The Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business: Mobilizing the Private Sector for Women's Health and Rights

UNITED NATIONS, New York - As the world's largest economic force, the private sector is uniquely positioned to drive positive social impact through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within its own organizations and beyond. Businesses can be key allies for delivering information and services that ensure sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) for all stakeholders in their operations.

Private sector partners pledged $8 billion in financial commitments to help end maternal deaths, the unmet need for family planning, and gender-based violence by 2030 at the 2019 Nairobi Summit, marking the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). 

This optimism is further reinforced by the establishment of the Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business, an initiative led by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners. The Coalition, which was formally presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2023, seeks to advance and mainstream the women and girls' health agenda within the private sector.

UNFPA’s objective, through the coalition, is to build a diverse and complementary platform of stakeholders, define key areas of focus, and develop a roadmap for milestones to convene and raise the profile of SRHR in the private sector.

The private sector has a crucial role to play in promoting reproductive justice, and the coalition recognizes this. Organizations can deploy resources through financial and infrastructural investments, leverage their lobbying power to push for the implementation of policies impacting a large number of individuals, and mainstream innovation for women empowerment in all its dimensions. 

UNFPA invites organizations interested in advancing women and girls rights to join the Coalition of Reproductive Justice in Business to: 

• Assess and Measure: Evaluate organizational performance in creating an environment where women can realize their sexual reproductive health and rights, and make choices. The coalition is collecting research and data to build a business case which informs the development of metrics to be incorporated in leading ESG standards and regulations
• Seek and Adopt: Understand the implications for SRHR in an organizational context, enable gender-sensitive conditions through design in product and service delivery, and build a comprehensive guide on how to contribute to the global agenda for women’s health
• Invest and Advocate: Support and advocate for community based programs globally, guarantee women’s rights and gender equality, and ensure zero tolerance for domestic violence. Partner organizations will pioneer the integration of SRHR and gender equality in business models and processes

Your participation will contribute towards the vision of ensuring every woman has the right to make their own reproductive choices. To learn more about the coalition, and participate in upcoming efforts, kindly contact us.