FTA Partners With BSR to Advance the Empowerment of Women in Global Supply Chains
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Brussels, 3 October 2016. The Foreign Trade Associations’ Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), supporting companies to improve working conditions in supply chains, has joined a collaboration led by the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to promote women’s empowerment in global supply chains.
Together with the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), International Council of Toy Industries CARE Foundation (ICTI CARE), the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and Sedex, this collaboration aims to make women’s empowerment central to the strategies, guidelines and practices that provide a framework for supply chain management.
The BSCI 2.0 system includes a broad range of tools and activities to help companies monitor, strengthen capacities and share information while influencing key actors towards improving labour conditions in the supply chain. Through this partnership BSCI will work closely with BSR in developing a guidance that clarifies where and how the BSCI 2.0 system can be further reinforced to integrate a gender lens that takes into account the rights and needs of women in supply chains.
To accompany this guidance, which will be made publicly available early 2017, specific auditing guidelines will be developed to support the identification of practices that prevent women from achieving their fullest potential.
“We are delighted to be part of this important initiative that will support BSCI participants towards adopting strategies, guidelines and practices that incorporate a stronger gender lens. Our members have an unwavering commitment towards the empowerment of women in global supply chains and value the power of partnerships and collaborations as well as the impact of a collective voice on critical issues. Through this partnership with BSR we anticipate that the initiative will complement BSCI 2.0 by engaging our participants in a strategic manner and facilitate a targeted approach aimed at empowering women in global supply chains – and contribute towards meeting SDG 5 to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, said Christian Ewert, FTA Director General.
This supply chain partnership is part of a broader three-year project focusing on mobilising private sector action for women empowerment funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs (MINBUZA). The theory of change underpinning this project is based on the premise that private sector actors can advance women’s empowerment in three ways: as actors, enablers and influencers.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Ana Maria Martin
Media relations and editorial planning coordinator
ana.maria.martin@fta-intl.org
Tel: +32 (0)2 739 48 22
About the association:
The Foreign Trade Association (FTA) is the leading business association for global commerce that promotes the values of international trade and sustainable supply chains. FTA represents 1,900+ retailers, importers and brands to promote and defend international trade and supports their business by providing information and practical solutions towards sustainability in the global supply chain. The association provides the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) to support participants to improve working conditions in factories and farms worldwide. It also provides the Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) to facilitate improved environmental performance in global supply chains.