Ryerson CSR Institute Session: Are Businesses Addressing Children's Rights? In conversation with UNICEF Canada's Simon Chorley & Scotiabank FIU's Joseph Mari

Children under 18 account for one third of the world’s population, and in many countries almost half of the national population. It is inevitable that Canadian and non-Canadian businesses, 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, community members, and as future employees and leaders. Children’s rights are therefore impacted by company policies, products, operations, sourcing activities and business relationships. Yet beyond the issue of child-centred philanthropic corporate social responsibility, the broader impacts of business on children are often overlooked. This session will explore more systematic and comprehensive methodologies for addressing the business and children's rights connection.

UNICEF Canada's Simon Chorley, our first "in conversation" guest, is ideally positioned to shed light on this less understood aspect of the broader business and human rights subject. In December 2020, UNICEF Canada and Global Compact Network Canada launched the first ever  (PDF file) Child Rights and Business Assessment Guide (external link) . It identified the top ten impacts of Canadian businesses on children’s rights and wellbeing at home and abroad, and then surveyed if Canada’s largest companies are publicly reporting on these impacts. Examples of good practice were discovered, and links to existing corporate sustainability frameworks were made. This is the result of a year-long collaboration with 20 Canadian companies, and provides recommendations for action and tools for implementation. Simon will take us through the Assessment. He will share what the impacts of business on children are, which of these impacts are being reported by Canada’s companies and from which sectors, and case studies from companies that are addressing children’s rights and wellbeing in their sustainability approaches. Simon is the International Programs Manager at UNICEF Canada. He leads the organization’s engagement with the Canadian private sector and the Government of Canada on the corporate responsibility to respect child rights. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Devonshire Initiative and represents UNICEF at the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. He has contributed to numerous projects and publications, including UNICEF’s Child Rights and Mining Toolkit, Natural Resources Canada’s CSR Checklist, and the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Source Book. The Child Rights and Security Checklist and Handbook, which he co-authored, were shortlisted for a global UNICEF award. He has fourteen years of experience in human rights and international development, having previously worked for an international anti-human trafficking organization in London.

We're also very pleased to have Joseph Mari as our second "in conversation" guest for this session. Joseph will be speaking specifically to implementation of Principle 4 of the ten-principle Canada  (PDF file) Child Rights and Business Assessment Guide (external link)  ("Ensure the Protection and Safety of Children"). Joseph is a Director within the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) at Scotiabank, overseeing investigatory operations related to capital markets, major investigations and transaction monitoring. Mr. Mari also serves as the Director of External Partnerships in the Financial Crimes Risk Management Division. In this role, Mr. Mari develops strategic partnerships with external stakeholders that seek to strengthen the bank's commitment towards sustainability initiatives. Additionally, Mr. Mari acts as the lead coordinator for the Canadian financial industry led public/private partnerships Project Protect and Project Shadow. Additionally, Mr. Mari has worked with a variety of national and transnational institutions that include the US State Department, the Vatican, Public Safety Canada, and the United Nations. He is the recipient of a 2019 Community Member Award from the Toronto Police Service and Toronto Police Services Board. A subject matter expert for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and has been featured in multiple publications such as Forbes, the CBC and Coindesk.

Moderating the session will be Dr. Kernaghan Webb, Director of the Ryerson CSR Institute and a Law and Business professor in Ryerson University's Ted Rogers School of Management who is also cross appointed to the Law Faculty. The talk is co-sponsored by the Ryerson Corporate Social Responsibility Student Association, the Ryerson Commerce and Government Association, and the Ryerson Law and Business Student Association. Support for the "In conversation" sessions from the Trade Commissioner Service of Global Affairs Canada is also gratefully acknowledged.