Stockholm Royal Palace

Global Child Forum
2022

1 December 2022, Stockholm, Sweden

Children’s Rights and Business in a Changing World

Economic pressure and societal strains have become increasingly heightened over the past few years as countries struggle to address climate change, rising conflict, educational divides, health challenges, and growing inequality – all of which impact children’s lives. Meanwhile, there are growing expectations from financial markets and society on business transparency and accountability for delivering solutions that are good for people and planet.

This year’s Global Child Forum took a deep dive into two sectors – the Food, Beverage & Personal Care sector and the Tech & Telecom sector that both share many commonalities and have the potential for an enormous positive impact on children. Both sectors have been influenced by global events which have unintended consequences on children. Yet, there are also exciting opportunities and cross-sector learnings that can be harnessed for the betterment of a company’s bottom line – and to the benefit of children.

Featuring inspiring keynote speakers and a range of interactive working sessions, with possibilities to exchange insights on sustainability topics closely aligned with children’s wellbeing, the Global Child Forum offered an opportunity for companies in these sectors to network with peers, share best practices and identify their risks and opportunities.

HM The King’s opening speech at the Global Child Forum 2022

HM The Queen’s closing speech at the Global Child Forum 2022

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By attending this event, attendees acknowledged that images could be captured during the event using photography, video, or other medium and used by Global Child Forum in our efforts to promote children’s rights and business.

Photo credit: Rickard L Eriksson/Global Child Forum

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Photo credit: Jonas Borg/Global Child Forum

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Agenda

N.B. Changes to this agenda may occur. Please note the CET time zone.

8.00 - 8.45

Registration at the palace

09.00 - 10.00

Morning plenary session

Welcome and introduction

His Majesty, King Carl Gustaf XVI

Setting the scene

Katarina Mellström, Secretary General, Global Child Forum

The State of Children’s Rights and Business

What do our benchmark results tell us about the state of the world’s children? Focus will be on our newly launched deep dive into the Food, Bev & Personal Care sector, revealing who’s leading and lagging. How do these results compare to our Tech & Telecom benchmark 2021, and what can we learn by taking a cross-sector approach?

Presented by: Nina Vollmer, Senior Children's Rights and Business Specialist at Global Child Forum and Andreas Lundmark, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group

Tech & Telecom sector impact on children's rights - gaps and opportunities

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA

Why does business need to talk about children’s rights?

Moderated discussion on why children’s rights matter to business, with high-level representatives from Investors/Asset Managers, Tech & Telecommunications, and Food, Beverage & Personal Care.

Speakers:
Joséphine Edwall, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications at Essity AB
Zainab Hussain Siddiqui, Vice President Sustainability at Telenor Group
Jennifer Wu, Global Head of Sustainable Investing at JP Morgan Chase & Co
Moderated by Katarina Mellström, Secretary General, Global Child Forum.

10.00 - 10.30

Networking break

Coffee break with an opportunity to make new connections

10.30 - 12.20

ActionLabs, morning session

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work in three parallel interactive tracks where delegates will explore, discuss, and together, start finding solutions to some of the most pressing issues around how companies impact children’s lives:

1. Supply chains that work for people
Beyond Tier 1: Looking deep into the supply chain

For decades, global brands have worked to eliminate child labour and other risks from their supply chains. However, these efforts have primarily focused on Tier 1 suppliers. Unfortunately, children found deeper in the supply chain are exposed to even more significant risks regarding child labour, lack of access to essential services, and the effects of poverty or migration. In this ActionLab, discussions will expose the scale of the problem and challenges and start to uncover approaches that may help better understand the risks beyond tier 1 and what can be done about them.

Collaborators: Pace Consortium; UNICEF

2. Nutrition, Health and Responsible Marketing
Children as consumers and stakeholders; what you need to know

The Food, Beverage, and Personal Care industries all have children as consumers, even if they are often thought of as indirect consumers. However, because children consume these products and are exposed to marketing aimed at adults, children need to be considered in policies, product development, and marketing efforts. This session will focus on understanding children as a stakeholder group different from adults -- their needs and the potential risks and pitfalls.

Collaborators: Kids Know Best, World Benchmarking Alliance, World Federation of Advertisers, BiteBack2030; more to be confirmed

3. Access and Connectivity: Children Online
Children’s digital life: what you need to know

There is no doubt that digital technologies have changed children’s lives fundamentally – the impact of many of these changes are yet to be understood. How are risks and opportunities for children balanced in a quickly evolving industry? Are the advantages of technology universally accessible? Are online risks making children more susceptible to exploitation and abuse? In a candid discussion, this session will address critical issues around privacy, mental health, and the need for online access to education and development.

