Author: Stuart Mitchell

Gender equality requires inclusive and responsive social health protection policies

Stuart Mitchell

A new policy brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that social health protection is key to ensuring effective access to quality healthcare for women, and support their income security during sickness and maternity. The brief, titled Social health protection for gender equality was published in time to mark International Women’s Day and it sets out practical guidance for the design of social health protection policies that work for women.  This year’s International Women Day — under the theme Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls — comes at a pivotal moment,…

Read More

Statement From Compassion in World Farming in Response to Unilever’s Abandonment of their Global Cage-Free Commitment

Stuart Mitchell

It is deeply disappointing to see Unilever – one of the world’s largest food manufacturers – not only abandon the global cage‑free egg commitment it made in 2018 but also withdraw from the higher‑welfare broiler chicken requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment. Cage‑Free Egg CommitmentAfter reaching 68% global cage‑free implementation, this reversal leaves hens confined in cages, unable to express even their most basic natural behaviours. Unilever’s pledge was global in scope – not limited to Europe and North America, where it has since gone 100% cage‑free. Consumers around the…

Read More

How a community project in The Hague is helping youngsters ‘Find their Fire’

Stuart Mitchell

Hart Beach is a popular surf and skate hangout in the Scheveningen area of The Hague, but it is also the home of Firestarters, a unique programme to help disadvantaged young people reignite their passion for life and ‘Find their Fire’. Hope on Hart Beach It is, perhaps, a hidden crisis. In the City of The Hague alone, there are more than 14,000 teenagers who have dropped out of school and are not yet in employment. Firestarters takes a small cohort of these kids and offers structure and new potential…

Read More

Marrakech Global Framework for Action urges scaled implementation to end child labour

Stuart Mitchell

A newly adopted Global Framework for Action against Child Labour calls for stronger implementation of international labour standards, including the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), as well as better enforcement, strengthened institutions, social dialogue, and effective coordination. With an estimated 138 million children still in child labour, including 54 million in hazardous work, the Framework aims to scale up interventions that have proven effective in combating child labour. The Framework was adopted at the 6th Global…

Read More

PRCA publishes new definition of public relations

Stuart Mitchell

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has published a new definition of public relations following a consultation with its membership and industry leaders. The consultation, undertaken in January 2026, was prompted by a recognition that many existing definitions no longer reflect the realities of modern practice. Too often, public relations is still understood primarily as media relations or publicity, rather than as a strategic discipline that supports organisational performance, decision-making and long-term trust. The new definition reflects the role of today’s practitioners as strategic advisors, helping organisations navigate complexity,…

Read More