Global Child Forum

Global Child Forum is an independent, global multi-stakeholder platform for informed dialogue and thought leadership on how to advance children's rights in support of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Global Child Forum aims at gathering leaders from business, governments, academia and civil society in a joint effort to implement children's rights. This multi-stakeholder approach should be supported by effective information sharing, exposing leading case studies and learning from best practice from all parts of the world.

Global Child Forum was initiated by H.M. King Carl Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden in 2009.^[1]

Reports

Setting a children's rights benchmark for the corporate sector

Together with The Boston Consulting Group Global Child Forum has conducted a study assessing how more than 1000 publicly listed companies address and incorporate children's rights in their business strategy and operations. The study uses publicly available information found in reports and on corporate websites. The purpose of the study is to create a benchmark and enable tracking of progress on how the corporate sector addresses children’s rights over time. The study will also result in a repository of good practice where we share knowledge and ideas across sectors to spur new thinking. Read the report

Investor perspectives on children's rights

The study is based on a combination of a questionnaire and publicly available information, published by investors. The questionnaire was developed by GES and Global Child Forum and was also used as a framework when assessing investors' public information. Read the report

Forums

2014 - Dubai

The Global Child Forum on the Middle East and North Africa took place on 13 November 2014 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was a full day event with plenary sessions, a networking luncheon followed by action-labs and cultural festivities celebrating 25-year anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The day ended with a buffet dinner.

The Forum was held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden and Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority and Chairperson of International Humanitarian City Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The aim of the Forum in the Middle East and North Africa was to broaden the regional network of stake-holders working for children's rights and to support cross-sector partnerships and knowledge sharing in the region.^[2]

”At the Forum we presented a new report "Children's Rights and the Corporate Sector in the Middle East and North Africa". The study looks at how 353 publicly listed companies selected from Forbes Top 500 Companies in the Arab World list, address and report on children's rights. The 353 companies were selected from industry sectors with exposure to children's rights issues: Food & Beverages, Consumer goods, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Travel & Tourism, Basic materials, Industrial goods, Oil & Gas, and Healthcare. In addition we also included companies from the banking and investment sectors in the assessment.

The results show that 64% of the companies in the study address social responsibility in some way, but only eleven per cent of these companies address children's rights related issues.

^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

2014 - Stockholm

Their fourth international Global Child Forum took place on 11 April 2014 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. About 300 participants from business, government, civil society and academia attended, representing 20 countries. This year’s theme was Partnerships for children’s rights – today and for the future. Film recordings, interviews, presentations and full research reports are available on globalchildforum.org.

H.M. King Carl Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden also participated at the forum.^[6]

2013

The third annual Global Child Forum was held on March 22, 2013 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden under the theme Children’s Rights – any of your business?. The Forum brought together around 400 participants from 16 countries; 60% represented business, 20% civil society, UN agencies and NGOs, and 20% from government and academia. The Forum was a stock taking event for the Children’s Rights and Business Principles. The first Global CEO Survey on Child Rights and Business was presented. The role of States on the impact of Business on Children’s Rights was also covered. Breakout sessions provided deeper insights in youth employment, water and sanitation as well and real life examples how business can go from commitment to actual implementation and support children’s rights.

Speakers included Lord Michael Hastings KPMG; Georg Kell, Executive Director UN Global Compact, Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children, Nigel Chapman, CEO of Plan International, Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, Mikael Ohlsson, CEO of the IKEA Group, Chris Avery, Director Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Marta Mauras, Former vice chair of the CRC; and Laura Turner Seydel, Director of the Turner Foundation, and others.

2011

The second annual Global Child Forum was held on November 17, 2011 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden and focused on the Best Interest of the Child. Keynote speakers at the second Forum were Georg Kell, Executive Director UN Global Compact, Veronique Lönnerblad, Secretary General UNICEF Sweden and Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary General Save the Children Sweden. About 500 participants, from leaders from business, finance and international organisations, the UN and NGOs, academia, selected experts and journalist as well as students from local schools participated in the Forum and its break-out sessions.

2010

The first annual Global Child Forum was held in on November 19, 2010 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. About 400 participants, from leaders from business, finance and international organisations, the UN and NGOs, academia, selected experts and journalist as well as students from local schools, participated in the Forum and its break-out sessions. Keynote speakers at the first Forum was Maria Larsson, Swedish Minister for Children and the Elderly, Therese Larsson, Maskrosbarn, Elisabeth Dahlin Secretary General Save the Children Sweden, Veronique Lönnerblad, Secretary General UNICEF Sweden and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. British Ambassador Mr. Andrew Mitchel gave a brief and Professor Yanghee Lee, chairman of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, participated through video link.

Governance

Global Child Forum board members (Consolidated)

Honorary Chairman: H.M. King Carl Gustaf of Sweden

Mr Rolf Abdon, CEO, Abdon Mills
Ms Kirstine von Blixen-Finecke, First Lady of the Court, The Royal Court
Mr Ulf Karlberg, Global Child Forum
Ms Paula Guillet de Monthoux, World Childhood Foundation
Ms Hanna Roberts, CEO for GES International

External links

References

[1] "The Global Child Forum 2014 - Sveriges Kungahus". Kungahuset.se. Retrieved 2014-06-17.

[Global_Child_Forum-2] "GLOBAL CHILD FORUM MAKES INTERNATIONAL DEBUT IN DUBAI WITH FORUM ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS". Global Child Forum. 7 October 2014.

[3] ttp://www.kungahuset.se/kungafamiljen/aktuellahandelser/2014/aktuellt2014/drottningendeltogiglobalchildforumdubai.5.67e94750148caf4ad27aab6.html

[4] ttp://globalchildforum.org/forum/forum-middle-east-north-africa/

[5] ttp://www.aktiespararna.se/analysguiden/Hitta-Bolag/Konsumtionsvaror/Clas-Ohlson/Pressmeddelanden/2014/Clas-Ohlson-Clas-Ohlson-deltar-vid-Global-Child-Forum-i-Dubai/

[6] ttp://www.kungahuset.se/kungafamiljen/aktuellahandelser/aktuellt2014/globalchildforum2014.5.3c77b02114527aa7e266c47.html

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