Millennium development goal on safe drinking water reaches target early
The international target to halve the number of people who do not have access to safe drinking water has been met, five years before the 2015 deadline, the UN announced today. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation, between 1990 and 2010 more than 2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells.
Diversity
EU considers laws to put women into top jobs
The European Commission says it may legislate to get more women into top management jobs in Europe because companies are too slow to improve the gender balance. The EU’s Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, launched a public consultation on Monday 5th March to generate initiatives – including possible legislation – aimed at redressing the gender imbalance. “I believe it is high time that Europe breaks the glass ceiling that continues to bar female talent from getting to the top in Europe’s listed companies. I will work closely with the European Parliament and all member states to bring about change.”
UK corporate tax concessions ‘could cost developing countries billions’
Concessions planned in the budget will cut the tax bill of some of the UK’s largest companies by billions of pounds, and make it easier for them to reduce their taxes in developing countries, according to an analysis by NGO ActionAid. The government plans to change the rules on how foreign subsidiaries of multinationals based in the UK are taxed under so called controlled foreign company rules while also reducing the headline rate of corporation tax in the finance bill. ActionAid estimates developing countries could lose £4 billion a year of tax revenue as a result.
IBM helps Los Angeles schools create smarter, greener campuses
IBM announced a new project to help the second largest school district in the United States become one of the greenest and most sustainable by making energy conservation and cost savings as easy as sending a text message. Students, teachers and staff can identify maintenance issues such as leaky faucets and broken air conditioning units by sending text messages and photos through their mobile phones. IBM software automatically shows staff where the problem is using geographic information software.
‘Women Mean Business – Empowerment in Developing Markets’
Corporate Citizenship publishes their latest report ‘Women Mean Business – Empowerment in Developing Markets’ in partnership with Nottingham University’s International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ICCSR). Corporate Citizenship has analysed the activities of global businesses on women’s empowerment in developing markets.
Findings show that businesses are increasingly viewing women in fast-growing economies of Asia, Africa and Latin America as potential consumers, employees, suppliers and distributors. Companies like Unilever, Goldman Sachs and Vodafone have found that focusing on women can generate benefits for their business and for society.
The report highlights three main benefits to be achieved by investing in women. First, investing in women spreads economic opportunities, creating stronger communities and, as a result, a broader base of consumers and potential employees. Second, by increasing the number of women across the value chain, including employees, suppliers and business partners, and providing training and education to women, a company can achieve higher productivity. Finally, engaging women in distribution networks and targeting female markets can help a company to increase sales.
The report sets a number of recommendations that global businesses should take in order to grasp the benefits of women’s empowerment. Among other things, the recommendations encourage companies to map gender disparity in key strategic markets; gather insights on women across the value chain; explore the role of partnerships and social investments programmes; and carry out a value chain assessment with the goal of identifying areas where women could be further involved.
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