BALI (INDONESIA)/ALEXANDRIA (USA), Aug. 6, 2018 – The Bali Process Government and Business Forum (Bali Process) Secretariat (Walk Free Foundation) and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to collaborate on anti-slavery efforts through the Bali Process.
An estimated 40 million people are victims of modern slavery across the world, with nearly 25 million working in situations of forced labor. The Bali Process seeks to address issues of human trafficking, forced labour and modern slavery in the Indo-Pacific and the Walk Free Foundation (WFF) is a global organization with a mission to end modern slavery. The RBA is a nonprofit coalition of leading electronics, retail, auto, telecom and toy companies. Its members are committed to supporting workers and communities worldwide that are affected by the global electronics supply chain.
The WFF and RBA will share subject matter expertise, relevant information, connections and opportunities to collaborate on various projects. These efforts may include, but will not be limited to, cooperation on the development, promotion and implementation of the Bali Process Acknowledge, Act and Advance (AAA) Recommendations; engagement with the RBA’s multi-industry, multi-stakeholder Responsible Labor Initiative (RLI); stakeholder outreach; special projects; and access to RLI tools and services, where appropriate.
“RBA is a leading industry body in ethical business with more than 120 member companies,” said Jenn Morris, CEO, Walk Free Foundation. “We cannot end modern slavery without input and action from business. RBA’s member companies are already taking responsibility for the social and environmental impacts of their supply chains and we look forward to engaging them in the Bali Process Government and Business Forum to make slavery a thing of the past.”
“The RBA is looking forward to working with Walk Free, as the Bali Process Secretariat, governments and business leaders to address human trafficking in global supply chains by putting the Acknowledge, Act and Advance Recommendations into action through our membership and programs. There is a tremendous opportunity here to accelerate change,” said Rob Lederer, Executive Director, Responsible Business Alliance.
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About Bali Process and Government Business Forum
The Bali Process Government and Business Forum provides a strategic platform for collaboration. It brings together influential business leaders and senior ministers from 45 countries and three UN organisations to develop regional strategies to combat modern day slavery in the Indo Pacific region. The Forum was launched in 2017 as the inaugural business track of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (established in 2002).
About Walk Free Foundation
The Walk Free Foundation is a global organisation, headquartered in Perth, Australia, with a mission to end modern slavery in our generation by mobilising a global activist movement, generating the highest quality research, enlisting business, and raising unprecedented levels of capital to drive change in those countries and industries bearing the greatest responsibility for modern slavery today. For more information, visit WalkFreeFoundation.org and follow @WalkFreeFdn
About Responsible Business Alliance
The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), is a nonprofit coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of programs, training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement. The RBA is comprised of more than 125 members with combined annual revenue of greater than $4.75 trillion and directly employing over 6 million people. For more information, visit ResponsibleBusiness.org and follow @RBAllianceOrg.
Media Contacts
Responsible Business Alliance
Jarrett Bens
jbens@responsiblebusiness.org
+1 571 858 5721
Walk Free Foundation
Tess Ingram
tingram@minderoo.com.au
+61 448 922 364
