9/4/2004
UNICEF Signs Deal With Stora Enso To Promote Basic Education For All

UNICEF has signed a USD 2.5 million agreement with Stora Enso to achieve quality basic education for children everywhere. Stora Enso, a global forest products company, will become UNICEF’s first global corporate partner in basic education. Its contributions will be two-fold: a cash donation of USD 250,000 annually and an equal amount through a series of in-kind gifts and employee’s voluntary fund raising activities during the next five years.

“By working with us to help the world’s most disadvantaged children receive a basic education, Stora Enso is demonstrating the best kind of corporate responsibility,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, at a ceremony sealing the partnership at Stationers’ Hall in London. “We thank Stora Enso for working on behalf of the millions of children growing up without the priceless benefits of education.”

Worldwide, 121 million primary-school-age children are currently denied schooling. More than half of them are girls. UNICEF focuses strategically on protecting the right of girls to an education since they generally face higher barriers than boys to get into and stay in school. Corporate partnerships are an important part of UNICEF’s mission.

Educating girls is the best way to ensure that they will have a healthier, fuller life and that countries will develop. It is the most effective tool to tackle such problems as infant and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, child trafficking and exploitation. While continuing its regular education programmes globally, UNICEF has launched the ‘25 by 2005’ campaign, an accelerated effort to get as many girls as boys into school in 25 countries by the year 2005.

Jukka Harmala, CEO of Stora Enso, said he believes education is a cause that will be embraced by the company’s 44,000 employees worldwide. “Like UNICEF, we know that education is the key both to personal growth and broader development. In our everyday work we have seen that the way toward sustainable development is based on education.”