Agro Perspectiva

Nestlé releases 2nd Millennium Development Goals report at UN Global Compact Summit

24.06.2010 10:19 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — More than 1,000 global leaders from business, governments, civil society, and academia look set to attend the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 — of which Nestlé is a Patron sponsor — in New York today. As the largest ever UN business two-day event on the issue of corporate responsibility, its size reflects the ambitious scope of its agenda. Priorities include issues ‘central to corporate leadership today and essential for the achievement of sustainable markets’, with focus on what is being done to support the achievement of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals are to focus leaders and organisations internationally on improving quality of life for millions of the world’s poorest people. The Nestlé and UN MDGs 2010 Report — the company’s second such report, released to coincide with the summit — is to share Nestlé’s experiences of assessing its actions in relation to the Goals. While Nestlé’s activities impact each of the eight MDGs, the report focuses on six of them, highlighting Goal 1: Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality, Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health, Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability and Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development. Download your copy of the Nestlé and the United Nations Millenium Development Goals 2010 (pdf, 2 Mb) Having the most impact on Goal 1, Nestlé runs 56 projects in 36 countries to combat poverty and hunger issues, while for Goal 7, Nestlé leads 52 projects in 31 countries to further environmental sustainability and for Goal 8, Nestlé heads 128 projects in 56 countries to build partnerships. In ensuring women have opportunities to succeed, under Goal 3, Nestlé backs innovative projects such as the Community Empowerment through Livestock Development and Credit (CELDAC) initiative. Working in partnership with the UN Development Agency to empower female dairy farmers in rural Punjab, Pakistan, Nestlé helps improve their livelihoods by providing them with training in primary livestock management and milk production and giving them access to microfinance. A main cause of economic difficulty for these women is when their animals succumb to treatable illnesses, which happens frequently. This is because there are few vets in the region, and as these are predominately men it makes contact with female farmers problematic. Through CELDAC, more than 800 women have been trained in basic veterinary skills by certified female ‘Master Trainers’, and equipped with kits comprised of medical instruments, medicines, and vaccines — not only building their capacity to rear livestock more effectively, but enabling them to become socio-economically empowered.