MPTC to embed Child Rights Principles in Business in collaboration with UNICEF

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will be going through a series of activities to integrate child rights principles into the company’s sustainability programming and reporting as part of its commitment to protect and promote children’s rights. 

The kick-off event was an introduction to the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs), led by UNICEF Deputy Representative Behzad Noubary, with UNICEF specialists from Health, Nutrition, Education, and the Ateneo Human Rights Center. Mr. Rodrigo Franco, MPTC’s President, CEO, and Executive Director represented the company’s senior management.

“We have come together with MPTC today to orient them on the Children’s Rights and Business Principles. The Principles provide a framework for all businesses to better understand how they can positively impact children’s well-being in the workplace, marketplace, community, and environment. We laud MPTC’s commitment to children through their support of the Child Road Safety program and by enhancing their core business practices with a child rights lens,” said UNICEF Deputy Representative Behzad Noubary.

“The program gave our senior managers a comprehensive preliminary understanding of the importance of children and children’s rights in our business and our community. It highlighted the responsibility of businesses like ours to craft corporate policies that promote children’s rights. In our business, we see the need to protect and nurture children as they will be our future employees, customers, and future leaders of our communities, businesses, and our country,” said MPTC President and CEO Rodrigo Franco. He added, “The partnership with UNICEF is aligned with MPTC’s sustainability governance programs and strategic priority to build, operate, and maintain with the least environmental and social disruption.” 

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles that were developed by UNICEF together with the UN Global Compact and Save the Children. It is the global framework that guides companies on a range of actions they can take to promote and protect children’s rights in their business operations. The CRBPs recognize the tremendous positive power of businesses, large and small, to prevent and address adverse impact on children’s rights, as well as implement measures to support and advance them. 

This event, and the subsequent series of CRBP trainings to come, is part of the larger MPTC and UNICEF multi-year agreement for child road safety formally signed in November 2021. This joint effort in child road safety will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals Target 3.6 to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic incidents, and 11.2 to provide access to sustainable transportation systems for all, improving road safety and public transport, with special attention to the needs of vulnerable populations, including children. Studies by the National Center for Transportation Studies, an affiliate of the University of the Philippines, estimate that around 38 children die every day in the Philippines due to road traffic injuries. UNICEF believes that every child should survive and thrive in a healthy and safe environment. Reducing child road traffic injuries, deaths and environmental impacts are critical to achieving this aim.

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About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in the Philippines, visit www.unicef.ph. Follow UNICEF Philippines on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram