Unicef for shared value partnerships

New Delhi: UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore will be on a visit to India starting Sunday till October 6 during which she will hold discussions on a wide range of issues and take part in the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention, the UN body said.

Fore will also see first-hand UNICEF-supported programmes related to sanitation, health and other children's issues during the visit.

"During her first official visit to the country as the UNICEF executive director, Fore will be meeting with senior government officials, frontline workers, families, children and young people.

"Her itinerary also includes meetings with business leaders to seek shared value partnerships with the heads of top corporate houses in the country on the business benefits of investing in children," the body said.

It said there was no longer debate about the key role of business in building a safer, more sustainable world for children.

"There is strong financial evidence that investments in children reap benefits not just for the families and communities benefitting, but also for the governments and corporate partners advancing the cause of children and young people.

Doing good is doing good business," Fore said in a UNICEF statement.

On October 1, she will deliver keynote remarks at the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC), a four-day event in New Delhi that will bring together sanitation ministers and sector specialists from around the world.

Organised by the Indian Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the meeting will share sanitation and hygiene success stories and lessons from the participating countries.

The event will culminate on October 2 with the launch of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth year celebrations in India, as the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Programme) enters its final year of implementation.

"In the last decade, South Asia has taken remarkable strides in improving access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, with the proportion of people practising open defecation down to only 34 per cent in the region as a whole.

"This progress is proof we can get to the goal of sanitation for all, if we all regroup, refocus and rededicate ourselves to this critical 2030 benchmark," Fore said.

She will also interact with young people and focus on some of the innovative solutions that support young people's access to education and skills training for future work.

As part of her India visit, Fore will also travel to Mumbai to attend a 'Closing Bell' event at the National Stock Exchange. The programme will emphasise the urgent need for equitable investments in children.

"Targeted investments in education, skills and economic opportunities for young people hold the potential to radically transform a country's economic outlook.

"Key stakeholders across sectors must work together to scale-up efforts to strengthen 'school-to-work' transitions, including exploring new opportunities to train young people through hands-on mentorships and apprenticeships," Fore added.