LONDON, Nov. 12, 2018
/PRNewswire/ -- Avon, Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) is delighted
to announce support for the United Nations Standards of Conduct for
Business to tackle discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans
and intersex (LGBTI) people. Expressing support for the UN
Standards on LGBTI is a continuation of Avon's longstanding commitment to social
progress and freedom of expression – principles that underpin its
business and brand proposition.
Avon's founders were pioneers
of women's financial empowerment – opening up opportunities for
women to participate in the economy, in their own way and on their
own terms, long before women's rights were recognised. Avon is proud to have been one of the original
signatories to the UN Women's Economic Principles and this
commitment to the LGBTI Standards is a natural extension of
Avon's commitment to diversity and
inclusivity.
Avon has a strong track record
of standing up for LGBTI rights and has championed LGBTI role
models including Brazilian pop star and drag queen Pabllo Vittar,
and singer and transsexual activist Candy
Mel. A recent campaign in Brazil, Avon's biggest market, included a series of
testimonials from Avon ambassadors
and beauty entrepreneurs from the LGBTQIA+ community, including
local artist Rosa Luz, Brazilian
model Bia Gremion and Avon Sales
Executive Gaby Varconti.
In Mexico Avon recently collaborated with the beauty
influencer and transgender activist for tolerance, Victoria Volkova, to create Aura. The fragrance
has been one of the most successful launches of the year for Avon
Mexico.
Jan Zijderveld, CEO of
Avon, said: "Avon is an open company, and our underlying
principles of respect for rights apply to everyone.
Discrimination is not welcome at Avon in any shape or form. We want to be a
fully inclusive company for LGBTI employees, associates and
representatives, and also for our customers and suppliers.
Challenging stereotypes is at the heart of many of our campaigns,
and we will work to promote positive representations of LGBTI
people across our business. Creativity and innovation are unleashed
when everyone can flourish. That is the environment in which
Avon as a business was built and
will thrive."
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, said: "If we are to achieve faster global progress towards
equality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and intersex people,
businesses will not only have to meet their human rights
responsibilities, they must become active agents of change."
The UN Standards were produced in collaboration with the
Institute for Human Rights and Business and build on the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights. They reflect the input of
hundreds of companies across diverse sectors. Over 200 companies
worldwide have expressed support for the Standard.
By expressing support for these Standards, Avon commits to:
- Respect human rights at all times
Avon will develop policies,
exercise due diligence, and remediate adverse impacts to ensure
they respect human rights of LGBTI people. Avon will also establish mechanisms to monitor
and communicate about their compliance with human rights
standards.
- Eliminate discrimination in the workplace
Avon will ensure that there is no
discrimination in recruitment, employment, working conditions,
benefits, respect for privacy, or treatment of harassment.
- Provide support in the workplace
Avon will provide a positive,
affirmative environment so that LGBTI employees can work with
dignity and without stigma.
- Prevent other human rights violations in the marketplace
Avon will not discriminate against
LGBTI suppliers, distributors or customers, and will leverage our
business to prevent discrimination and related abuses by their
business partners.
- Act in the public sphere
Avon will contribute to stopping
human rights abuses in the countries in which we operate. In doing
so, we will consult with local communities to identify steps they
might take — including public advocacy, collective action, social
dialogue, support for LGBTI organizations, and challenging abusive
government actions.
Fabrice Houdart, United Nations
Human Rights Officer and co-author of the Standards said: "It is
particularly meaningful to have Avon join the early supporters of these
Standards as Avon has always
been about inclusion, and this is a natural extension of that
practice and philosophy. Avon is
demonstrating a leadership role in fostering greater inclusion of
LGBTI people in the many places it does business. We hope more
businesses will follow globally."
Find out more about Avon's
diversity and inclusion:
http://www.avoncompany.com/corporate-responsibility/people/diversity-inclusion/
Find out more about the UN Global LGBTI Standards:
http://unfe.org/standards
About Avon Products, Inc.
Avon is the Company that for
130 years has proudly stood for beauty, innovation, optimism and,
above all, for women. Avon
products include well-recognised and beloved brands such as ANEW,
Avon Color, Avon Care, Skin-So-Soft, and Advance Techniques sold
through approximately 6 million active independent Avon Sales
Representatives. Learn more about Avon and its products at
www.avoncompany.com.