Business activities touch the lives of billions of working parents and children, both in a company’s own operations and global supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the need for comprehensive Government and business policies that protect and support workers and their families during and after the crisis. Family-friendly policies (FFPs) — including paid parental and sick leave, breastfeeding support, affordable and quality childcare, flexible work arrangements and access to minimum social protection measures — are essential in this regard. Such policies have proven beneficial to children and working parents, especially women, and the business benefits are clear as well.

Co-organized with UNICEF, this Academy session will convene companies and experts to share their reasons and examples to illustrate the value of family-friendly workplaces and the varied ways businesses of all sizes can implement policies to support their employees with families. Participants can expect to leave the session with insights on how to develop effective strategies to design and implement family-friendly policies with insights on how these policies will enhance core business objectives.

During this session, you will learn:

• The main pillars of family-friendly policies and their positive impacts on children, parents and businesses
• The linkages between family-friendly policies and gender equality
• Company approaches and experiences in designing and implementing family-friendly policies
• Analyses of how the family-friendly policy landscape has changed in recent years and how businesses can respond in the COVID-19 era and beyond

Session 1:

• Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact
• Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
• Laura Addati, Policy Specialist on Women and Economic Empowerment, ILO
• Chris Kip, Global Child Rights and Business Specialist, UNICEF
• Dimple Agarwal, Managing Partner People & Purpose UK and North and South Europe and Deputy CEO (UK), Deloitte

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