Spanish companies working in Latin America to be evaluated

The Corporate Social Responsibility Observatory of Spain has launched an investigation entitled ‘Evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility by Spanish Companies in Latin America’ with the support of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo (Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation – AECID).

The study attempts on-site verification to determine whether Spanish multinational companies are meeting the criteria and requirements for social responsibility they disclose in their sustainability reports in all countries where they operate.

The first survey of citizens will be performed shortly in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Interviews will be carried out with individuals from business, public administration, civil society, trade unions, academia and journalism.

The Observatory was created in 2004 by a group of civil society representatives with the objective of gathering opinions, concepts and initiatives and to create a reference entity capable of driving education and publication on the issue.

For more information
www.rsc-chile.cl/noticias/194-qvaloracion-de-la-responsabilidad-social-corporativa-de-la-empresa-espanola-en-latinoamerica

Private sector at Summit of the Americas

The 5th annual Summit of the Americas, a meeting of heads of state that is supported by the Organization of American States, was held at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 17 to 19 April. For the summit, Forum EMPRESA (Company Forum), a network of business organizations that promote corporate social responsibility in the Americas, released a communiqué that expressed the commitment of regional business leaders to forge public-private alliances to help achieve the objectives of the summit.

The communiqué said that the 19 organizations affiliated to Forum EMPRESA and the 3,500 companies it represents recognize the extraordinary importance of the Summit of the Americas and the exceptional opportunity it presents for countries to promote public-private partnerships. They propose a collaborative effort to jointly face the impact of the worsening financial crisis.

Javier Irarrazaval, Forum EMPRESA president, said: ‘Forum EMPRESA member organizations from Canada to Chile are committed to advancing in public-private projects in accordance with the spirit of the Summit of the Americas and to continue its sustained effort to contribute to human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability, together with the public sector.’

For more information
www.empresa.org

Latin America: Philanthropy of diaspora

More and more frequently, the importance of building philanthropic models that recognize that transnational challenges require transnational solutions is being accepted. Various studies show that more than 6 million Latin American migrants in the United States send approximately US$45,000 million to their families back home. Many migrant associations, sometimes called ‘native clubs’, work to support migrant communities in the US and to promote community development projects in Latin America.

Hispanics In Philanthropy (HIP) works with donors to strengthen Latino communities in America and to increase participation and leadership by Latinos in philanthropy. HIP carries out several projects to involve the Latino diaspora, including the Desarrolla Tu Mundo (Develop Your World) programme in association with Latin American financial institutions, including the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank. ‘The Latin American diaspora represents a significant source of experience, financing and contacts that can help communities and countries of origin to access new markets. Using this resource to drive productive projects can forge effective links for change,’ commented MIF project team chief Daniel Shepherd.

For more information
http://hiponline.org
www.developyourworld.org/esp/home.htm
www.remesasydesarrollo.org

Argentina: Companies for Infancy

Empresas por la Infancia (Companies for Infancy) is an initiative by the Arcor Foundation, the C&A Foundation, Save the Children Argentina and UNICEF. Since 2006, the initiative has helped promote a more active and effective role for companies and business foundations in social investment programmes directed at infancy and adolescence. Focusing on children’s rights, Empresas por la Infancia has recently launched a new internet website and electronic newsletter with information available to companies and private foundations to facilitate their commitment to infants and adolescents.

The site and newsletter, which are supported by the Instituto Argentino de Responsabilidad Social Empresaria (Argentine Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility), contain information on the current situation of infants and adolescents in Argentina and Latin America, as well as pending challenges. Information, research, publications, business practices, opinions and testimonials are presented to help create greater awareness regarding experiences of business involvement in infancy and adolescents.

For more information
www.empresasxlainfancia.org 

Latin America’s voice at Global Philanthropy Forum

The Global Philanthropy Forum’s eighth annual conference was held in Washington, DC from 22 to 24 April. At the conference, donors, social investors and agents of change from all over the world met to create and strengthen inter-sector alliances that are essential to solve current challenges.

Aimed at philanthropists and executives from private and corporate foundations, the conference considered how the public, private and philanthropic sectors can collaborate to reach solutions.

Some attendees presented challenges and achievements in Latin America. María Otero, president of ACCION Internacional (ACTION International), an organization that operates in several Latin American countries, emphasized the importance of providing poor people with access to a variety of financial projects so that families can have a broad safety net. Luis Alberto Moreno, Inter-American Development Bank president, spoke about the innovative public-private alliances that are being created to enable the development of effective programmes in Latin America.

For more information
www.philanthropyforum.org
A video of Moreno’s presentation is available at:
http://events.powerstream.net/002/00304/20090422_GPFC_VOD/start.asp?ueid=052115496463#PLAY

Brazil: ETHOS announces international conference

The 2009 International Ethos Conference (15-18 June 2009 in São Paulo,
Brazil) is an event promoted by the Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social (Ethos Institute for Companies and Social Responsibility).

