More than 100 businesses and stakeholders in Viet Nam reimagine responsible business policies and…

Madam Pham Chi Lan, Senior Economist Expert has shared her insights and delivered a lighting talk during the forum.

She urged businesses to comply with the national legislations and go beyond to implement the international standards on business and human rights such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles.

Ms. Rana Flowers, Representative, UNICEF Viet Nam deliver her opening remark at the forum. “Apart from the unprecedented scale of COVID-19, the crisis offers us an opportunity to re-imagine and re-build systems and economies that benefit all people, including the poorest and most vulnerable. We must work together to keep economies afloat, avoid permanent damage to business operations and employment pipelines, while supporting children, families and communities through, and beyond, this global emergency. UNICEF is rallying every business — small, medium-sized or large company — to do whatever it can to anticipate and mitigate negative impacts on children, as children are everyone’s business”,

Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Secretary-General of VCCI delivers his speech at the event. He said “In order to ensure the strategic economic development, it is necessary to be responsible and sustainable business. It means business operation has to bring benefit to everyone including children, ensure the closed-reasonable-harmonise combination among economic efficiency with social responsibility, natural resource and environment protection. We would like to call for the collaboration among different stakeholders to promote Child Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) to reimagine the model of responsible business, with socially responsible policies and practices are part of the company’s DNA”,

The forum today highlighted the good initiatives and models and called for more collaborations among stakeholders to go beyond compliance and focus on sustainability of business actions. Lots of benefits can be easily foreseen if businesses invest in those policies, such as improvement in workers’ productivity and performance, promotion of corporate culture, reputation, public image and brand value which all lead to boosted profitability.

Participants and panelists also discussed how to build back better through child-friendly business strategy in order to protect and promote child rights through products and services and community development projects/interventions. A travel and tourism company shared how it has integrated child protection issues in its code of conduct and partner training. One of the largest local footwear manufacturers highlighted the company’s long-term investment in the community to provide clean water. The discussion also highlighted the importance of building partnerships between Business — Social Organization and Public-Private Partnership.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh, Executive Director of Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD) shared that “Child Rights and Business Principles help business invest in the children and youth wisely and strategically to ensure their economic growth and sustainable development. In the process of promoting Child Rights in business, business should partner with social organizations as they are close to children and youth and have rich expertise and experience in promoting and ensuring Child Rights. The partnership can create more shared value to both partners and especially to children and youth”

Ms Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam and Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Secretary-General of VCCI congratulates Madam Pham Chi Lan (middle), Senior Economist Expert and representatives after her sharing session on the insights and delivered a lighting talk during the forum.

This forum entitled “Reimagine Responsible Business for a Better World for Children” is organized under the framework of the collaboration program between UNICEF Viet Nam and VCCI on promoting Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) among Enterprises in Viet Nam, with an aim to create an enabling environment for businesses and strengthen business knowledge, capacity, and commitment to respect and support the rights of children in Viet Nam.

More than 100 businesses and stakeholders in Viet Nam reimagine responsible business policies and practices to promote child rights

Written by UNICEF Viet Nam