PLDT was been named as a Leader in the latest global children’s rights and business benchmark by the Global Child Forum (GCF), a non-profit foundation that promotes children’s rights in the corporate sector.
The GCF, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, conducted a global assessment of 1,108 companies from eight sectors and six regions, to measure how well they address and integrate children’s rights into their business operations.
PLDT achieved an 8.9/10 overall rating, the highest among PH companies and four points above the technology and telecom sector average. PLDT also scored perfect marks in 21 out of 25 indicators across the areas of governance, workplace, marketplace, and community and environment.
“We are proud of this recognition by the Global Child Forum that underscores our longstanding commitment to create a safe and sustainable environment for important members of society — our children. As the country’s largest integrated telco, we recognize our important role in nurturing and protecting children as the prime movers of the digital space, and the future leaders of the world,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, President and CEO of PLDT and Smart.
PLDT and its wireless unit, Smart, have been implementing various initiatives to uphold and safeguard children’s rights in their workplace, marketplace and community. In 2018, the Group partnered with UNICEF for the adoption of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) framework and developed their Child Safeguarding Policies. In 2021, PLDT and Smart also used the UNICEF’s updated Mobile Operators Child Rights Impact Self-Assessment (MO-CRIA) tool to better understand and enhance their impact on child rights.
With child protection as an integral and material focus of the Group’s sustainability roadmap, PLDT and Smart forge strategic partnerships with global, national, local, and multi-sectoral entities, and provide relevant resources, tools, and training to their executives, employees, customers, and communities they serve.
“This GCF recognition inspires us even more, to continue doing business responsibly, to elevate customer experience, to nurture the best workplace, and to make a noble difference through our products, programs and platforms that enable and safeguard the rights of children,” Panlilio added.
The Global Child Forum was initiated by H.M. the King and H.M. the Queen of Sweden in 2009, to bring together thought leaders and influencers from academe, business, civil society, and government to spur action for social change around children’s rights.
