tailieunhanh - Children’s Rights and Business Principles

We will support stations and national producers in their efforts to inform the public about critical questions of the day as traditional journalism continues to decline. And we will continue to work with the system to embrace pragmatic change, in order to be poised even in a challenged economy to respond to the opportunities offered by shifting demographics and technological innovation. A number of ongoing and new projects are described within this document. The details of those projects are subject to change, but we believe they can provide helpful examples of the kind of work we will. | UNICEF NYHQ2009-0870 SOKOL Children s Rights and Business Principles unicef Save the Children UNICEF NYHQ2008-1775 PIROZZI Introduction Children under 18 years old account for almost one third of the world s population. In many countries children and youth make up almost one half of the national population. It is inevitable that business whether small or large will interact with and have an effect on the lives of children both directly and indirectly. Children are key stakeholders of business - as consumers family members of employees young workers and as future employees and business leaders. At the same time children are key members of the communities and environments in which business operates. With increased attention being paid to the role of business in society in parallel to governments and other societal actors and with greater awareness of the links between business and human rights the explicit focus on the impact of business on children is also timely. Children are among the most marginalized and vulnerable members of society and this is evident from their lacking a public voice. They are rarely given a say or consulted about how communities make decisions - even decisions affecting them directly such as planning for schools and recreational areas. Yet when given the opportunity to participate children have demonstrated that they can provide important alternative viewpoints and make valuable contributions. 2 I Children s Rights and Business Principles The effects that business has on children can be long-lasting and even irreversible. Childhood is a unique period of rapid physical and psychological development during which young people s physical mental and emotional health and well-being can be permanently affected for better or worse. Adequate food clean water and care and affection during a child s developing years are essential to his or her survival and health. Children are even affected by everyday hazards differently and more severely than .