Drive Private Sector Action
The Universal Access Project mobilizes collective action to support the health and well-being of women workers in global supply chains.
Supporting action in corporate supply chains to advance women’s health and rights for all.
Immaculate, Uganda © Universal Access Project
Women are the backbone of global value chains. More than 190 million women work in global supply chain jobs around the world, producing garments, textiles, shoes, coffee, tea, cocoa and much more. Yet the needs of these women workers – from basic health care, to protection from harassment and violence, to economic empowerment – are too often neglected. This harms workers and is bad for business.
The Universal Access Project drives private sector action in two ways:
We promote workplace women’s health through our Private Sector Action initiative and its Accountability Platform for NGOs, business, labor groups and others committed to worker health and well-being in global supply chains to advance collective action and change.
We manage the Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains, a pooled corporate fund that invests in women-led organizations working in supply chain communities.
Our goal is to drive systemic, policy and programmatic change that ensures workers have access to the health services, products and information they need.
The Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains
A first-of-its-kind pooled funding initiative for companies, corporate foundations, and other donors to power local, women-led change.
Private Sector Action & the Accountability Platform
Collective action to meet the health and well-being needs of women in global supply chains.
Impact
The Resilience Fund, launched by UAP and partners in 2021, has committed nearly $1 million in grants to 33 grassroots organizations and women’s funds in Bangladesh and India with programmatic focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, economic empowerment and more.
Since 2019, UAP has engaged 21 global companies and business organizations to make expansive new commitments to improve the health and well-being of more than 2 million women workers and community members in supply chains primarily focused in 17 countries.
In November 2021, UAP produced a groundbreaking report on the shortfalls of responsible sourcing in improving workers' lives based on interviews with 21 corporate executives, which was featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
UAP has supported research in India and Kenya on the health needs of women workers and the business impact of workplace programs and has produced costed business cases on workplace women’s health for Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya and Vietnam.
Take Action
Join us at this unprecedented moment to support women-led change in local communities and promote corporate action on women's health and empowerment in global supply chains.
Elvira, Guatemala © Universal Access Project