General News

UN.GIFT: Business Leaders Award

The private sector is an indispensable partner in the global fight against human trafficking. Any national or international strategy to combat human trafficking cannot be successful and effective without the dedicated involvement of the business community in eradicating the practice.

To honour business leaders who take an active stand against human trafficking, End Human Trafficking Now!, the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) and the United Nations Global Compact are together establishing a new international award, "Business Leaders against Human Trafficking".

The award will recognize business leaders who place their commitment to combat human trafficking at the heart of their business strategy and their efforts to promote corporate social responsibility.

Business leaders are uniquely placed to combat exploitative labour practices and to raise awareness of human trafficking among workforces, colleagues and even consumers. The award aims to reward creativity in identifying, preventing and combating human trafficking. It will commend business innovations in labour policies, supply chain management and corporate social responsibility initiatives that help fight human trafficking.

The award should serve to stimulate businesses around the world to address the scourge of human trafficking and challenge them to adopt ethical business standards.

The winner of the award will be determined by a jury composed of individuals of high moral stature with demonstrated commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. The jury will be supported by an advisory committee of experts on human trafficking from different sectors, including international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia and the media.

The award will be granted every two years. The call for nominations for the first award, to be given in 2010 at an International Forum against Human Trafficking in Luxor, Egypt will be announced on 1 May 2010. Information on the award and the nomination process can be found at www.businessleaderaward.org (as of 1 May 2010). The call for nominations will close on 31 July 2010.