GLOBAL CHILD FORUM

Examining the State of Children’s Rights & Business in 2023

A DIGITAL DISCUSSION SERIES

Unique insights from our Children’s Rights & Business Benchmark 2023

Watch Examining the State of Children’s Rights & Business in 2023, a digital discussion series on the findings and key issues raised in our Global Benchmark 2023, a report by Global Child Forum and Boston Consulting Group.

The 2023 report covers an unprecedented 1,108 companies, distributed across eight sectors and six regions, all of which are benchmarked against a set of 25 indicators – giving us the most detailed and in-depth answer to how does the private sector view children’s rights.

In November 2023, Global Child Forum was honoured to host a range of experts from the corporate world, all of whom represent leading companies in their respective benchmark sectors. Our discussion leaders shared their reflections and insights on how businesses can uphold children’s rights.

Take a look at the three sessions to better understand the opportunities and challenges ahead for different industries and sectors, and learn how impactful business strategies and collaborative efforts can reduce negative impacts on children globally.

Watch the digital discussions

The Americas

Asia Pacific

Europe

November 6, 2023

Watch the Americas Digital Discussion

Examining the State of Children’s Rights & Business in 2023

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Read about our Americas Discussion Leaders

Michele Buck

Chairman of the Board, President and CEO

The Hershey Company

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Michele Buck is Chairman of the Board, President and CEO for The Hershey Company, an industry-leading snacks company. She brings 30 years of consumer-packaged goods experience and proven success transforming businesses and engaging organisations to accelerate profitable growth. Buck held several senior leadership roles within the company prior to becoming CEO. She served as Hershey’s Chief Operating Officer, leading day-to-day North, Central & South American commercial businesses and the Global Supply Chain. Previously, she was President, North America and SVP, Global Chief Growth Officer. Before joining Hershey in 2005, Buck was an officer at Kraft/Nabisco and during her 17-year tenure held numerous senior marketing and general management positions. She started her career at the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo. Buck serves on the Board of Directors at New York Life, a Fortune 100 company, where she served 2 terms as Lead Independent Director and was chair of the Operations Committee. In addition, Michele was Benefit Co-Chair for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation. A native of central Pennsylvania, Buck earned a bachelor’s degree at Shippensburg University and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Michele has been regularly recognised on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list, most recently in 2023. She has two important roles – business leader and mom – that fulfil her life.

Hans Vestberg

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Verizon

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Hans Vestberg is chairman and chief executive officer of Verizon, the world's largest wireless, fibre-optic and global information networks and services company. In 2017, Hans served as Verizon's chief technology officer and president of Global Networks, responsible for developing the architecture for Verizon's fibre-centric networks. He was appointed CEO in August 2018 and Chairman of Verizon's Board of Directors in March 2019. Before joining Verizon, Hans served for six years as president and CEO of Ericsson, a multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Sweden. Hans is a founding member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Broadband Commission for Digital Development, where he has led climate-change and digital-health initiatives. He is a board member of Black Rock, the UN Foundation, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, and is Co-Chair of the New Jersey CEO Council, a coalition of leaders from the state’s largest companies. Hans chairs The World Economic Forum’s EDISON Alliance for digital inclusion, which aims to impact 1 billion lives with affordable and accessible digital solutions by 2025. He is past chairman of the Swedish Olympic Committee and a current member of the Leadership Council of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, where he helped author the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

November 7, 2023

Watch the Asia Pacific Digital Discussion

Examining the State of Children’s Rights & Business in 2023

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Read about our Asia Pacific Discussion Leaders

Daphne Hameeteman

Head of Sustainability

Wilmar International

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Having recently moved to Kuala Lumpur, Daphne Hameeteman is the General Manager, Sustainability - External Engagement, for Wilmar International Limited. She leads the external sustainability conversation with our global stakeholders, as well as overseeing the creation of the annual benchmarking and Sustainability reports. In addition, Daphne is also responsible for the group’s sustainability implementation on non-palm commodities, like Sugar. With over 9 years’ experience as Sustainability Lead within Wilmar Europe, Daphne has been connecting the sustainability requirements of customers in food, feed and oleochemicals sectors with the supplies from palm producing countries. This includes the implementation of five sustainability (smallholder) support programmes in Latin America, impacting 4500 smallholders and 25 mills. These programs focused on building technical capacity of best agricultural management practices, leading to improved crop yields and income. During the last 4 years Daphne has been deeply engaged on the different EU regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and Corporate Social Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and what it means for the palm oil sector, in both the origin and destination countries. In this capacity, she regularly met with politicians and other stakeholders involved, both in Brussels and other member states. Daphne is member of the board of governors of the RSPO (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil), since 2017.

Yoly Crisanto

Chief Sustainability and Corporate
Communications Officer

Globe Group

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Yoly is Globe Group’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer and joined the company in 2009. She is a Corporate Communications and Sustainability executive with over 35 years of solid experience in Sustainability and Integrated Marketing Communications, with specialisation in Strategic Communications for Corporate, Brand, and Crisis Communications. Ms. Crisanto is currently a Board Member of AdSpark, Inc., the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and Go Learn. She currently serves as Board of Adviser to the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. She is a multi-awarded professional and executive recognised by both local and international institutions in her fields of expertise, specifically, communications, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Ms. Crisanto earned her Master's in Business Administration degree from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and Bachelor of Arts major in Communication Arts from the University of Santo Tomas.

