Next step beckons for children’s rights and business principles initiative

A three-month consultation period on the seven-point Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) Initiative has ended – with the principles set for launch in November around the time of the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It’s intended that the principles become the first comprehensive guidelines for companies on the range of actions they can take in the workplace, marketplace and community to respect and support children’s rights. The project has been led by UNICEF, the UN Global Compact and Save the Children.
A range of stakeholders responded to the consultation, including Norges Bank Investment Management, the arm of the Norwegian Central Bank which runs the NOK2.9trn (€378bn) Global Pension Fund, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) research house EIRIS. NBIM has made children’s rights one of its six focus areas.
The initiative is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the UN Global Compact Principles and the UN Protect, Respect & Remedy Framework.
More than 600 business figures, civil society representatives and children participated in face-to-face or online consultations.Additionally, several thousand people were reached in the Initiative’s efforts to build awareness of the Principles in advance of their official launch.
Several in-person consultations were designed exclusively for children and adolescents, so that those directly affected could have their say. “The consultations are the most important part of the whole process,” said Henrik Holmquist, Advisor to the Secretary General of Save the Children Sweden. Link to Global Compact
The draft principles state that business should:
1. Make a commitment to children and their families as key stakeholders of business
2. Respect and support children’s rights in the workplace and value chain
3. Make sure products and services are safe and make a positive contribution to children’s lives
4. Use marketing and advertising that advances children’s rights
5. Take care of the environment where children live and grow
6. Help protect children affected by emergencies
7. Reinforce community and government efforts to fulfill children’s rights