Title: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), global governance and sustainable development: what is at stake?
1Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), global
governance and sustainable developmentwhat is
at stake?
- Henri-Bernard Solignac Lecomte
- OECD Development Centre
EU-LDC Network Conference Global Governance for
Sustainable Development Issues and Instruments
Chiang Mai, December 8-10, 2002
2Outline
- 1. The CSR concept shareholders
stakeholders - 2. CSR and development what are the links?
- 3. Vehicles for CSR firms, governments,
standards - 4. Issues for debate
3The CSR Concept
- Shareholder accountability
- Stakeholder accountability
- From opposition ...
- to a win-win situation?
- by compliance
- by choice
- by moral obligation?
4CSR and Development (1) The development case
- () the current of business on society is
sub-optimal - (-) the scope for bad corporate governance is
greater than in developed countries
5CSR and Development (2) The business case(s)
- Human resource retention, brand recognition,
reputation insurance - Cost-saving and better market access
- Mitigation of negative impacts
- Social license to operate
6Vehicles for CSR (1) Firms
- Normal operations
- Social welfare and risk management
- Re-alignment of core business competencies with
development priorities (partnerships)
There is evidence of success, but how do we scale
it up?
7Vehicles for CSR (2)Governments
- Minimum standards
- Facilitate business going beyond compliance
- Philippines CSR Week
- Taiwan Green Business Award
- Thailand Office on Labour Standards Development
- Challenges
8Vehicles for CSR (3)Standards
- Reporting (end-of-pipeline, NGOs)
- Certification standards (financial sector)
- Aspirational / non-binding principles (IGOs)
- UN Global Compact
- OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises
9CSR as an instrument for global governance?
- How far is long term?
- Who defines societys expectations?
- Is there a risk of a bias towards public opinion
in the North? - Can shareholders afford CSR in bad times?
- PR pressure or strategic shift?
- How far into public governance?
- What role for the EU? (Cotonou, )