SK-Unicef, Korea's First Child-Friendly Business Forum... "Prioritizing Children's Rights in Corporate Activities"

10th Anniversary of the Declaration of 'Children's Rights and Management Principles'
First Domestic 'Child-Friendly Company' Forum Held

Lee Hyung-hee, Chairman of the SK SV Committee, is delivering a welcome speech at the '2022 Child-Friendly Companies Forum' held on the 7th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by SK Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] SK announced on the 8th that it held Korea's first Child-Friendly Company Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Korea Committee to mark the 10th anniversary of the declaration of 'Children's Rights and Management Principles.'

According to SK, the company and UNICEF jointly hosted the '2022 Child-Friendly Company Forum' on the 7th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, under the theme of 'Children's Rights and ESG (Environment, Social, Governance).' SK organized the forum in agreement on the need to spread a child-friendly corporate culture from the perspective of sustainable society and management.

Globally, awareness is growing that corporate management policies related to child-friendliness, such as parental leave and flexible work, impact assessments, and performance measurement, as well as the willingness of companies, members, and stakeholders to practice these policies, can significantly affect children's rights in society and families. The European Union (EU) and others emphasize corporate responsibility for children's rights.

SK has led the social contribution coalition 'Happy Alliance' to support children in welfare blind spots, providing 'Happy Lunchboxes' to address children's impact imbalance issues, supporting daily necessities, improving housing environments, and offering educational and emotional support. Since starting a surgical support project for children with facial deformities in Vietnam in 1996, SK has conducted 25 sessions as of last September, focusing on domestic and international social contribution activities to improve children's rights.

At the forum, Lee Hyung-hee, Chairperson of the SK SV Committee, said in his welcoming remarks, "Children's rights must be reflected and respected throughout all corporate management activities, including product production, marketing, distribution, and consumption," adding, "There is a need for society-wide recognition that child-rearing issues among corporate members must be resolved for corporate sustainability and survival."

Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, who visited Korea to attend the forum, appealed for the practical commitment of companies to realize child-friendly management principles in her congratulatory speech.

Director Russell stated, "Children's rights and management principles have made all of us act from meeting rooms to factory sites, showing that we do not have to give up either corporate management or children's human rights," and added, "I hope each company prioritizes children's human rights in their ESG strategies."

Jung Gap-young, Chairperson of the UNICEF Korea Committee, emphasized, "As non-financial factors such as ESG become important for sustainable corporate development, the implementation of 'Children's Rights and Management Principles' can serve as a performance indicator like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for companies," and added, "It can especially provide practical and long-term support for companies entering overseas markets."

The forum was attended by corporate and investor representatives, academia, members of the National Assembly, and government officials. Notably, representatives from various industries including SK Siltron, Enuma, 3M, IBM, and DRB Dongil participated, presenting cases related to ▲ children's rights from an ESG perspective ▲ promotion of children's data rights ▲ education for marginalized children ▲ internalization of children's rights within companies, and engaged in discussions to explore practical measures to promote children's rights.

Meanwhile, the UNICEF Korea Committee is implementing the 'UNICEF Child-Friendly Society' project to create child-friendly environments across various social sectors that affect children, such as local governments, schools, companies, and hospitals. Currently, alongside UNICEF Child-Friendly Companies, initiatives such as UNICEF Child-Friendly Cities, UNICEF Child-Friendly Schools, and UNICEF Child-Friendly Hospitals are underway.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.