July 31, 2020
Women@Dior focuses on gender equality and women’s leadership for a responsible future. Image courtesy of Christian Dior
French fashion label Christian Dior is joining the UNESCO Global Education Coalition, building on an existing relationship between Dior-owner LVMH and the organization.
Dior is the first luxury house to join the initiative, which aims to support countries in scaling up best distance learning practices for at-risk youth amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the launch of Dior’s own online learning platform as part of its mentoring program.
Women@Dior and UNESCO
In June, the Women@Dior mentoring program inaugurated its first online learning platform.
The new Women Leadership & Sustainability offshoot effort offers students a chance to take classes led by professors from educational institutions such as Central Saint Martins in London, Bocconi University in Milan, and HEC and CentraleSupélec in Paris.
Once the coursework is done, participants can create their own “Dream for Change” project that supports the empowerment of young girls. The most impactful submissions are eligible for support from Dior and LVMH (see story).
Together, Dior and UNESCO selected the participating students who hail from Niger, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
This program comes at a time when nearly nine in 10 of the world’s students have been impacted by COVID-related school closures. As a result, educational inequality has worsened.
“Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a scale,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director General in a statement. “This [Global Education] Coalition is a call for coordinated and innovative action to unlock solutions that will not only support learners and teachers now, but through the recovery process, with a principle focus on inclusion and equity.”
In 2019, LVMH also entered into a partnership with UNESCO to protect biodiversity.
Through a five-year partnership with UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere program, the group will have a presence at UNESCO events and will be able to leverage the organization’s expertise for its houses’ sourcing initiatives. This alliance builds on LVMH’s existing work to safeguard ecosystems, including the efforts of its brands (see story).
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