Awareness about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Singapore and the ASEAN region has been growing over the past decade, a trend that is expected to continue. In spite of this, many businesses in the region still find it an uphill task to actively embed CSR into their business strategies, preferring to invest in the social development and philanthropic aspects of CSR.
This is the inspiration behind the theme for this year’s International Singapore Compact CSR Summit, “CSR: For Sustainable Growth. Balancing Profits, People and Planetâ€. Taking place at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on 16 and 17 October 2014, this year’s 2-day conference provides a platform for major CSR players to discuss how companies can maintain sustainable growth through responsible business actions.
The United Nation’s Under-Secretary General Dr Noeleen Heyzer will deliver one of two keynote addresses at the Summit, examining why businesses that actively pursue CSR strategies can gain a competitive advantage in changing Asia and in the global market. The second keynote speaker at the event will Dr Emil Salim, a Member of the Advisory Council to the Indonesian President and a former Indonesian Environment Minister.
Many of the plenary and parallel breakout sessions at this year’s Summit will cover a range of topics on how companies can strengthen business sustainability through strategies and operations. From corporate governance, productivity, sustainable investment, stakeholder engagement and supply chain sustainability, these sessions will help delegates such as CSR and sustainability practitioners, business executives and HR professionals continue to build a business case for CSR in their organisations. One session would also be dedicated to discussing about CSR implementation of small and medium sized companies, which often cite the lack resources to plan and execute CSR and sustainability strategies as a hurdle for sustainability.
Singapore Compact’s Executive Director Mr Christopher Ang explained the programme line up for this year’s Summit: “The topics that we have planned this year appear to be skewed towards the business community, and there is a good reason for this. For us to advance the CSR and sustainability agenda, we believe that there is a need for a multi-stakeholder approach where government, corporations and non-governmental organisations come together to address social concerns and find solutions. Corporations have made great strides over the years in pushing sustainability, but I feel that there is still more that can be done. We believe the conversation must start with corporations taking the lead.â€
He stressed that there is still much in store for government officials, regulators and those working in non-governmental and non-profit organisations at the Summit. “The discussions would be relevant to delegates in these sectors, because they are play a crucial role in setting the agenda for a more equitable and sustainability society.â€
Speakers at the event this year include major corporations such as Unilever, City Developments Limited, Keppel Corporation, DBS Group, SingTel, Olam International, NatSteel, Intel, DIAGEO and Accenture and representatives from the CDP, Transparency International Malaysia, Singapore Environmental Council, Singapore Institute of Directors and Supply Chain Asia.
This is 6th year Singapore Compact is organising this Summit. Register now to enjoy early bird discounts (valid until 14 September 2014). Additional discount is available for organisations purchasing multiple passes. Visit www.singaporecsrsummit.org for details.
