PRESS RELEASE: Global Child Forum at the Stockholm Royal Palace set to promote action to advance children's rights

On 26 November 2015 His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf will inaugurate this year’s Global Child Forum at the Stockholm Royal Palace. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Nestlé Chairperson Peter Brabeck-Letmathe and Plan International CEO Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen are some of the speakers taking the stage.

The Global Child Forum will gather 400 influential international decision-makers from business, government, civil society and academia to address some of the most pressing issues around children’s rights and the corporate sustainability agenda. The Forum aims to increase awareness of children’s rights by serving as a multi-stakeholder platform, particularly amongst multi-national corporations and financial institutions.

World leaders have agreed on a new set of Sustainable Development Goals, many of which are directly applicable to children’s rights and corporate responsibility. Meanwhile, the world is witnessing the worst migration and refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. Children, alone or with families, are on the move in unprecedented numbers. Millions of children whose rights to survival, protection, freedom and identity, continue to be violated. This year’s Global Child Forum seeks to address some of these challenges, encourage effective dialogue and discussion to inspire action by all parts of society, with particular emphasis on knowledge exchange with the private sector.

In addition to the prominent speakers, the Forum will host interactive panel discussions and workshops on children’s rights within the corporate sustainability agenda. “We want to encourage all stakeholders to view children’s rights as an absolute necessity, and as an opportunity for innovation,” says Åse Bäckström, Managing Director of Global Child Forum. “By identifying practical solutions and tools that responsible companies can use within their core business, we hope to advance children’s rights beyond child labor.”

The Global Child Forum 2015 is the fifth Forum and is held for invited guests on 26 November 2015 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

About Global Child Forum

Global Child Forum’s vision is a sustainable world where children’s rights are respected and supported by all stakeholders in society. By offering a platform for global dialogue, knowledge and cross-sectoral cooperation, Global Child Forum encourages action to strengthen children’s rights as part of the sustainability agenda of corporations and financial institutions. Global Child Forum was inaugurated by their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden in 2009. Since then the Forum has been held four times at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and regionally in Dubai and Pretoria. www.globalchildforum.org

Join in the conversation on Twitter at #gcf2015

 

Press information

For press accreditation and information about interviews contact Malin Jansson at Burson- Marsteller.

Malin.Jansson@bm.com, 070 634 15 16

 

About Global Child Forum

Based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Global Child Forum, an independent, multi- stakeholder platform, aims to promote children’s rights together with top leaders from businesses, governments, academia and civil society. Initiated by H.M King Carl XVI Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden in 2009, the non-profit foundation regularly organises Forums to provide a unique platform for the identification of opportunities on how businesses can contribute to the promotion of children’s rights.