Corporate Partners
Al Kholi Group of Companies
The Al Kholi Group of Companies is composed of Saudi Building Technic Maintenance Co., Ltd.; Arabian Maintenance Operations Services Co., Ltd.; United Projects Maintenance & Operations Co., Ltd. and Hamza Al Kholi Trading Establishment. These companies hold subsidiaries in the Middle East, Europe and the United States in fields and industries such as hotels and resorts, real estate development, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, fertilizers, food, cosmetics, banking, construction, maintenance and operations, information services & technology, aviation and telecommunications.
The Al Kholi Group signed up to the Athens Ethical Principles in 2006. Dr. Hamza Al Kholi participated in number of EHTN’s events, including the session on human trafficking and labor exploitation in the Middle East World Economic Forum (2008). In 2012, the Group became a Corporate Member of EHTN and Dr. Hamza Al Kholi is a member of EHTN’s Advisory Board.
Carlson Companies
Carlson is a world leading hospitality and travel company operating in more than 150 countries and territories, with more than 1,300 hotels in operation and development and more than 900 restaurants in operation and development. Carlson has also shown under the leadership of Ms. Marilyn Carlson Nelson, former CEO and current Chairman of the Board, a history of commitment to human rights in general and the fight against trafficking of children in particular.
“Keeping in mind that children are being trafficked and exploited every day not only in far away countries but also in the heart of all U.S. cities, Carlson decided to give a voice to those who have no voice. As everybody’s children are vulnerable to being exploited everywhere in the world at any given moment, it is imperative to protect them.” ~Ms. Marilyn Carlson Nelson
This commitment led Carlson companies to sign the universal travel industry’s Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (“The Code”) becoming the first global hotel company in North America to sign The Code. The Code requests the implementation of child-protection measures, such as developing ethical policies against child sex tourism, informing and engaging travelers, and educating and training staff. To implement the Code, Carlson produced training materials for employees and conducted training sessions worldwide. Today, “train the trainer” program is being delivered in Carlson-branded hotels, and an innovation is underway to deliver training electronically to better monitor employee completion of the training program.
Carlson accompanied EHTN at the launch of the Athens Ethical Principles in 2006, and was among the first signatories. It has since reiterated its commitment by collaborating in numerous public service announcements with EHTN and CNN International, to reinforce the private sector’s role in the fight against human trafficking. Carlson has also participated in the EHTN-UN Global Compact Case Studies in 2012.
Ms. Carlson Nelson was one of the recipients of the first Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking, bestowed in Luxor, Egypt, December 2010, acknowledging her leadership in identifying, combating and preventing human trafficking.
Chopard
Chopard is a renowned luxury watch, jewelers, and accessories designer with a long standing culture of excellence and commitment towards its clients, suppliers and staff. Social and philanthropic commitments of Chopard have placed the company at the forefront of the fight against AIDS, leukemia as well as diverse social and environmental issues. It is under its social responsibility agenda that Chopard recently joined the Responsible Jewelry Council, an international not-for-profit standards setting promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry – from mine to retail. The RJC has developed a common platform of standards for the jewelry supply chain, and credible mechanisms for verifying responsible business practices through third party auditing. Chopard committed to operating its business according to the RJC Principles and Code of Practices.
Chopard’s commitment to the fight against human trafficking was reinforced with it partnership with EHTN in 2010, as the designer and sponsor of the trophy of the biennial Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking – aimed at recognizing and honoring a business leader with an outstanding record in anti trafficking efforts. During the Award’s first cycle, it was Chopard’s Co-President, Ms. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, who bestowed the trophy to the awardees.
Cotecna
Cotecna was founded in Switzerland in 1974 by Elie-Georges Massey and remains a family-owned business today. The Group’s international network comprises over 100 offices in more than 60 countries, with a workforce of close to 4000 employees and agents. Cotecna combines the professionalism, reliability, infrastructure and expertise of a long-established, world-class player with the flexibility and proximity of a smaller sized company.
The Group’s revenues have risen by nearly 120% over the past 10 years and Cotecna presently issues close to 400 thousand government certificates representing commercial goods valued at of over USD30 billion annually.
The Group has regularly proven itself a pioneer in the introduction of the latest technologies, such as high-energy cargo scanning and, most recently, secure electronic transfer of bankable documents.
The Cotecna Group is well placed in the market, with experience in providing government and commercial services in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The Group is expanding its activities in all key markets, including Central and Southeast Asia, Central America and Eastern Europe. With its proven capacity to deliver solutions to clients in all markets, Cotecna is well positioned to take advantage of future opportunities to expand through organic growth and acquisitions.
Det Norske Veritas
Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is a global provider of services for managing risk. An independent foundation with the objective of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV comprises 300 offices in 100 countries, with more than 10,000 employees. DNV endorsed the Athens Ethical Principles in 2010, and has partnered with EHTN for the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking by providing technical expertise to its Advisory Committee. In his personal capacity, Mr. Bjørn Kjærand Haugland, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer of DNV, is a member of the Award Jury.
In 2012, DNV became a Corporate Member of EHTN. Our mutual collaboration focuses on the development of a certification scheme for companies to prevent human trafficking and forced labor in their operations and supply chains.
FSI Worldwide
FSI Worldwide is a British-owned manpower and security services provider. It specializes in the recruitment, management and leadership of high quality personnel, and conducts recruitment and manpower management audits on other companies. FSI’s core business is based on its commitment to combat human trafficking and forced labor, and to respect the human rights of employment seekers and employees during the recruitment and employment process. Its focus on main destination countries for recruits is the UK, Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.
FSI is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact and therefore abides by The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact (2011), and the Athens Ethical Principles (2010). Mr. Tristan Forster, CEO, received a special commendation from the Jury of the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking in 2010, for his innovative approach in tackling the serious and growing problem of trafficking for labor exploitation.
FSI has participated in the EHTN-UN Global Compact Case Studies in 2011 and is a Corporate Member of EHTN. Since 2012, Mr. Forster is a member of EHTN’s Advisory Board and has represented EHTN in various events, including the Coca Cola conference on Addressing Human Trafficking in Labor Sourcing (Atlanta, USA, 14 February 2012).
Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading global specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies. With up to 132,000 employees, 3,000 company-operated stores and 200 franchise stores, Gap Inc. is present worldwide.
The company’s comprehensive corporate compliance program – with written guidelines, formal processes and management oversight – is designed to ensure that all employees and the company’s Board of Directors not only meet legal requirements around the world, but also operate responsibly and with integrity in all their activities.
Gap Inc.’s engagement in the fight against human trafficking permeates all its social responsibility programs, from specific statements in its Code of Vendor Conduct to the training of its employees on how to identify the use of involuntary labor. Gap Inc. collaborates with both local and international NGOs as well as multilateral institutions, to help align efforts to address human trafficking. The company has set an example within the private sector in multi-stakeholder engagement in the fight against human trafficking.
Gap Inc. first collaborated with EHTN in 2008, with the participation of Ms. Lakshmi Bhatia (former Director of Global Partnerships Social Responsibility) as a panelist in EHTN’s session on “Human Trafficking and Labor Exploitation” at the World Economic Forum Middle East. Two years later, Gap Inc. took part in the BBC “Working Lives” documentary series (co-produced by Moonbeam and EHTN) on how it tackles human trafficking.
In December 2010, Gap Inc. participated and sponsored the Luxor International Forum, which was attended by Dan Henkle, Gap Inc.’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, who for years oversaw EHTN’s social responsibility efforts; Bob Fisher, who sits on the Gap Inc. Board of Directors; and Loay Tolba, Social Responsibility Specialist at Gap Inc. based in Egypt.
Khimji Ramdas Group (KR)
The Khimji Ramdas Group (KR) is an established business conglomerate in the Sultanate of Oman. Trusted and respected for more than a century (143 years), KR has consistently maintained its leadership position in the Consumer, Infrastructure and Industrial arenas.
Headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman, KR has diversified businesses in four strategic groups – Consumer Products, Lifestyle, Infrastructure and Projects & Logistics serving customers with customized Software Solutions, Turnkey Telecommunication Projects, Education and Training, Retailing Designer Watches and Luxury and Lifestyle Accessories, International Restaurant Chains, Supermarket Retail chains, Commodities and Food Stuff, Pharmaceuticals and Health Care, Home and Office Solutions including Air-conditioning, Kitchen and Home Appliances to Electrical Products, Building Materials, Paints manufacturing, besides, Shipping Agencies, Freight Forwarding, Transport & Warehousing, Travel and Leisure Products, Construction, Industrial Machinery and Tools, Oil and Gas, Integrated Defense Logistics & Equipment Support and Military & Fire-fighting Vehicles Distribution & Maintenance.
ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup is a global workforce solutions and services provider that supplies human resources services including recruitment, assessment, training and development, career management, outsourcing, and workforce consulting.
ManpowerGroup was among the first companies to sign up to EHTN’s Athens Ethical Principles in 2006. In 2008, ManpowerGroup facilitated endorsement of the Principles by the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT), which brings together 37 national employment industry federations and seven of the largest multinational staffing companies, as well as tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises.
ManpowerGroup has done extensive work with EHTN to combat human trafficking. In partnership with CNN International, ManpowerGroup and Orascom Telecom supported the production and airing of the first CNN vignette to focus on the role of the business community in anti-trafficking efforts (2007). ManpowerGroup also took part in the BBC World “Working Lives” documentary series (co-produced by Moonbeam and EHTN) on how it tackles human trafficking.
