Hong Kong, 19 September

Global Child Forum, a Stockholm-based leader in children’s rights and business, will bring together actors from business and civil society to take action on children’s rights at the CSR Asia Summit – the region’s foremost annual sustainability event being held on 18-19 September.

Global Child Forum’s break-out session, Business and Children’s Rights: Beyond Charity and Child Labour, will focus on transparency, risk management and positive effects on the bottom line from investing in children’s rights. With nearly a half of the ASEAN population under 30 years of age, companies operating in Asia need to create a nurturing and empowering environment for a new generation while also driving the next phase of economic growth. The session will showcase the benefits of an extensive children’s rights program, going beyond just doing good for children and addressing child labour issues.

Panellists Caroline Briggert, Director Citizenship, Policy and Engagement at Mattel and Pablo Largacha, Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications at The Coca-Cola Company, will present best practices which will highlight how businesses can better understand their impact on children’s rights, mitigate their risk and unlock new opportunities by promoting children’s rights as an integrated part of their operations.

The session will also launch a new regional benchmarking report, Corporate Responses to Protecting Children’s Rights in Southeast Asia, which provides insights across three areas where the corporate sector impacts children’s rights: The Workplace, The Marketplace, The Community and the Environment.

Throughout this report, data from the Children’s Rights and Business Atlas highlights contextual factors that shape how companies can and should respond to children’s rights. This information is contrasted with the results of the benchmark scoring for the 20 largest companies in Southeast Asia. A gap analysis provides recommendations for company actions that address risks and create positive impact on children’s rights in the region.

In partnership with CCR CSR, Global Child Forum will also premier the film “Four Countries. Four Stories.”, which gives voice to children from China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Bangladesh who talk about the impacts of businesses on their lives.

During the conference, Global Child Forum will be hosting Children’s Rights and Business Atlas booth where representatives from Global Child Forum and UNICEF will showcase this free online due diligence tool to help companies identify, prioritise and mitigate children’s risks in their community and environment.