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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Investing in Women
To coincide with the centenary celebration of International Women’s Day, BSR is launching a new series of business briefs that identify trends and provide recommendations to help our members invest in women as consumers, employees, community members, and partners.
BSR HERproject Manager Racheal Yeager introduces the series with an exploration of the different ways companies can engage women to solve key sustainability challenges, including sustainable consumption, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement.
Also this week, we share our thoughts on a new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which makes the business case for addressing gender issues in agriculture and rural employment.
Lastly, BSR’s Human Rights Director Faris Natour highlights a new report issued by UN Special Representative for Business and Human Rights John Ruggie that provides examples of practical applications of the UN “Protect, Respect, and Remedy” Framework—the de facto standard for business and human rights.
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In Depth
Women and Sustainability: Integrating Women Into Your Business and Sustainability Strategies
Launching today, BSR's new research series "Woman and Sustainability," provides in-depth, business-specific context to help company managers understand the critical issues and develop action plans to address the challenges and opportunities related to investing in women.
Read more →
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Spotlight
Practical Applications of the UN Business and Human Rights Framework on the Rise
By Faris Natour, Director, Human Rights, BSR
John Ruggie, the UN special representative for business and human rights, issued a report listing practical applications of the UN "Protect, Respect, and Remedy" Framework. The framework, which has emerged as the de-facto standard for business and human rights, has already been applied by numerous governments, companies, investors, multilateral institutions, NGOs, national human rights institutions, academia, and the United Nations.
Examples include:
Additional examples can be sent to frameworkinaction@srsgconsultation.org. For more information about human rights and the UN Framework, contact Faris Natour.
Toolbox
Closing the Gender Gap in Agriculture
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization released a new report on the business case for addressing gender issues in agriculture and rural employment. According to the report, women in all regions face gender-related constraints that reduce their productivity and impose real costs on society.
The report assesses the costs of the gender gap faced by women in terms of their access to land, livestock, financial services, fertilizers, tools, and employment opportunities. It also provides estimates for economic and social benefits that could be achieved by closing the gender gap in agriculture. The report suggests that governments, the international community, and civil society work together to promote equal access to resources and opportunities; ensure that agricultural policies and programs take a gender-sensitive approach; and make women equal partners in achieving sustainable development.
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During my most recent trip for HERproject with colleague Ryan Flaherty, the term "fieldwork" took on a whole new meaning—we found ourselves suiting up in boots and smelling roses. Ryan and I traveled to Naivasha (an hour northwest of Nairobi) to lay the groundwork for expanding HERproject into the cut-flower and food-processing industries in Kenya.