The pandemic, supply chains and gendered impacts
The Covid pandemic has had a profound impact on women across all dimensions of economic and social activity, finds briefing paper. From shifting gender roles in the household to the consequences on women’s roles within the economy to the health and well-being effects of the pandemic, the impact on women has been overwhelming. ISEAL, with […]
Sustainability systems in the next decade of action on business and human rights
We marked the ten-year anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in June. Adoption of the Principles was a landmark moment for the global human rights movement providing a clear framework that emphasised the complementary responsibilities of States and businesses in respecting and promoting human rights. In its recently released report taking stock […]
Addressing inequality is essential to building a sustainable food system
Transformation of the global food system is urgently needed if we’re to prevent climate and environmental breakdown, end hunger and food insecurity, and create a better future for the hundreds of millions of people whose livelihoods depend on food production. Making the UN Food Systems Summit in September a milestone event. To build a sustainable […]
Active Adaptation – making progress in an uncertain world
One year on from the launch of our report for sustainability leaders on ‘Bold Thinking, Brave Action’ and the world has fundamentally changed. The impact of the pandemic means businesses are dealing with a growing list of environmental and social challenges that are informed by public opinion and underpinned by economic and political volatilities. While […]
How to use the World Benchmarking Alliances’ social and just transition indicators
Charlotte Hugman is Leading Research on Climate & Energy at the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), and Sofía del Valle is Engagement Manager, Social Transformation, Gender and Human Rights at the same organisation. WBA develops transformative benchmarks that allow comparisons of companies’ performances on the Sustainable Development Goals. In this session, Charlotte and Sofía shared the […]
How to harness partnerships to drive system-level change
Laís Higashi is President of Litre of Light Brazil and One Young World Ambassador. Litre of Light Brazil is a social organisation that provides solar solutions to low income communities without adequate access to electricity. In this session, Laís explained why partnerships are critical for the initiative she leads and shared the practical challenges of developing system-level change. RESOURCES Litre […]
COVID-19 recovery: Why childcare must be part of the plan
Dinnah, a mother of two living in one of Nairobi’s informal settlements, is among the millions of informal workers hit hardest by COVID-19. Before the pandemic, Dinnah earned a few dollars a day selling fruits and vegetables in the streets – barely enough to meet her family’s needs. After dropping her seven-year-old daughter off at […]
How to implement effective grievance mechanisms
Monica Romis is Private Sector Human Rights Advisor at Oxfam Business Advisory Service. Oxfam is an international organisation that works to end global poverty and to help build a world less divided by money, race, borders or gender. In this session, Monica speaks about grievance mechanisms, and references good practices that can help companies move […]
How businesses can – and must – step up to create just and regenerative food systems
The United Nations Food Systems Summit heralds a season of landmark global decision-making, from the Committee on World Food security and climate COP 26 to the Nutrition for Growth Summit and next year’s delayed UN Biodiversity summit. What we all commit to in the coming months will set the change agenda for decades, and determine […]
Regenerative Agriculture: Growing Pains
Agriculture is not working for people or the planet. The statistics are startling. 78% of the world’s poorest people remain reliant on agriculture, 33% of the world’s soils are degraded (a figure that could rise to 90% by 2050) and agriculture contributes to about a quarter of global climate emissions (stats from the World Bank, […]
Six Actions Businesses Can Take To Reduce Negative Impacts of Purchasing Practices on Human Rights
Companies’ purchasing practices can have a profound impact on human rights. Businesses are under mounting pressure to take responsibility for the wellbeing of the women and men working in their supply chains, with mandatory human rights due diligence legislation approved or underway in several countries. While Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability teams are working hard […]
Living Wages: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Oxfam’s Work
Living wage has been a key focus of Oxfam’s work on labour and human rights. We published a series of briefing papers that captured common challenges and promising solutions. Living wage has also been part of the scorecard indicators for Oxfam’s Behind the Brands and Behind the Barcodes campaigns. Importantly, we have worked with companies […]
The importance of ‘tri-partite’ partnerships between business, NGOs and government
In the middle of 2020, Fairtrade and Mondelēz International expanded their existing partnership to include the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), winning a one year grant from the Business Partnerships for Global Goals (BP4GG) programme[1]. The three partners collaborated to launch the Cadbury Farmer Resilience Fund, designed to accelerate and deepen existing work […]
How to enhance innovation and intrapreneurship in your organisation
Lorena Guillé-Laris is Executive Director of Fundación FEMSA and Global Fellow at the League of Intrapreneurs works to unlock the human innovation potential inside our most influential institutions to change the world for the better. In this session, Lorena explained why intrapreneurship is so critical for our current reality and she shared her advice with […]
How to respond to gender inequality issues in global supply chains
Jiselle Steele is Private Sector Gender Advisor at Oxfam Business Advisory Service. Oxfam is an international organisation that works to end global poverty and help to build a world less divided by money, race, borders or gender. In this session, Jiselle explains what has been the impact of COVID-19 on inequality and gender gaps in […]
How to put intergenerational fairness into practice
Julie Jenson Bennett is Practice Lead for Intergenerational Fairness at the School of International Futures (SOIF), an institution that helps policy makers and business leaders to make their organisations future-ready. In this session, Julie explained why intergenerational fairness is important to business and how companies can put intergenerational fairness into practice. RESOURCES Intergenerational Fairness Observatory […]
4 Pillars for Rebuilding Better
Over half of young people think that humanity is doomed, according to a new climate change survey. Since I was born just over 50 years ago, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years. Clearly, my generation has a lot to answer for. At the same time, the pandemic […]
Responsibility in rum
A stormy history It’s widely believed that rum as we know it today, was first distilled on sugarcane plantations in the 17th century. The history of sugarcane and its by-products, including rum, is closely entwined with the slave trade. Enslaved people were made to grow and cut sugarcane in appalling conditions, work tirelessly to ferment, […]
Collaborating beyond COVID-19: How Business Can Go Beyond the Bottom Line
In our current times, the balance between profit and purpose has never been more tested than during the current global health crisis which we presently face. As much as the pandemic has affected communities, cultures and countries across the world, it has impacted people on a personal level and shifted the perspective on international cooperation, […]
5 Principles for Powerful Partnerships: Where Profit meets Social Impact
Know your partner AND Your value proposition Secure buy-in at multiple levels: from front-line staff to the boardroom Unite your business & social goals Define roles and responsibilities Adapt to market shifts A catalytic collaboration here in Vietnam is stimulating business growth for women entrepreneurs by challenging misconceptions and improving access to finance, networks and […]