Collaborators: GSMA; Save the children; World Benchmarking Alliance; UNICEF, Telia Company

12.30 - 13.30

Lunch hosted by the Royal Family

13.40 - 15.15

ActionLabs, afternoon session

The afternoon ActionLab sessions will focus on the next steps and solutions highlighted during the morning ActionLabs, following along with the same three parallel interactive tracks:

1. Supply chains that work for people
From Niche Action to Strategic Change

Child labour and related issues in upstream supply chains are complex problems that require multifaceted responses and approaches employing innovative systems, resources, and partnerships. Building on the morning’s supply chain discussion, ‘Beyond Tier 1’, this session will look at what’s needed to achieve systemic change deep in the supply chain.

Collaborators: The Centre; Save the Children

2. Nutrition, Health and Responsible Marketing
Supporting Children’s Health and Development

As scientific research has given us a greater understanding of the complex relationship between diet and health, marketing and advertising policies, as well as product development, need to evolve – both to mitigate the risks to children but also to support children’s health and development. This ActionLab will explore how corporate efforts can be designed to ensure a child’s healthy start in life through industry collaborations and innovative approaches to understand this consumer group better.

Collaborators: Kids Know Best, World Benchmarking Alliance, World Federation of Advertisers, BiteBack2030; more to be confirmed

3. Access and Connectivity: Children Online
How to Get Ahead

Connecting back to the issues discussed in the morning session, this ActionLab will focus on how to take the next steps: how to do impact assessments right and use data insights responsibly; how to ensure children are not being excluded through, for example, safety by design and what can be achieved by working with others to address some of the roadblocks linked with the problem of protection on the one hand and inclusion and access on the other?

Collaborators: GSMA; Save the children; World Benchmarking Alliance; UNICEF, Telia Company

15.15 - 16.00

Networking break

Coffee break with an opportunity to make new connections

16.00 - 16.50

Continuation of ActionLabs, afternoon session

17.00 - 17.45

Closing Plenary Session

Reporting back and next steps

Representatives from the ActionLab tracks will report on discussions and agreed-upon next steps.

Expectations on companies to protect and support children - EU trends

David Lega, Co-Chair of the Child Rights Intergroup, European Parliament

Closing address

Her Majesty Queen Silvia

18.00 - 21.00

Reception and drinks at the Tessin Palace, Stockholm

Speakers

H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf

H.M. Queen Silvia

Mats Granryd

Director General

The GSMA

As Director General, Mats Granryd leads the GSMA in supporting its global membership through a range of industry programmes, advocacy initiatives and industry-convening events. In 2016, Mats led the mobile industry in becoming the first sector to commit to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supporting this, Mats serves on the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the Business & Sustainable Development Commission and The B Team. Before joining the GSMA, Mats was President and CEO of Tele2 and also spent 15 years in a variety of roles at Ericsson.

Joséphine Ewall Björklund

Senior Vice President Communications

Essity

Joséphine Edwall Björklund is Senior Vice President Communications at Essity, a global hygiene and health company with business in 150 countries. She has held a variety of Executive Communication positions within the ICT, Forest Products and Consumer Goods industries. Joséphine is a member of the Essity Executive Management Team and responsible for Croup Communications including External & Internal, Media Relations, Investor Relations and Corporate Brand & Digital Communications. She drives global activation and communication of 300 community related projects including key partnerships with UNICEF in Mexico and United Nations Foundations. Prior to Essity Joséphine was Board member and Head of Communications at Ericsson Response, a non-profit organization contributing to humanitarian relief work in conflict areas and natural disasters. She is an active member of several leadership and network groups in the field of communication and entrepreneurship, and a strong advocate of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion related initiatives.

David Lega

Co-Chair of the Child Rights Intergroup

European Parliament

David Lega is a renowned Swedish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019. He is an ordinary member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Sub-committee on Human Rights. Being disabled from birth, David began his paralympics swimming career when he was 12 years old. During the course of his career, he proceeded to win several World Championship medals and received the ’Triumph of the Human Spirit’ award. According to him, he had “the fortune of being born at the exact right time and place” and in a country that invests enormous efforts to help the “less fortunate” to have a decent life. This sparked his commitment to give back to society, and has become one of the guiding lights in his political career. Upon being elected MEP, David pledged to be the voice of the people who have the most trouble being heard. One way to realise this is through his work in the committees and in his role as co-chair for the Intergroup for Children’s Rights.

