6 Mar 2024
Members of the Norwegian EY Financial Team and the UNICEF team gathered in a meeting room.

How consultants can contribute to the protection of children’s rights

Authors
Anders Andenæs

Partner, Consulting, Nordic Head of FS Business Transformation, EY Norway

City patriot who believes that his two young daughters will have the best possible future in a society with a sustainable, customer-oriented and responsible finance industry.

Lina Viktoria Kilander

Senior Manager, Consulting, Financial Services, EY Norway

Believe in diverse teams where individuals are challenged to build. Mother of two, enjoy playing, traveling and skiing when opportunity arises.

6 Mar 2024
Related topics Consulting Financial Services Sustainable development goals
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Discover the collaboration between Norwegian EY teams and UNICEF Norway, uniting to aid protection of children's rights via strategic partnership.

In brief
  • Deep market expertise of the EY organization aligns with UNICEF's values to tailor child protection strategies.
  • The collaboration aims to leverage financial expertise for impactful social change.
  • Strategic partnerships target global challenges, focusing on children's rights advancement.

From conflicts and geopolitical uncertainty to climate change, the need for protection and life-saving support for children is overwhelming. The scale of need presents daunting numbers. Over the past year, we have witnessed the rise of violence, stories of loss, suffering and unaccompanied children. In Norway, economic inequality is increasing, with children growing up in poverty estimated at approximately 11% in 2023. 

In autumn 2023, EY Financial Services (EY FSO) and UNICEF Norway initiated a unique collaboration to assess how resilient partnerships could be established between UNICEF and the financial services sector in Norway, ultimately to advance and protect children's rights.

Adam Lindholm, Nordic EY Ripples Lead, said: “This initiative is a great example of how the EY organization can use its EY Ripples program to provide expertise to organizations like UNICEF Norway while giving our employees the opportunity to build experience and get involved in purpose-driven engagements.”

We found that such partnerships could be established through (1) increased strategic integration between UNICEF and the enterprise for the benefit of both parties, and (2) attractive service offerings toward the customer base within specific segments and financial products. 

“This analysis provides a foundation for how the financial sector can contribute to the important work to protect children’s rights together with UNICEF Norge,” said an official from UNICEF Norway.

The EY team provided deep sector and market expertise, collaborating closely with UNICEF representatives to align market analysis and findings with UNICEF’s core competencies and values for a fact-based, yet tailored recommendation.

Partnerships across sectors will be fundamentally necessary to address the global ESG challenges over time. This project has been based on shared hope and an inherent need to act. We hope this will contribute to a brighter future for more children than any one of us can help alone.
Lina Viktoria Kilander
Senior Manager, Consulting, Financial Services, EY Norway

This project has been based on shared hope and an inherent need to act. For the team, it underlined how societal changes emerge from our work and how partnerships across sectors will be fundamentally necessary to address the global ESG challenges.

“Working with UNICEF Norway, we have come to understand that our purpose extends far beyond traditional business metrics – it is about making a lasting societal impact,” said Ole Andreas Mollestad, Senior Consultant, Financial Services, EY Norway.

EY team

Anders Andenæs, Partner, Financial Services, EY Norway 

Adam Lindholm, Associate Director, Nordic EY Ripples Lead, EY Sweden

Lina Kilander, Senior Manager, Financial Services, EY Norway

Ole Andreas Mollestad, Senior Consultant, Financial Services, EY Norway 

Jonas Driveklepp, Senior Consultant, Financial Services, EY Norway

Thomas Line, Consultant, Financial Services, EY Norway

  • EY Ripples

    Through the EY Ripples program, EY people are devoting their time to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-focused projects, bringing together the combined skills, knowledge, and experience of the global EY network in pursuit of one shared vision: to positively impact one billion lives by 2030. At the same time, across the global EY organization, we continue to challenge ourselves to embed responsibility, inclusiveness and sustainability more deeply in everything we do. This includes global commitments to upholding and promoting human rights, and innovating toward a net-zero future.

  • EY Financial Services

    At EY Financial Services, we employ more than 30,000 people across the globe who are dedicated to financial services. We train and nurture these inclusive teams to develop minds that can transform, shape and innovate financial services, not just for today but for the future as well. Our industry knowledge, global connectivity and insights drawn from across multiple sectors allow us to ask better questions. And asking better questions leads to better answers, which benefit our clients, their stakeholders and wider communities. It’s how minds made for financial services contribute to building a better working world.

  • UNICEF

    For 75 years, UNICEF has worked to improve the lives of children and their families. Despite remarkable challenges around the world, UNICEF staffers fight for the rights of every child seeking safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflicts, and equality. Partnerships across every sector make all of UNICEF's work for children and young people possible.

Summary

The partnership between EY teams and UNICEF Norway highlights a powerful collaboration aimed at protecting children's rights through strategic and innovative approaches. By integrating extensive market expertise of the EY organization with UNICEF's humanitarian goals, this project focuses on creating impactful solutions within the financial sector. The EY Ripples program plays a crucial role, engaging employees in purposeful initiatives that contribute to societal change. This initiative underscores the importance of cross-sector partnerships in addressing global challenges and advancing children's welfare, demonstrating a commitment to making a lasting societal impact through shared expertise and resources.

About this article

Authors
Anders Andenæs

Partner, Consulting, Nordic Head of FS Business Transformation, EY Norway

City patriot who believes that his two young daughters will have the best possible future in a society with a sustainable, customer-oriented and responsible finance industry.

Lina Viktoria Kilander

Senior Manager, Consulting, Financial Services, EY Norway

Believe in diverse teams where individuals are challenged to build. Mother of two, enjoy playing, traveling and skiing when opportunity arises.

Related topics Consulting Financial Services Sustainable development goals
Upvote