How to Change the World While in Confinement
This is day 11 of full confinement and France is in complete lockdown. So are many other countries. The impact of this pandemic will go much beyond the obvious, have countless repercussions, many of which we cannot yet foresee. Beyond the tragedies we know about, there may be a more silent impact of this pandemic: […]
Shaping a Sustainable Post COVID World: 5 Lessons for Business
Today we have the acute Herculean task to protect the lives of 100,000s, the health of millions and the livelihoods of billions. Nothing should detract us from winning this war. But as we fight it we should seize the chance too to create a new, more resilient, healthy, equal society that lives in equilibrium with […]
Armenian Apparel Manufacturer Starts Producing Masks to Help Fight Coronavirus
The masks are made from anti-bacterial melt-blown polypropylene, a specialized medical-grade textile that allows air to pass through while filtering out dangerous particles. TOSP is currently manufacturing around 2,000 masks a day. Armenia instituted a one-month state of emergency on March 16, following a sharp increase in cases of Covid-19. All educational institutions have been shut […]
Business and Workers Unite in Call for International Cooperation on COVID-19
ICC and the ITUC have joined forces in a call for bold coordinated action that leaves no one behind in response to the COVID-19. In time for the for the G20 leaders summit, the world’s business and workers’ organisations have joined forces to issue an open letter calling on political leaders to commit to bold coordinated […]
Precarious and Informal Work Exacerbates Spread of Coronavirus
The scarcity of coronavirus test kits means that most people who fall ill will not get tested until they have serious health problems that require hospitalisation. This is a perfect storm for the two billion people globally employed in the informal economy: you are unsure whether you have the virus; you may not be at […]
How Will COVID-19 Affect Women and Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?
The Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Wenham, Smith, and Morgan discuss gendered impacts in their article, “COVID-19: the gendered impacts of the outbreak,” in the Lancet. Women appear to be less likely to die from COVID-19: “Emerging evidence suggests that more men than women are dying, potentially due to sex-based immunological […]
Business Fights Poverty Briefing, with McKinsey & Co and UNDP: How can business support the most vulnerable in value chains and communities in the face of COVID-19?
On 11th March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. This is first and foremost a human tragedy. At time of writing, there are more than 332,930 cases and 14,510 people have lost their lives. COVID-19 is also having a growing and very significant impact on the […]
Business, Disease and Global Health: Taking collective action on workplace health to create a healthier future
In crises, swift action is critical. Yet, business leaders should also use this time to rethink the “old normal” for workplace health, particularly for poorer workers in their global supply chains. The “old normal” views workplace health through narrow lens of occupational safety. Most manufacturing suppliers in lower-income countries consider their health and safety staff […]
Responsible Businesses Step Forward – Governments Can’t Fight this Virus Alone
As the limits on our go-to crisis-management tools become clear, it is increasingly apparent that we need the private sector to join the coronavirus front line. There’s a reason the White House has asked Walmart and others to help with drive-thru testing and Downing Street wants manufacturers to shift production lines to building ventilators. Governments, […]
Is your company working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals?
Is your company working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals? Does your organization transform lives and markets with sustainable solutions to development challenges? If so, we want to hear from you. FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards is inviting applications from forward-thinking companies and impact investors whose work proves that the private sector can help drive sustainable […]
3BL Media Opens CSRwire for Free Social Impact Communications Around COVID-19
Meanwhile, the guidelines that public health officials have urged all of us to follow have been a disruption to all organizations, including the world’s largest corporations and NGOs taking on some of the most daunting challenges as each of us does our part to flatten the curve. To that end, 3BL Media, realizes that many organizations have […]
Three Priorities for Business on the Coronavirus
On 11th March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. At time of writing, there are more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. It is likely that many more countries will be affected, with particularly devastating impacts for countries with […]
Paul Polman Calls for Ambitious Collaboration to Tackle COVID-19
‘Made in Monde’: Time to Rethink the System
The magnitude of the impact is immense and growing, and signaling to a contraction of world GDP. And we do not know the magnitude of the knock-on effect of COVID-19 or when it will come to an end. As it stands, the Olympic Games in July and August may even be affected. What we do […]
Fight, Not Flight, Must be the Strategy for Flattening the COVID-19 Curve
The number of coronavirus cases in Kenya has jumped to three after the government confirmed two more cases. President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a raft of proactive measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Barely three months into the COVID-19 outbreak, stock markets have plummeted, and global supply and production systems have wobbled. Across […]
How Can Inclusive Finance Help in a Pandemic?
The government has been proactive in learning from the experiences of other countries in preventing the transmission of the virus and mitigating the impacts on households and businesses. Examples include: The Ministry of Health’s initial communication confirming the first case and subsequent information on identifying, quarantining, and testing those in contact. The Competition Authority of […]
The Role of Businesses in Preventing Further Spread of COVID-19
The internet has been flooded with videos of handwashing dances; every world leader urging us to wash our hands; and lines for the sink in bars and restaurants as customers jostle to scrub their fingers and palms before returning to their table – all in aid to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. […]
4 Ways Business in Italy is Taking a Stand Against the Consequences of Coronavirus
Of all the things that I expected to do in Rome this weekend, waving to my best friends from a cold distance and stocking food supplies were never part of the plan. Scanning through the abundance of Italy-is-Doomed news and social media posts, my attention was captured by how many companies were reacting. In this short article, […]
COVID 19 – Accelerating Our Virtual Productivity
Turning social distance in to social productivity COVID19 may be leading to travel bans and cancelled events, meetings and workshops, but it doesn’t have to reduce our productivity, social connection and interactions. Virtual sessions can be even more productive, not just saving travel time and carbon, but getting deeper and more focused interaction with our teams and peers. […]
Five Golden Rules of Successful Partnerships
Fortunately, there is a wealth of experience about what works and what doesn’t, and in my role at Business Fights Poverty I have been fortunate to observe and learn from many individuals and organisations over the past 15 years. Take a look, for example, at the close to 400 articles on our site, our reports that explore case studies, […]