Going beyond sustainable: Is regenerative agriculture the future for raw material supply chains?
As an agronomist, working in the field for the past 30 years, I’ve witnessed significant changes to our environment. In Pakistan, a lack of training has meant farmers have spent many years using too much water, and applying too many agro-chemicals, including both fertiliser and pesticides to their land. As a result, the soils have […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
Why Gender Inequality In Your Supply Chains Matters – And What You Can Do About It
Gender inequality in global supply chains is not a new issue for the private sector though the ongoing impact of Covid-19 has seen conditions worsen for workers, particularly women who are often found in the most insecure and lowest paid jobs. The most recent Oxfam Behind the Barcodes report, ‘Not In This Together – How supermarkets […]
Transitioning to net zero whilst economically empowering women in supply chains
The climate crisis is accelerating faster and is more severe than previously anticipated – to avoid the destructive consequences of a world warmed by more than 1.5°C, we must decarbonise the global economy to reach net zero by 2050. At the same time COVID -19 and measures to prevent its spread are driving a disproportionate […]
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 […]
Family Planning is an Essential Healthcare Service and Businesses Must Make It a Priority
Around 218 million women in developing economies are unable to access effective family planning, with potentially devastating impacts on their health and wellbeing, as well as their opportunities for education and employment. This matters now, more than ever: during the COVID-10 pandemic women and girls are living with an increased risk of domestic violence, early […]
Gender equality and a human centric approach to the COVID-19 pandemic: Is there a link and is the fashion industry doing enough?
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the world’s most loved fashion brands were quick to cancel or postpone their orders due to a shortfall in consumer demand. With high-street shoppers in lockdown, companies made dishonourable use of their force majeure contract clause to delay or avoid payments to suppliers; leaving the thousands […]
Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round-Up
The last couple of months have been event-ful in the literal sense! At the end of May, we held our Build Better Summit on Partnerships, followed by our week-long Global Summit in June – thanks to sponsors you can now register to access the events’ digital learning materials. And just last week, we partnered with […]
Survivors of Domestic Violence Need More Than Sick Days; They Need Practical Tools to Break Free
The Problem: Today nearly one in three women and one in seven men experience violence inflicted by an intimate partner during their lifetime.[1] [2] Tragically, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders have fostered a dramatic increase to these already shocking rates of domestic violence across the globe. A variety of factors such as the […]
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, […]
Business Fights Poverty Fortnightly Round Up
Alongside the many incisive contributions made by members of our community at last week’s Business Fights Poverty Global Summit 2021, we are delighted to be able to showcase practical insights and examples of action through our published content. Articles Our recently-published articles explore key trends that require a robust business response; how companies can support decent […]
A Week of Inspiration and Insight at the Business Fights Poverty Global Summit 2021
It was inspiring to witness the extent of our collective energy and expertise at the Business Fights Poverty Global Summit 2021. This five-day event, held from 21-25th June, brought together over 80 speakers with more than 1000 registered participants to celebrate the successes of our members; share insights and lessons learned; and build our resilience. […]
Corporate Philanthropy Reimagined: The Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains
The emerging post-pandemic world demands both reflection and imagination. Changemakers in the private sector should consider this a strategic moment to transform the way business engages with local communities in their global supply chains, and to advance new solutions to the pressing need for gender equality, health, and economic resilience. The UN Foundation’s Universal Access Project, […]
Activists Propelling us Toward Climate Justice
As I follow the news related to climate change these days, one Native American proverb has been ringing in my ears, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Faced with the growing threat of climate change, from heatwaves and frequent wildfires to rising sea levels, we are […]
UK Aid Cuts Jeopardise Sustainable Development and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships – Girls’ and Women’s Needs are At Risk
In May 1946, the first 20,000 CARE Packages arrived in France. These critical deliveries of basic supplies such as flour, soup, tinned meat and chocolate, helped feed families in post-war Europe. Around 400,000 had? arrived in Britain when we needed them most. Altogether, more than 100 million CARE Packages were packed and shipped to Europe, […]
Rudderless COVID recovery: We need a real road map from somebody
As the days get longer in the Northern Hemisphere, hope for global control of COVID-19 seems both nearer and more elusive. The U.S. and UK have vaccinated more than half of their populations and begun to re-open their economies. The rest of Europe is catching up. The East Asian economic powers are also doing well, though there has been worrisome news from Osaka, Japan’s second […]
Unpaid and unrecognised – tools and examples on how business can tackle invisible labour.
At a time of global economic downturn, when record numbers of women have lost their jobs and with more women than ever having to juggle paid work and unpaid care responsibilities, taking action to support these women and recognise their work has never been more urgent. The excessive amount and unequal distribution of this invisible […]