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2nd Global Conference On Social Responsibility

15-17 February 2007,Tivoli Marinotel Hotel, Portugal

"The UN Millennium Development Goals, which range from cutting in half extreme poverty to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, and guaranteeing universal primary education by 2015, require a concerted action by governments, international agencies, donors, NGOs, academics, civil society and the business" - Dr Ola Ullsten, former Prime Minister of Sweden and Chairman of the World Council for Corporate Governance.

The theme of the second global Conference on Social Responsibility, hosted by the World Council for Corporate Governance (WCFCG) in February 2007, is ‘CSR Plus – Strategies that enrich the poor and Build Corporate Brands’. This conference will specifically include the experiences of companies who are using CSR as a business goal and developing strategies and action plans to move forward.

Conference Objectives

The Conference objectives will focus on 7 key areas:

1. Redefine the Scope of Corporate Social Responsibility and move it from its philanthropic roots to become a wider business goal – CSR Plus.
2. Develop a blue print for Corporations to embed CSR in the boards' strategic plan.
3. Help business internalise that poor are a unique source of innovation and wealth creation.
4. Make business more humane, equitable, transparent and accountable to ensure prosperity for all.
5. Create a collaborative global network to seek international cooperation in monitoring progress of Millennium Development Goals and removing trade barriers.
6. Develop accounting systems to recognize the value of natural capital, social capital and human capital.
7. Educate businesses to adopt social agenda as a competitive differentiator.

The 2006 WCFCG conference discussed the “Role of business in alleviating poverty”. Deliberations focused on the practical steps that business can take to benefit the poor and raise profits. In summing up the 2006 conference, Dr Ola Ullsten commented that “CSR needs a paradigmic change. Its role needs to be widened, something like CSR Plus. It should be perceived as an opportunity for wealth creation by connecting the world to the boardroom & boardroom to the village. Bottom of the pyramid markets, because of their volumes, offer buying power far in excess of their individual capacities, thereby offering huge business benefits. CSR should be seen as a business goal and embedded in the strategic plan. The approach should not be one of spreading consumerism but to serve the needs of the poor through world class products at one fiftieth of the cost.”

The conference, attended by business people and policy makers from some 20 countries, recommended that a second conference be convened to follow-up the deliberations, and thus Vilamoura II has been set from the 15th to 17th of February 2007, inclusive.

"The socio-economic disparities are a serious threat to the security and sustainability of business. The business should have a vested interest in thinking of radical ways to draw the poor into the market economy and reassure them that globalization will equally work for them" - Dr Madhav Mehra, President, World Council For Corporate Governance

Who Would Benefit?

• Businesses - Corporate and Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• Company chairmen, directors, presidents, CEOs, CFOs, bankers, fund managers, company secretaries, NGOs, investors, brokers, chartered accountants, management analysts, management students, financial consultants, academics
• Policy-makers, political leaders, government officials and decision-makers in emerging and developed economies
• Legislators, lawyers, jurists and all those concerned with efficient and ethical conduct of corporates and good governance
• All stakeholders interested in preservation of the environment and nature, the well-being of society, creating profits and improving the quality of life

If you or your company is interested in participating in this conference, please contact:

Lisa Cunningham

The World Council for Corporate Governance
1, Northumberland Avenue, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5BW Tel: 44 207 872 5784 Fax: 44 207 723 6072
lisa@wcfcg.net
www.wcfcg.net

EBS London is delighted to be a partner with the World Council for Corporate Governance, an independent, not-for-profit international network with a mission to galvanise good governance practices worldwide.

Download PDF for further GCSR information and list of sponsors.