KUWAIT: Companies in Kuwait, and across the world, benefit from becoming responsible entities by voluntarily promoting strong corporate values and giving back to the communities they operate in. For many businesses, pursuing corporate responsibility has become a sound objective. Applying Corporate Social Responsibility practices is not only about philanthropy. According to David Murphy, senior international associate with the Italy-based United Nations System Staff College, the big challenge is "to move beyond" philanthropy.
Murphy talked to the Kuwait Times during Kuwait's Second Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that started in JW Marriott Hotel yesterday.
"We need to get businesses thinking about what other things they could do about the way they operate, their employment and their environmental practices that could improve life in Kuwait and make a contribution that is not just about giving money," he said adding that money is important but it is not the only thing.
Although there is not just one working definition to fit Corporate Responsibility (CR) experts agree that CR refers mostly to companies that are socially, environmentally and economically responsible to their society and environmental and economical culture.
There are many reasons for a company to be committed to CSR apart from philanthropy. Sustainability, it seems, is the corner stone for many of the Gulf companies devoted to CSR. Smaller and bigger companies are turning to the concept sustainability to identify well-managed and future-oriented companies to invest in.
In Murphy's words, partnership lies in the core of sustainability. If businesses could develop appropriate partnerships with the government, with the civil society and with the UN, then in that way the contribution that business makes can be much more integrated into existing programmes, he said. If there is an infrastructure that exists for delivering health or education programmes by investing in those programmes and becoming a partner - that helps to insure that it is more sustainable, Murphy added.
He concluded, "Partnering with others for me is ensuring that something becomes more sustainable." Murphy also focused on the significance of the term 'partnership' in a presentation called "Global Perspectives on CSR."
Applying good business practices is a win-win situation for both the corporations and the surrounding environment, conference participants agreed. On the one hand, applying CR, the companies in the Middle East get advantages from employee satisfaction, better risk management, sustainability and greater investments. On the other hand, many disadvantaged groups, the youth or impoverished people benefit from CSR-driven businesses.
Talking at the event Resly Borisli, programme associate with Kuwait's United Nations Development Programme, stressed on CSR within the framework of UN's Millennium Development Goals. Borisli also highlighted the role of the private sector in achieving these goals.
Borisli spoke on the issue of CSR and the UN System. Nigel Middlemiss, CSR and knowledge director with ECHO Research talked on Corporate Responsibility and Stakeholder Research while Ramez Dandan, Microsoft Kuwait's country manager focused on "Citizenship at Microsoft."
Al-Multaqa Media Group, organisers of the two-day conference, also launched the first CSR Guide (in Arabic) in the Middle East to be distributed in Kuwait and the countries in the region.
The guide features three sections. The first section explains CSR and offers a comprehensive presentation of the CSR strategies and the manner through which organisations can implement CSR programmes. The Guide also deals with some of the successful international practices along with an overall demonstration of important statistics, figures and significant CSR studies in the local, regional and world arenas.
The second section of the guide focuses on the sponsors of the guide and on a CSR wire network, the practices and projects done by these establishments in Kuwait and the region. Lastly, the guide demonstrates local, regional and international models that contribute to enhancing the concept of CSR.
It also features a brief presentation of the best 100 projects related to society support initiatives.
The conference opened with a screening of the first documentary film on CSR, which explained its history and growth both internationally and regionally. Al-Multaqa Media Group also launched Kuwait's first Arab CSR website: www.csrkuwait.com at the event. The website contains extensive information about CSR and provides news about the local and international companies that apply CSR in their work and about their practices. This is the first website dedicated to CSR that was being launched in Arabic in the Gulf region.
On a final note, the organisers said the conference aims to raise the awareness in the Gulf about the significance and the role assumed by profit making institutions and companies to the society. The conference sessions today will focus on philanthropy, company's experiences abroad and collaborative approach to CSR. For instance, Richard Linning, board member of the International Public Relations Association will present a talk called: "The benefits of collaborative social responsibility approach to your organisation" and Marwa El-Daly, adviser to the ministry of social solidarity on NGOs affairs in Egypt will present a case studying a lecture called "The Philanthropy and CSR" in Egypt.
Also, Mariam Al-Foudery, Agility's CSR manager, will talk on "Structuring the corporate conscience: lessons we have learnt along the way." The conference sessions during the two-day conference have been followed by workshops.
By Velina Nacheva
© Kuwait Times 2007
