10.11.2007 - 02:41pm ET

(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO - October 11, 2007 - Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), in partnership with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has renewed and expanded its commitment to women’s health issues with a 2007 Commitment to Action at the recent meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York.

With a three-year, $2-million commitment, BSR seeks to expand the scope and geography of "HERproject," which stands for Health Enables Returns. HERproject focuses on identifying and addressing the unmet general and reproductive health needs of the millions of women working in factories along global supply chains.

With generous funding from the Packard Foundation, BSR has conducted extensive field research and, together with participating member companies and local factory owners, is launching HERproject in China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Viet Nam, with plans to expand the geography to include Central America in 2008.

"We are thrilled to be able to expand the reach of this essential project through the CGI," said Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR. "This project, with its focus on the millions of women working as part of global supply chains, enables us to take education and direct care where it can have the widest possible impact. It also helps to ensure that global supply chains are an engine for economic advancement amongst women who have often been shut out of the formal economy," he said.

HERproject will leverage ongoing research to strengthen the business case for factory-based women's health education and health services programs; produce materials to promote greater business community engagement on these issues; catalyze innovative partnerships between business and civil society in pilot programs; and replicate effective pilot partnerships to impact women's health programs globally.
HERproject presents a unique collaborative effort that will maximize impact on expanding and improving women's reproductive and general health programs across the globe. Over the course of the three-year program, BSR aspires to reach more than 500,000 women factory workers in Asia and Central America.

The project will soon launch a website - www.herproject.org - and will be featured at the upcoming BSR Annual Conference in San Francisco, October 23-26, with expected attendance of over 1,000 people from more than 40 countries. A three-hour panel session entitled "Women's Health: The Key to Development?" will serve as a launching pad for this 2007 commitment and will reach a large target audience of potential future corporate partners.

About BSR

Since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has been providing socially responsible business solutions to many of the world's leading corporations. Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in Europe, China and Hong Kong, BSR is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy. For more information, visit www.bsr.org.

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Commitment to Transparency: This organization is committed to transparency and stakeholder dialogue and encourages your comments and feedback.

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