Through the advocacy efforts of Mr. David Arkless, President of Corporate and Government Affairs, ManpowerGroup promoted the Athens Ethical Principles and the Luxor Protocol in numerous fora, including the World Economic Forum (Davos 2006 and 2012, Sharm El Sheikh 2008), the Global Clinton Initiative (New York 2010), the International Festival on Human Rights (Geneva, 2006), the Asia-Pacific Business Forum (Bangkok 2011), and the United Nations General Assembly (New York 2012). To strengthen the engagement of the US business community, ManpowerGroup cosponsored EHTN’s New York Roundtable “Ending Human Trafficking is Smart Business” (2012).
ManpowerGroup partnered with EHTN and HEC University of Geneva (Cercle HEC) in developing the first student award in Switzerland for the best paper submitted on business and human trafficking during 2011-2012. ManpowerGroup has also participated in EHTN-UN Global Compact Case Studies on human trafficking and forced labor both in 2012.
In July 2011, Mr. David Arkless was named President of EHTN’s Board.
Microsoft
Microsoft Inc. is a public multinational corporation that develops, manufactures and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing software and hardware.
Corporate Social Responsibility has always been of paramount importance to Microsoft’s approach to doing business. Internal policies such as Microsoft’s Vendor Code of Conduct and ‘Corporate Citizenship’ ensure that the foundations and principal values of Microsoft remain untarnished by human rights violations and human trafficking. Similarly, external strategies to combat trafficking focus on awareness, prevention, protection (including prosecution) and re-integration. Microsoft has decided to engage on all four strategies through its global campaigns.
It is by taking advantage of their core business activities that Microsoft raises awareness of the dangers of human trafficking, helps curbing the expansion of the illegal trade, facilitates traffickers prosecution and reintegrates the victims of human trafficking back into society.
Microsoft’s various external policies, namely the Unlimited Potential Program, their Child Exploitation Tracking System, and the PhotoDNA technology, have combined to help mobilize communities around the world against the scourge of human trafficking.
Microsoft’s engagement with EHTN crystallized with the development of the E-Learning Tool for Business on Human Trafficking in 2010. The Tool, produced by EHTN and UN.GIFT, was technically developed and sponsored by Microsoft.
Mr. Jeffrey Avina, Citizenship & Community Affairs Director for Microsoft Middle East and Africa, joined EHTN’s Board in 2011.
Motor Oil (Hellas)
Motor Oil Hellas (MOH) is a leader in the petroleum refining business, providing the region that it serves with a reliable and affordable supply of energy. Through its evolution, MOH is now considered one of the major contributors to Greece’s domestic economy and a key market player in the region.
MOH supported the organization of the first business roundtable against human trafficking (Athens Roundtable, 2006) and signed up to the Athens Ethical Principles in 2006. Since then, the company has cosponsored several EHTN’s projects and events, including the Bahrain Conference (2009) and the helpline for victims of human trafficking in Geneva (2008-2009).
Orascom Development Holding
Orascom Development Holding AG (ODH) is a leading developer of fully-integrated towns that offer hotels, private villas and apartments, leisure facilities and supporting infrastructure. The Group is present in nine countries including Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Switzerland, Morocco, Montenegro, the UK and Romania. The group operates a total of 28 hotels with 6,589 rooms and controls a land bank of approximately 116.2 million m2.
ODH signed up to the Athens Ethical Principles in 2006. The company supported development and airing of the CNN anti-trafficking TV spots showing engagement of corporate leaders in tackling human trafficking. Mr. Samih Sawiris, CEO, participated in the BBC “Working Lives” documentary series (co-produced by Moonbeam and EHTN) on how ODH addresses human trafficking and and labor exploitation. He also participated in several EHTN events, including the Bahrain Conference (2009), the Luxor International Forum (2010) and the New York Roundtable (2012).
In 2010, Mr. Sawiris was nominated for the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking for his prevention and development project of “Haram City”, supporting vulnerable population in Egypt. Since 2011, Mr. Sawiris is a member of EHTN’s Board, and Orascom Development Holding AG is a Corporate Member of EHTN.
Orascom Telecom Holding
Orascom Telecom, a part of the Orascom group of companies, is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 415 million.
Orascom Telecom signed up to the Athens Ethical Principles in 2006. Since then, the company has teamed up with EHTN in the global fight against human trafficking. As a first major contribution to the fight, Orascom Telecom along with ManpowerGroup developed and sponsored a Public Service Announcement on Human Trafficking (PSA), created by Synergy Advertising and produced by Magic Arm Productions. The PSA was aired on CNN International. According to an Orascom Telecom Campaign Evaluation conducted by CNN Research, 8,231,000 people were estimated to have seen the PSA, on average 1.6 times, a total of 13,129,000 times.
