All Articles About Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

BSR Insight Article: Walmart CEO: ‘Holding Women Back Holds Economies Back’

Racheal Meiers (née Yeager), Director, HERproject

Last week, Walmart made a US$20 billion commitment to increase sourcing from female-owned U.S. businesses and to double the amount it sources from female-owned businesses globally by 2016. Through a broader initiative, the company will also offer women on farms and in factories training, market access, and career opportunities; provide low-income women with job-skills training and access to higher education; increase the gender diversity among its major suppliers; and grant US$100 million to organizations supporting women’s economic empowerment. Read more →

Posted: September 20, 2011 | Topics: Economic Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Strategy & Integration, Women & Sustainability

BSR Insight Article: How Freedom of Association Supports Economic Development

The International Labour Organization’s new report outlines how freedom of association—the right to create and join organizations without fear of reprisal—supports sustainable economic development. The report explores the challenges to freedom of association; provides case studies on the positive effects it can have when governments, employers’ organizations, and trade unions work together; and shares how these actors can promote respect for freedom of association. Read more →

Posted: September 6, 2011 | Topics: Civil & Political Rights, Economic Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Human Rights, Stakeholder Relations

BSR Insight Article: New BSR Tool Helps Business Identify Strategic Social Investments

Alison Colwell, Associate Director, Advisory Services

BSR’s new tool helps companies make strategic social investments in communities where they operate, which is a critical aspect of building sustainable local economies. Strategic social investments allow companies to maximize the impact of their resource allocations, increase the long-term sustainability of their efforts, develop productive and mutually beneficial relationships with local stakeholders, and mitigate operational disruptions by strengthening their social license to operate. Read more →

Posted: September 6, 2011 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Economic Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Human Rights, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration

Blog: How Companies Can Help Prevent Trafficking

Celine Suarez, Manager, Advisory Services

It’s estimated that 80 percent of global trafficking victims are women, and the vast majority are ensnared in sexual exploitation through the promise of legitimate jobs, marriage, “a way out,” or the lure of love from a male figure. Women and girls often become trapped in their situations through the threat (or reality) of violence, physical bondage, psychological control, and drug addiction. Around the world, poverty and illiteracy are some of the most common factors among female victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.   Read more →

Posted: August 23, 2011 | Topics: Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Governance & Accountability, Human Rights, Supply Chain, Women & Sustainability

BSR Insight Article: The Global Food Crisis

Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services

According to Oxfam International, which recently published an interactive map of the global food crisis, food prices—caused by climate change and resulting crop failures, rising oil costs, and short-sighted biofuel strategies—have lingered at an all-time high since late 2010. Read more →

Posted: August 16, 2011 | Topics: Climate Change, Community Engagement & Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Human Rights