According to the Ethos Institute, the financial crisis that has affected the largest economies on the planet has exposed the instability of the current financial model and the standards of production and consumption of our globalized world. Under the title ‘The transformation of people, companies and society toward another global economy’, the conference will discuss how this crisis can accelerate the agenda of sustainability and, from a sustainability standpoint, how to address the reform of the multilateral system, including the new role of emerging countries, governments, corporations, NGOs, the GRI and the Global Compact.

The conference was organized by UniEthos – Educação para a Responsabilidade Social e o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (Education for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development) in an alliance with the Instituto Akatu pelo Consumo Consciente (Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption), Movimento Nossa São Paulo (Our Movement – São Paulo), Rede Brasileira do Pacto Global (Brazilian Global Pact Network) and São Paulo TurismoETHOS (São Paulo TourismETHOS).

For more information www.ethos.org.br/ci2009Dinamico/VERSAO_Espanhol/verconteudo.asp?idSecao=39

Latin America: Regional agreement between Telefónica and Nokia to promote educational content

In mid-April, the Teléfonica Foundation and the Nokia company signed a strategic regional agreement to commit to transform the manner in which education is offered in isolated areas, in an attempt to bridge the digital divide and to promote social development in the region.

This alliance will help broaden the current scope of Telefónica Foundation’s Proniño (Pro-child) and EducaRed (Education Network) programmes (two private initiatives focused on the use of information and communication technologies to improve education quality in the region) and will complement the efforts by Nokia to take advantage of the power of mobile technology to benefit social development.

Telefónica adviser Julio Linares said: ‘Wireless connectivity opens great development and integration opportunities in Latin America.’ Nokia general director Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo believes that ‘this collaboration is an example of the significant social benefits that mobile technology can offer, given that, in an inspirational and accessible manner, we will reach communities and children that before had very limited educational opportunities’.

For more information
www.rsrevista.com/?mod=modNoticias&noticia=993

Puerto Rico: Seeking cooperation between business, government, NGOs and academia

The ConectaRSE (CSR Connect) organization, which promotes corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a key strategy for business success in Puerto Rico, has called on the Asociación de Industriales (Industrial Association), businesses and the government to deliver the CSR Week Proclamation that began on 16 March, on the understanding that CSR is a tool that will help Puerto Rico end the recession.

For the occasion, Industrial Association president Josen Rossi said the organization ‘has identified the need to establish alliances with academia and the government to create programmes that attend to the deficiencies in basic skills that job candidates have’. ConectaRSE stated that it is working to develop a campaign that seeks to increase awareness among businesses of the benefits of CSR and to attract greater attention from the private sector, NGOs, universities and the government.

ConectaRSE was founded in 2004 and is the only not-for-profit organization in Puerto Rico dedicated to promoting CSR. It has members from more than 20 local and international companies.

For more information
www.conectarse.org/content/la-rse-soluci%C3%B3n-ante-la-crisis

Mexico: Socially responsible companies recognized

On 12 March during the second annual Latin American Meeting of Socially Responsible Companies in Mexico, the Centro Mexicano de Filantropía (Mexican Center for Philanthropy – CEMEFI), the Red Hemisférica Forum Empresa (Hemispheric Company Forum Network), AliarSe por México (Allied for Mexico) and CSR360 Global Partner Network recognized several regional companies for social responsibility.

The self-certified process to obtain the ESR 2009 distinction concluded successfully with the participation of nearly 750 large, medium and small companies across all industry sectors. Recognition was given in four strategic areas of corporate social responsibility: quality of life at the company, care and preservation of the environment, business ethics and links to the community.

The ESR 2009 distinction was awarded to the San Ignacio de Loyola school (Colombia), Horizontes Nature Tours (Costa Rica), PRONACA (Ecuador), Vanguardia SA (Honduras), SAECA bank and Desarrollo Agrícola SA (Paraguay), Cementos Lima (Peru) and Empresas Polar (Venezuela).

For more information
www.cemefi.org/esr

Uruguay: Zonamérica Foundation awards environmental projects

The Zonamérica Foundation of Uruguay awarded several productive projects in the Sé Productivo (Be Productive) contest for undertakings that protect the environment and improve the quality of life of inhabitants in the area near the Zonamérica complex.

Winners will receive financial and administrative support for infrastructure, machinery and other improvements. ‘I tell them not to throw out deodorant dispensers, because if I collect 300, I can have three kilos of aluminium. The same with toilet paper rolls, boxes and other materials,’ said Alfredo Gómez, who recycles waste and has created a network of 70 neighbours that serve providers.

For more information
www.deres.org.uy/home/detail_noticias.php?idn=484