In This Issue
Editor's Note
Thinking Big: How to Act Now on the MDGs
Created nine years ago, the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) intentionally employ strong language—words like "eradicate" and "combat" are applied to solving many of our social and environmental ills. But with less than six years left to accomplish these goals, much work remains. According to a recent UN report, the economic crisis has dampened or even reversed efforts on the MDGs.
This week's feature makes a compelling case for why business should do more—and provides concrete steps for what your company can do now. Among our suggestions is working with your supply chain to create a bigger impact. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a program that also helps with responsible supply chain management. Read about it in our review of the ILO's HelpDesk.
 |
In Depth
Who Cares About the Millennium Development Goals?
Businesses have the chance to contribute to a stronger and more sustainable global economy—and profit from the success of responsible operations—by taking action to reduce poverty and strengthen communities where they operate and from which they source. Here's how to start.
Read more →
|
Toolbox
ILO Experts Guide Companies on Best Labor Practices
Are workers in your supply chain free to organize? What can you do to prevent trafficking of migrant labor? These questions and more can be answered by the new International Labour Organization's (ILO) HelpDesk—a free and confidential service that can help your company align its operations with the ILO's socially responsible labor principles.
The process is simple: Contact the HelpDesk at assistance@ilo.org and a multi-disciplinary team of experts will send comprehensive responses within a day or two or up to two weeks for more complex questions.
HelpDesk experts can advise on specific issues, answer frequently asked questions, or give you access to a wide range of research and publications in your area of interest; however, it will not assess company compliance, endorse company initiatives, nor provide information on national labor laws or national industrial relations practices.
On the Record
Companies Plea for Democratic Resolution in Honduras
By Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
In a good example of public policy engagement in support of human rights, four leading apparel brands and retailers sourcing from Honduras collaborated with the Maquila Solidarity Network to respond to recent political instability in that country. Below is an excerpt from their letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that underscores the importance of using democratic processes rather than military action to resolve domestic disputes.
"While we do not and will not support or endorse the position of any party in this internal dispute, we feel it is necessary in this case to join with the President of the United States, the governments of countries throughout the Americas, the Organization of American States, the UN General Assembly, and the European Union in calling for the restoration of democracy in Honduras...
We urge for an immediate resolution to the crisis, and that civil liberties, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association be fully respected."
—The adidas Group, Gap Inc., Knights Apparel, and Nike, Inc. (July 27, 2009)
|
