RISE

The International Labour Organization’s Violence and Harassment in the World of Work Convention (C190), the first international treaty to provide a framework for governments, employers and workers to prevent, address and remediate violence and harassment in the world of work, turned five earlier this year. 🟡 #C190 informs RISE Respect programmatic work to address gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in global garment supply chains. Ending GBVH is a priority for RISE as part of our broader work to enable women workers to experience their inherent dignity through agency, equality and rights. In this article, Isadora Loreto and Jane Pillinger highlight five concrete collaborative actions for the #GarmentSector to help end GBVH 1/ Take a woman-centered approach 2/ Understand and address the underlying social norms which enable GBVH 3/ Focus on GBVH prevention in factories 4/ Adopt a proactive supplier/buyer partnership approach over a zero-tolerance compliance approach 5/ Collectively define measurable outputs and outcomes Find out more: https://lnkd.in/d-x9BSD8 Learn more about RISE Respect: https://lnkd.in/ehhw-STC #16Days #Beijing30 #NoExcuse

Our wonderful Vietnam Country Lead Thu Huong Hoang is about to retire. While we’re very sad to see Huong leave, we’re also really excited to see who joins our team next. Could you be our next #Vietnam Country lead? We are looking for a contractor to manage RISE programs in Vietnam. The contractor needs to have significant experience working with the #GarmentSector to develop and deliver #WorkerCapacityPrograms that consider the needs of women. They need to be based in Vietnam and speak Vietnamese. Apply by December 12th. https://lnkd.in/e6r5rrRp

📅 Join RISE, Ethical Trading Initiative Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) on December 3 for a constructive workshop reflecting on how we can effectively address gender-based violence and harassment in the garment sector through transformative changes. Please note that this event is by invitation only. https://lnkd.in/dKrV-kN5 #16Days #Beijing30 #NoExcuse

Our warmest thank you to our panelists JJ Park from ShinWon, Danielle E. Crooks from U.S. Department of Labor, Celeste Molina from CARE Guatemala, Christine Svarer from RISE and our moderator Shilpa Nadhan from The Walt Disney Company who discussed the situation of women workers in Guatemala last week at the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)’s #SocialResponsibility committee meeting in Washington DC. Thank you to AAFA and Nate Herman for allowing RISE to put the spotlight on the need to invest in women garment workers in Guatemala and the Northern Triangle. More on our research and expansion plans to come soon!

🟡 Advancing Financial Inclusion and Resilience in Global Supply Chains: A Practical Guide for Financial Service Providers using Examples from #WageDigitalization in the Garment Sector 🟡 An estimated 60 million workers power the global garment industry, the majority of whom are women, under 35 years old and underbanked. Many are aggregated in large workplace settings which are easy to reach. Expanding the #FinancialInclusion and resilience of this significant market segment can lead to benefits for women and men workers, employers, financial service providers and the wider economy – a win-win all around. #FinancialServiceProviders can play a catalytic role in developing an active new market segment using wage digitalization as an effective entry point when coupled with relevant and affordable financial products and services (such as remittances and savings). This can drive revenue generation and long-term strategic benefits for financial service providers while expanding inclusion of women and men in the digital economy and improving their financial health. RISE and Mastercard Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth have demonstrated that wage digitalization, coupled with financial capability training that considers the needs of women has led to 91% of workers being paid into accounts (up from 46%); 85% of workers accessing mobile money accounts (up from 52%) and 81% of workers saving regularly (up from 56%). In this guide for financial service providers, we share insights and recommendations to develop this garment sector segment: 1. Acquire new customers at scale through responsible wage digitalization; 2. Drive account usage of a range of financial products and services; and 3. Expand product offering to build financial security A long-term and collaborative approach is critical to the segment; understanding customer needs, especially women and building trust and reputation through strong customer service. In doing this, financial service providers can unlock new opportunities for growth in this segment, creating sustained returns and advancing financial inclusion and resilience for garment workers.

🟡 Watch our webinar on ‘Increasing financial inclusion in Egypt’s garment sector through responsible wage digitalization: benefits for workers and business’.      Featuring insights around wage digitization in Egypt and Jordan and how to take it to scale in a way that benefits women and men garment workers from: Asma Bahubaish (Marib International Garments), Lisa Richman (Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth Mastercard), Dr Ahmad Moussa (Center for Development Services (CDS) and Samer Bakeer (United Nations’ Better Than Cash Alliance). #FinancialInclusion #Egypt #FinancialHealth #HRDD #GarmentSector #WageDigitalization

Ralph Lauren’s 2024 Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report is out now. Ralph Lauren launched two RISE programs this year to build capability and train workers in supplier factories: RISE Digital in Cambodia helps to improve #DigitalLiteracy and provides tools to improve health, financial, relationship and stress management, and RISE Respect in India to prevent and address gender-based violence and harassment. The brand also co-sponsored the RISE Digital pilot in Guatemala, as part of RISE’s expansion to the country. 🟡 Find out more about Ralph Lauren’s partnership with RISE https://lnkd.in/ec4Hu_p

Last Friday, we launched the latest Sustainability Recommendation Paper, highlighting the rapid growth of wage digitalization in #Cambodia's garment, footwear, and textile (GFT) sector—from just 22% in 2018 to 72% by 2024. #WageDigitalization benefits employers, workers, and the broader economy by enhancing transparency, #FinancialInclusion, and security, especially for women, who make up 75% of the workforce.    Key findings: 💡 Significant cost savings for factory owners. 💡 Increased adoption of #DigitalPayrollSolutions, boosting access to financial services. 💡 Challenges like limited infrastructure in rural areas and low financial literacy require ongoing collaboration.   The paper outlines key recommendations, including incorporating wage digitalization into national strategies, supporting workers through financial literacy initiatives, and incentivizing factories to adopt these practices without shifting costs onto workers.   This paper was developed in collaboration with GIZ Cambodia, Responsible Business Hub Cambodia The RBH Network, EuroCham Cambodia, TAFTAC, RISE, International Labour Organization, and Better Factories Cambodia.   Download the report to explore our actionable recommendations on how to support wage digitalization, enhance worker #FinancialLiteracy, and promote an inclusive digital economy. Full report (ENG)🔗 https://lnkd.in/dm2WVqz9 Executive summary (ENG / KH) 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d47VmyrU #FinInclusionWeek

RISE has demonstrated that wage digitalization paired with gender-sensitive financial capability training can be a powerful catalyst to increase workers' financial inclusion and resilience. This #FinclusionWeek, RISE Executive Director Christine Svarer and our partners, Mastercard Mohammad Rizwanullah and The Children's Place Adrian Sherman discussed how #WageDigitalization can boost garment workers’ financial health and security. They shared insights on increasing #FinancialInclusion, improving women and men workers' financial health in global supply chains, and how both the garment and financial sectors can scale these efforts. Watch the discussion on demand: https://lnkd.in/dwWeZh99 You can access the video when you register through the button in the top right corner. 

Spotted in the latest issue of the International Labour Organization #SocialFinance newsletter: our two most recent reports published with Mastercard Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth: 🟡 Wage digitalization: A path to accelerating financial health for garment workers 🟡 Increasing financial inclusion in Egypt’s garment sector through responsible wage digitalization: Benefits for workers and business 📧 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/d4By93ks