Mr. Naguib Sawiris, CEO, participated in and supported many EHTN events, including the Bahrain Conference (2009) and the Luxor International Forum (2010). OTH participated in the development of the E-Learning Tool for Businesses on Human Trafficking, contributed to the discussions on the international helpline for victims of human trafficking held by EHTN during the International Telecommunication Union, and supported creation of the helpline for victims of human trafficking in Geneva, Switzerland (2008).
Non-Corporate Partners
United Nations Global Compact
The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
EHTN and the UN Global Compact have developed a strong partnership in several key EHTN’s projects. The Global Compact played a significant role in designing and managing the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking. Its team provided technical expertise to the Advisory Committee and Mr. Georg Kell, Executive Director, is a member of the Award Jury in his personal capacity. In 2011, Mr. Ursula Wynhoven, General Counsel of the UN Global Compact participated together with a few business leaders in EHTN’s awareness raising campaign to encourage good business practices against human trafficking, developed and aired by CNN International. The UN Global Compact also promotes EHTN’s tools and guideline throughout its platform.
Since 2012, EHTN and UN Global Compact have partnered in the development and dissemination of Case Studies on good business practices addressing human trafficking.
United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT)
UN.GIFT was launched in March 2007 by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It was conceived to promote the global fight on human trafficking, on the basis of international agreements reached at the UN.
UN.GIFT works with all stakeholders – governments, business, academia, civil society and the media – to support each other’s work, create new partnerships and develop effective tools to fight human trafficking.
UN.GIFT has been an instrumental partner in a number of EHTN projects. It played a significant role in designing and managing the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking. Its team provided technical expertise to the Advisory Committee. Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, is a member of the Award Jury in his personal capacity.
UN.GIFT also promotes EHTN’s work and initiatives through its platform, the “UN.GIFT Knowledge Hub”. Since 2009, it has partnered with EHTN in the development of the E-Learning Tool for Businesses on Human Trafficking.
Media Partners
Our partnership with the BBC dates back to 2006, when EHTN was created, and is an ongoing one. Since then, BBC World has anchored many of our roundtables and conferences, such as the Athens Roundtable in 2006, and the BBC World Debate during the Luxor International Forum in December 2010. It was for the series “Working Lives” in 2010, that EHTN joined forces with BBC World Television to highlight human trafficking and the business world – a six-part series that was broadcast on television to an international audience. “Working Lives” was co-produced by Linx Productions and Moonbeam Films (Moonbeam-Linx) and EHTN, looking at human trafficking and labor exploitation in various regions of the world and from various perspectives. To view “Working Lives”, please check EHTN’s YouTube page or our Video Resources. The BBC World Television also aired spots to call for nominations for the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking. Our partnership with CNN dates back to quite a few years now. It was as early as 2007 that CNN International aired EHTN’s spots, which were the first ever to link the business sector to human trafficking in such an open manner. These included such business leaders as Sir Richard Branson, Samih Sawiris, Mo Ibrahim and more recently, Marilyn Carlson Nelson. Our partnership has in fact been crucial in highlighting the role of the business sector in the fight against human trafficking. Together, we were the first to place this issue on the global map from an entirely different perspective. CNN has been our partner in every event we have organized – from Bahrain in March 2009 to the Luxor International Forum in December 2010 and the New York Roundtable in 2012 – working with us to expand our global reach. It is in this spirit that we were pleased to provide CNN with the opportunity to share our networks on the issue of human trafficking, since many successful partnerships were borne out of these events. Indeed, we were happy to find that many of the interviews aired/posted by CNN within the context of the Freedom Project were the ones that took place during the Luxor Forum or included the guests that were there during that particular event. CNN International also aired spots to call for nominations for the Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking. “Not My Life”, directed and produced by Academy Award nominee Robert Bilheimer, was first previewed to a worldwide audience during EHTN’s Luxor International Forum on 11 December 2010. “Not My Life” is a feature-length documentary film about global human trafficking. The film portrays the horror of this modern-day phenomenon that affects millions of children, women, and men in every part of the world. Specific aspects of this emerging issue – especially female sexual trafficking – are to some degree being addressed in books, news stories, television reports, and fiction and non-fiction films. To date, however, there is no single communication tool that effectively depicts the problem as a whole for a mass audience. The rationale for “Not My Life” is that until such a tool is created and widely used, the general public will remain uninformed and indifferent, and a problem that is already very bad will only get worse. Insofar as it depicts a world in which millions of human beings have become disposable commodities, “Not My Life” is, first and foremost, a cautionary tale: human traffickers, and the corrupt or complacent systems in which they operate, undermine virtually every aspect of our collective well-being, including our security, health, economic stability, and sustainability as a global community. View the new trailer of “Not My Life” here.BBC World
CNN International
Not My Life
