Promoting the rights of every child: the Ikea - Unicef partnership to prevent and combat child labor

IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer, founded in 1943 in Sweden. UNICEF is the leading international agency, working in 190 countries and territories to advance the rights of children. Together, IKEA and UNICEF created a partnership aimed at the prevention and reduction of the exploitation of children working in Northern India, in particular in the carpet belt of Uttar Pradesh. The partnership represents a prime example of a public-private partnership for development, contributing to the achievement of one of the Millennium Development Goals: Child health (MDG 4). The partnership does not aim merely to combat child labour but tackles the root causes of the vicious cycle by addressing, among others, the role of women in the development process of communities in India. The case is divided into two parts: part (A) provides the students with an overview of the case background and with a description of the stakeholders; part (B) describes the framework of the partnership, tasks and responsibilities of the respective stakeholders as well as the outcomes of the partnership. This case is highly instrumental in providing insights into the international public sector to understand the aims, structure and management of impact-oriented partnerships for development