How companies can take action to address white privilege
Like many, I have been reflecting on the injustice of racism since the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests and considering how my own actions might be perpetuating the interests of dominant white power structures within business. Over the last year the majority of my time was spent producing two Business […]
Three ways sustainable supply chains can help build better business in a COVID-19 world
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world in profound and unexpected ways. More than six million people have fallen ill from the virus and nearly four hundred thousand have died from it. The livelihoods of millions of farmers and workers have suffered, normal business has been disrupted, and the impacts continue to rise as the virus shifts to new regions. The jury is still out on how severe and lasting the economic damage will be, or whether the pandemic will spur urgently needed action on climate change, rising inequality and sustainable development. One thing we […]
Indigenous Perspectives on Poverty Eradication, Corporate Engagement and the SDGS
Indigenous Peoples play an essential role in land management, clean water and in maintaining the diversity of global food systems. Even though they make up less than 5% of the world’s population, Indigenous Peoples manage more than 28% of the globe’s land surface. They continue to use traditional methods that have evolved over centuries that […]
Collaborations and Partnerships – The Way Forward for Building an Equitable and Resilient Future
In the current challenging times of Covid-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted millions of lives and livelihoods worldwide, the role of collaborations and partnerships in binding the nations together for international solidarity, has become much more critical, than ever before. A clarion call for global community is evident from the prevailing catastrophe, that clearly highlights […]
To find out what ‘better’ looks like we must listen to those most affected
Plan International UK is responding to the global coronavirus crisis in over 50 countries; from delivering hygiene kits and life-saving public health information to vulnerable families and communities around the world, to ensuring children can continue their education when schools are closed. While the coronavirus crisis is having a devastating impact right across the world, […]
Bold choices required to move from crisis response to future pandemic preparedness
At the recent UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit, leading voices from business, government and the UN discussed how to “recover better, recover stronger, and recover together.” Part of that recovery must be to invest more in pandemic preparedness and disease prevention. With more than 400,000 deaths worldwide, in less than 6 months, COVID-19 has given […]
Join Us for Business Fights Poverty Online 2020: Rebuild Better
COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, devastating impacts on the lives, livelihoods and learning of millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable. While efforts have rightly focused on mitigating the immediate impacts, we need to start thinking about efforts to recover and rebuild, because action taken now will have long-lasting effects on people’s well-being […]
The Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round-Up
The team is a hive of activity this week, in preparation for Business Fights Poverty Online 2020: Rebuild Better. Taking place 13th – 17th July, it will be a week of inspiring and engaging content, live events, peer networking and structured learning to explore how we can “Rebuild Better”. Of course, this year we are […]
Developing Skills and Quality Jobs for Young People
The creation of jobs for young people may now be an even greater challenge than before the pandemic hit, with competition for positions being all the more fierce once economic activity resumes. In light of the enormous shock that COVID-19 has had on our economic system, how can we think differently about what is required […]
Business has a vital role to play in fighting poverty after the DFID-FCO merger
By some estimates, half a billion people globally will be pushed into poverty by COVID-19. For many in the international development community, therefore, the government’s decision to merge its Department or International Development (DFID) into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is ill-conceived and poorly timed. On 19 June, 188 NGOs called on the Prime […]
Integrated Corporate Governance: Six Leadership Priorities For Boards Beyond The Crisis
The Covid-19 crisis is accelerating a shift toward a more integrated approach to corporate governance that has been gathering force for some time. The pandemic has put people’s lives, livelihoods and learning at the center of the public policy and business response in almost every country and industry sector. It has dramatically underscored the need […]
Scalability, Sustainability and Participation in Value Chain
This is the second in a three part series, published in the lead up to Standard Chartered’s Futuremakers Forum online events 2020. Join the conversation exploring innovative ideas and tangible solutions for financing young entrepreneurs. Supporting youth-led enterprises is good for business and vital for inclusive economic growth. According to the World Bank, SMEs represent […]
The Fortnightly Business Fights Poverty Round-Up
My last roundup was focused on the importance of listening, particularly to marginalised voices. This week, the emphasis is firmly on translating new learning into tangible action, with a wealth of resources on how business can embrace purpose and rebuild better. Our Black Lives Matter Series continues, in which members of the Business Fights Poverty […]
Africa after COVID-19
The health emergency precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic has rapidly spiralled into Africa’s worst economic crisis in 25 years. Issues related to coronavirus aid, racism, and debt restructuring are resetting the critical China-Africa relationship. As funding levels drop and the macroeconomic outlook changes, the focus of investment in Africa’s promising start-up sector is rapidly evolving. […]
The post-COVID-19 world presents an opportunity for better business, but will it happen?
As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on lives and livelihoods around the world, fulfilling a social purpose has never been so important to businesses or their customers. The global outbreak has not only exposed the frailty and complexity of human needs, but also how quickly they can evolve – and thus how quickly organisations must adapt to […]
The Legislative Framework We Need to Protect Workers Across Supply Chains
The ITUC report, ‘Towards mandatory due diligence in global supply chains’, shows that while all governments need to bring in mandatory human rights’ due diligence legislation, EU-wide legislation and a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights are important steps to regulate the behaviour of companies with regard to their entire operations and activities globally. […]
The Winners of COVID-19
The Covid-19 crisis has upended the global economy. Airlines face dwindling passenger traffic; hospitals suffer exhausted workforces or mass layoffs; social venues are largely closed with many unlikely to re-open; and students and graduates experience fewer job prospects. Another deep recession is expected. Even as so many sectors struggle, there are winners. Proctor & Gamble […]
One Key to Getting People Back to Work? Childcare
Instead of finding support, many people have discovered deep fault lines in access to social services, including childcare. The childcare system has been deeply affected, with childcare centers around the world closed to protect children and workers. A survey in South Africa reveals that 68 percent of childcare center owners are concerned that they will […]
Black Lives Matter Series: Views from the Business Fights Poverty Community – Olu Olanrewaju
BFP: Please introduce yourself? OO: My name is Olu Olanrewaju. I work in the international affordable housing consultancy space. Assisting Private sector clients, Governments, development finance institutions such as KFW, Dfid, IFC and others in emerging economies to design and implement sustainable housing and urban development solutions. BFP: What is your personal take on the […]
Industries Post-COVID-19: A Gender-Responsive Approach to Global Economic Recovery
What most crises have in common is that they hit the most vulnerable and marginalized populations—among which women are disproportionally represented—the hardest. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, especially those facing multiple forms of discrimination related to poverty, race or disability, is increasingly being documented. As reported in the UN Secretary General’s “Policy […]