Andreas Lundmark

Managing Director & Partner

Boston Consulting Group

Andreas Lundmark is the Nordic Head of BCG GAMMA, Boston Consulting Groups’s AI and advanced analytics arm. He also co-leads the firm's work in AI at scale globally. Within BCG GAMMA, Andreas works with clients on conceptualizing, designing, and developing custom AI solutions that transform client decision-making processes and workflows. He is committed to helping clients implement end-to-end industrialization and AI use cases to drive real value, including change management and capability building in data and digital platforms, as well as Analytics Centers of Excellence. Andreas has led AI solution developments in pricing, supply chain, telco operations, call centers, and social media analytics. Andreas regularly advises leadership teams, CDO CDAOs on data topics such as strategy, governance, platforms and operating models – including responsible use of data and AI. He is a core group member of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Corporate Development, and Principal Investors & Private Equity practices at BCG, and is an expert in various topics in media and telecommunications, including OTT (over-the-top), pay-TV, and entertainment and cinema. Before joining the firm, Andreas was a project manager in the telecommunications industry. He also has previous experience in the IT and software space.

Katarina Mellström

Secretary General

Global Child Forum

Katarina has over twenty years of experience from managing companies with a focus on improving society and building bridges between stakeholders. Her most recent role was Senior Director at IVA, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, but she also has CEO experience from Mandator, Fujitsu Services and more. Katarina serves on the board of several organizations and holds a Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics from Stockholm University. She joined the team in September 2022. As interim Secretary General, Katarina is responsible for strengthening Global Child Forum’s financial partnerships and continuing to drive the organizations strategy forward.

Zainab Hussain Siddiqui

VP Sustainability

Telenor Group

Zainab Hussain Siddiqui is VP Sustainability at Telenor Group. With more than 19 years of experience in key positions within Telecom, Government and Development sectors, Zainab works with an expert team on aspects of social responsibility, supply chain sustainability, health and safety, and ESG reporting with markets across Telenor’s footprint in Asia and Nordics. She has particular expertise on partnerships pertaining to children’s online safety, digital skills, diversity and inclusion as well as big data for social good and human rights. In her previous roles, Zainab headed Corporate Social Responsibility at Telenor Pakistan, where she led innovative projects in partnership with international agencies within the areas of health, identity, education, disability inclusion and emergency response. In other roles, she has worked with gender equality, decent employment, telecom strategy, business intelligence, enterprise portfolio management, and policy development positions with ILO, Pakistan’s incumbent operator PTCL and the Ministry of IT & Telecom Pakistan.

Nina Vollmer

Senior Children's Rights and Business Specialist

Global Child Forum

As Research Manager, Nina’s main area of responsibility is to lead and develop the work on the Corporate Benchmark Studies on children’s rights that Global Child Forum produces in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group. In addition to this work, she also takes on other research projects and works on developing the content/inviting speakers for Forums and events. She has previously worked at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, the Swedish Teacher’s Union, the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation – SweFOR in Colombia and SonyEricsson. She has also held the voluntary position of group secretary for Amnesty Business Group Sweden and been a member of the Board of Directors at Amnesty Sweden. She has a Master’s Degree in Political Science with a focus on human rights and development from Lund University in Sweden. Nina joined Global Child Forum in 2015.

Jennifer L.C. Wu

Global Head of Sustainable Investing

J.P.Morgan Asset Management

Jennifer Wu is the Global Head of Sustainable Investing responsible for leading the firm-wide strategic efforts in building a global sustainable investing platform across ESG and climate change research, client solutions and engagement, investment stewardship and ESG integration, and development of innovative strategies. She is a member of the JPM Asset Management Operating Committee and chairs the Sustainable Investing Oversight Committee. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Jennifer was responsible for leading the global effort of creating innovative investment solutions and analytics at BlackRock’s Sustainable Investing team.

A selection of attending companies and partners

Contacts for queries

Elin Hjertström

Project Manager

Elin holds a BA in Global Development studies specializing in International Relations from Stockholm University. She was awarded the Minor Field Study Scholarship for 2018/19 financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and conducted a two-month, in-depth field study in Accra, Ghana. The research project examined a selection of women’s rights organizations and their work in supporting women’s economic rights and activities in Ghana. Elin has previously worked as an intern for the Program Department at The Hunger Project Sweden. As of 2020 Elin holds a place in Operation 1325’s year-long Board Traineeship Program.

Contact

Selma Johansson

Programme Coordinator

Selma is the Program Coordinator at Global Child Forum. She recently studied the master’s program in Political Science with a focus on Security and Crisis Management at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm and also has a BA in International Relations from Stockholm University. Her previous professional experiences include a traineeship at the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy where she helped communicate research on local democracy as well as organising international educational conferences in collaboration with Swedish Embassies. She joined Global Child Forum 2022.

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Linda Ravin Lodding

Head of Communications

As the Head of Communications, Linda is responsible for bringing our work, and our message, to our stakeholders. She has a long career in communications both in the private and public sector working for UN-affiliated organisations such as The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. Her public sector work is augmented by assignments in advertising, internet consulting and brand development. She holds an Undergraduate Degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MBA from the Stern School of Business, New York University. Linda joined Global Child Forum in 2015.

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