children’s Rights and Business Principles throughout their organisation. Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, who is also a member of the UN Global Compact Board, is passionate about the importance of children’s rights in business. Children’s rights and business videos
Dongguan Concord Pottery makes ceramic cups and other items for a leading coffee shop brand. They employ around 3,000 people at their factory in Southern China. The company has worked with Save the Children’s centre for child rights since 2013 in order to improve the situation for their workers who are also parents. The partnership has meant quick and tangible improvements, not only for employees and their children, but increased staff retention and lower costs for the factory itself. Lake Law is the head of corporate social responsibility for Dongguan Concord Pottery. Children’s rights and business videos
International furniture giant IKEA has been at the forefront of corporate work on human rights and sustainability for decades. Since the early 1990s, IKEA has been working with Save the Children on a range of projects addressing education for children, children in emergencies, and protection of children from child labour. Steve Howard is the Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA Group. Children’s rights and business videos
ICA is the leading grocery retailer in Sweden and one of the biggest actors in the Baltic states. ICA also works with sourcing and sales of non-food items. The company is one of the co-founders of the WeSupport project together with Save the Children’s centre for child rights. Maria Smith is the director of Environment and Social Responsibility at ICA. Children’s rights and business videos
In 2012, Accenture’s social enterprise business, Accenture Development Partnerships, began to help Save the Children develop tools to help companies incorporate the Children’s Rights and Business Principles as part of their core business strategies. Fredrik Nilzén is the Global Manager for Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship global partnership with Save the Children. Children’s rights and business videos
Children’s rights are an essential investment in a sustainable future. Safeguarding these rights helps build the strong, well-educated communities that are vital to creating stable, inclusive and productive societies. The private sector impacts children’s lives both directly and indirectly, and all companies in all industries – global, regional or local – can make a difference. Business activity influences the daily life of children in a number of ways, from impoverished communities where children are held back from getting an education because they need to support the family with their income, to the marketplace where children react to marketing messages and learn about the world via the many products surrounding them. Companies that want to take part in the movement pushing sustainable development forward, creating the world that we together have formulated in the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, need to safeguard, empower and consider the opinions of those we should be creating that world together with. Considering children’s rights holds the possibility of enriching your business and easing your way into the challenges of the future. Read these statements from companies and businesses that have incorporated a child rights approach into their work.
This video, produced by UNICEF, takes you through a visual journey of what children's rights in business means; from the Convention on the Right of the Child to the Children's Rights and Business Principles. It makes the case for children's rights in business including through the voice of business leaders.
This publication is designed to guide companies in assessing their policies and processes to both prevent harm and actively safeguard children’s best interests. As a tool, this should be used as part of ongoing assessments of human rights impacts as outlined in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This publication has 58 primary criteria for addressing company policies and practices relevant to children’s rights. A company is taking an important step towards recognizing children as rights holders and stake holders by integrating children’s rights considerations into their ongoing impact assessments.