November 7, 2023

Watch the Europe Digital Discussion

Examining the State of Children’s Rights & Business in 2023

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Read about our Europe Discussion Leaders

Sjoerd Rozing

Fund Manager - Triodos Future Generations Fund

Triodos Investment Management

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Sjoerd Rozing has been Fund Manager of Triodos Future Generations Fund since March 2022. He joined Triodos Investment Management in 2017 as an investment analyst. In this role, he covered global equities. Prior to Triodos, Sjoerd worked at Teslin Capital Management where he was responsible for investment analysis of European small caps. Sjoerd holds a Master's degree in Business Studies from the University of Amsterdam (2008) and earned a CFA charter in 2011. He also served on the board of CFA VBA Society Netherlands until December 2017. Sjoerd is registered with the Dutch Securities Institute as an Institutional Investment Advisor.

Sara Nordbrand

Head of Sustainability

Telia Company

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Sara Nordbrand works as Head of Sustainability at Telia Company, setting the strategy for how sustainability is integrated into the company’s business strategy to achieve ambitious environmental and social goals. Important topics in focus include climate, circularity, digital inclusion and other aspects of human rights. As a provider of essential digital infrastructure and digital services in the Nordics and Baltics, Telia plays a fundamental role in people’s lives and impacts society’s ability to achieve an inclusive net zero economy. Sara has worked with sustainability in various roles the past two decade - as a journalist, researcher, for NGOs and since 2019 for Telia. She has been on various boards to further sustainable development such as The Swedish Forum for Sustainable Investments driving change in the Swedish financial industry, and The Global Network Initiative, a multistakeholder initiative focusing on human rights in the ICT industry.

Adrien Askmo

Head of Partnerships and Forums

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Global Child Forum Events

Our digital discussions and events are a great opportunity for companies to both share their experience, and gain inspiration for improving their approach to child rights. If you would like to know more - don't hesitate to get in touch! Contact us

Global Benchmark 2023

The State of Children’s Rights & Business

Read our latest benchmark report in full!

Global Benchmark Report 2023

Setting the scene for action

Global Child Forum Events

Global Child Forum is renowned for its Forum, a world leading event for the discussion and advancement of children's rights. In addition, our webinars offer valuable insights into key child rights risk areas and topics.

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News from the world of children’s rights & business

Oct 2023
PRESS RELEASE: Global Report Shows Alarming Decline in Corporate Responsibility Towards Children

The latest benchmark from Global Child Forum reveals a significant decrease in corporate responsibility towards children.

Oct 2023
Protecting the Youngest: Global Child Forum’s Call for Children Amidst Escalating Violence in Gaza and Israel

Global Child Forum urges all parties involved in the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel to protect children, and adhere to international human rights laws.

Oct 2023
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum Launches Industry Risk Tool to Empower Investors

Global Child Forum has launched a new digital tool enabling investors to quickly assess key children's rights risks across industries.

Sep 2023
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum Announces Growing Support from the Financial Sector

As Penser Bank becomes its latest funding partner, Global Child Forum announces that support for children's rights is increasing from the financial sector.

Sep 2023
Successful Collaboration between Swedbank Robur and Global Child Forum

Global Child Forum and Swedbank Robur recently joined forces to contact prominent global companies regarding their approach to child rights.

Aug 2023
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum Commends UN Committee's Historic Call for Action on Children's Right to a Clean and Sustainable Environment

Global Child Forum lauds the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as it calls for firm action on the safeguarding of children's environmental rights.

Jul 2023
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum Calls on European Commission to Tighten Children’s Rights Reporting Standards

The European Commission has released the draft delegated regulation that complements the European Accounting Directive and includes the initial set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) required by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Feb 2023
Q&A with Katarina Mellström, Secretary General

We asked our new Secretary General eight questions about herself, her vision for the organisation and the state of children’s rights in the corporate sustainability agenda.

Dec 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Majority of Food, Beverage & Personal Care Companies Fail to Address Childrens’ Rights

Global Child Forum, which produces the world’s largest benchmark on companies’ impact on children, today released its global report on the state of children’s rights in the food, beverage and personal care sector,

Dec 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum at the Royal Palace in Stockholm urges companies to take action on children's rights

Dec 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Katarina Mellström is appointed as Secretary General to Global Child Forum

Sep 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum and The PRI are driving corporate action to improve children’s lives

Global Child Forum benchmark data on children’s rights and business is a core pillar in The PRI’s human rights data, offerings investors an understanding of how children’s rights issues are being measured across sectors.

Mar 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Vodafone, Telenor, Deutsche Telekom top Global Child Forum’s Tech & Telecom Children’s Rights and Business Benchmark

Stockholm-based Global Child Forum today announced the results of their latest benchmark report which takes a close look at the state of children’s rights within the Technology and Telecommunications sector.

Feb 2022
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum announces availability of its research and experts on Verity, the first Sustainable Finance Platform

Nov 2021
PRESS RELEASE: Global Benchmark report 2021

Stockholm-based Global Child Forum today announced the results of their report, “The State of Children’s Rights and Business 2021”, showing that companies need to urgently address the implications of their climate actions on children.

Nov 2021
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum opens their Business Academy

Stockholm-based Global Child Forum announced today the launch of their newest program, The Business Academy,  designed to be a children’s rights and business accelerator helping companies focus on their children’s rights risks and opportunities, supported with peer-to-peer learning.

Apr 2021
PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum launches new digital tool helping business understand their children’s rights risks and opportunities