Business Plays a Vital Role in Building a Harmonious Society

Business Plays a Vital Role in Building a Harmonious Society

June 29, 2007

A UN Conference to Promote Corporate Social Responsibility
in China

    BEIJING, June 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- An
International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) and corporate citizenship was held today in Beijing,
featuring over 500 prominent business leaders, government
representatives, civil society leaders and academia. 

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107113358-34.jpg )

    Jointly organized by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the China Enterprise Confederation
(CEC), the event provided a unique platform to exchange
experiences between domestic and multinational companies
operating in China and showcase the powerful contributions
that businesses can make in building a harmonious society
through the integration of the Principles of the United
Nations Global Compact into the company's strategic vision
and operating practices.

    "The forum will provide participants with
practical direction and tools to improve their organization
and its contributions to building a harmonious
society," said Zhang Yanning, Executive President of
CEC at the opening ceremony. 

    Highly refined and solutions-oriented, this event was
an opportunity for peer-to-peer interactions and exchanges
on pragmatic solutions and operational toolkits for
challenges and dilemmas facing the corporate community in
China, such as CSR as a tool to enhanced business
performance and competitiveness, CSR from a branding
perspective, how to integrate CSR into corporate
strategies, and the practical meaning of responsible
corporate citizenship.

    "Business, trade and investment are essential
pillars of peace and prosperity. As a major component of
society, business has a vital role and a clear
responsibility to help address the world's most pressing
challenges and improve lives of the poor, said Khalid
Malik, UN Resident Coordination and Resident Representative
in China during the open ceremony.

    Malik stressed that this year marks the midway point in
the efforts to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals,
adopted by world leaders six years ago to rid the world of
poverty, and to promote human dignity, equality, peace and
environmental sustainability by 2015. 

    "The Millennium Development Goals can not be
achieved without the private sector participation," he
said. 

    This CSR conference in Beijing was a prepatory meeting
for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit to be held on 5-6
July in Geneva, Switzerland, which is expected to be the
largest and most significant global event on the topic of
leadership and corporate citizenship. 

    "The leaders' summit would drive home the message
that adhering to its core human rights, labour, environment
and anti-corruption issues would better position
corporations and organizations in navigating the challenges
of globalization. Today, more than 4,000 companies from over
120 countries have participated in the Global Compact --
including 116 companies from China," said Malik. 

    More than 80 Chinese business leaders will participate
in the Leaders Summit, which is the largest group for
Chinese business to take part in a high-level global CSR
event. 

    UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men
to build better lives in China. As the UN's development
network, UNDP draws on a world of experience to assist
China in developing its own solutions to the country's
development challenges. Through partnerships and
innovation, UNDP works to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society by
reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting
environmental sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS.  
http://www.undp.org.cn


    For more information, please contact: 

     Ms. Zhang Wei
     Communications Officer
     UNDP China
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]