Nestle Joins Women's Health & Reproductive Rights UN Coalition

• Nestlé has joined a UN coalition promoting reproductive rights and support for women and girls
• The initiative strives for the improvement of health equality in the workplace
• The World Economic Forum reports that women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health

Nestlé has recently joined an UN-launched coalition working to advocate for and offer more assistance toward enabling women and girls to attain health equity while at work through reproductive rights.

According to the World Economic Forum, women have a greater percentage of their lifetime experiencing poor health; they can anticipate living in poor health for approximately 25 percent longer than men.

The UNFPA is the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency and works to advance women's access to decent sexual/reproductive treatment and exercise their own rights.

The goal of the UNFPA as it continues its current journey is clearly defined by its three zeroes: 1) a zero unmet need for family planning; 2) zero preventable maternal deaths; and 3) zero gender-based violence and other practices that harm women.

UNFPA has launched a coalition with various partners to advance its mission into supporting private-sector companies' efforts toward serving women, as well as women's aggregate health and reproductive rights.

The Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business aims to incorporate reproductive health throughout business operations so that all businesses provide maternal-health supports, family-planning resources, and responses to incidents of gender-based violence.

If you consider that over 190 million women globally are employed in the supply chains operating globally, you can easily see the potential for the private sector to have a positive impact on women's reproductive rights within its employees, suppliers, customers, and overall communities.

There are various ways in which companies can support reproductive health including flexible work arrangements for workers experiencing menstrual or menopause-related symptoms, Safe spaces for reporting workplace issues, On-site reproductive health services and Peer educator training for employees.

According to CRJB data, 37 percent of countries do not offer any paid parental leave for mothers and fathers. Additionally, while 67 percent of countries have laws prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace, approximately 75 percent of all cases go unreported.

Nestlé’s participation in CRJB exemplifies their commitment to promoting women’s health. Serena Aboutboul, Global Head of Nutrition Division at Nestlé, stated that “Nestlé is thrilled to support this initiative and work collaboratively with UNFPA and our fellow coalition partners to redefine how we approach women’s health in the private sector. Our commitment will not waver from maternal care through menopause.”

Through their leadership within the coalition, Nestlé seeks to help define measurable standards for reproductive health and create a future where businesses see women’s reproductive health as part of their overall success and also as part of a healthier society.

In support of this goal, the coalition is in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals for Good Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality, creating a framework for companies looking to strengthen the place of women’s health within their business and establish a supportive workplace for all.