Media Release: An Opportunity for Businesses to Make Children’s Rights a Reality: Launching the United Nations Global Compacts new Children’s Rights and Business Principles.

For more information and detailed documentaiton click HERE

12 March 2012

Today marks the official global launch of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles Initiative, a joint project between UNICEF, Save the Children and the United Nations Global Compact. It is the first comprehensive set of principles to guide companies on the full range of actions they can take in the workplace, marketplace and community to respect and support children’s rights.

The Children’s Rights and Business Principles provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing the impact of business on the rights and wellbeing of children.

Norman Gillespie, Chief executive of UNICEF Australia explains: “These principles are intended to provide inspiration and serve as guidelines for all businesses in their direct and indirect interactions with children and young people.  They provide a tool for businesses to take a systematic and comprehensive approach to recognising the roles and rights of children when taking decision that impact them.”

James McDougall, Advocacy Director from Save the Children explains, “While the government has the primary duty to protect, respect and fulfill children’s rights, the private sector has enormous potential to impact children’s lives – both positively and negatively. The Children’s Rights and Business Principles offer businesses an organising framework to maximise positive impacts and minimise any negative ones.”

Save the Children, UNICEF and the United Nations Global Compact will continue to work together in partnership with the Australian business community to see that the Children’s Rights and Business Principles Initiative becomes a reality.

About the organizations involved and the respective media contacts:

• The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative with more than 7,000 signatories. Australian Signatories include Rio Tinto, KPMG, Woolworths, Westpac, Nestle, Allen’s Arthur Robinson, Sebel, Sustain Group, BHP, National Australia Bank, Transurban, Treasury Wine Estates, Fosters and Telstra. For media comment call Australian Representative to the UNGC, Matthew Tukaki on 0415 093 137.
• UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realised. It has the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes UNICEF unique among world organisations, and unique among those working with the young. UNICEF works in over 190 countries to promote and protect the rights of children. For media comment from UNICEF call Martha Tattersall on 0421 570 393
• Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. For media comment from Save the Children call James McDougall on 0419 243 179

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