WBCSD Members Rise to the Challenge of Development

Geneva, 8 February 2007 – In a “Statement of Intent for Doing Business with the World" ( 207 kb) the leaders of twelve WBCSD member companies commit to looking beyond corporate philanthropy to search for responsible, sustainable and inclusive business models that are good for business and good for development.

Through the statement, the business leaders, all members of the Development Focus Area Core Team (FACT), pledge “to play our part in building capacity and empowering people so they have the opportunity to move out of poverty and into the formal economy.”

Intending to help create new businesses, new markets, new suppliers, new employees and new customers among the world's low-income segment, the FACT members strongly believe that “if these efforts are to be substantial and sustainable, they must also be profitable. Our major contribution to society will therefore come through our core business activities.”

While business is the engine of economic growth, it also needs a favorable investment climate to scale up its contribution to development. The statement highlights the following priorities for collaborative action between business, government and civil society: a fair and competitive global market that is non-discriminatory, effective legal and regulatory frameworks, support for small and medium enterprises and investments in core infrastructure.

With this statement the business leaders invite government and civil society leaders “to work with us to create an environment of mutual advantage where business success goes hand in hand with successful societies the world over.”

The signatories of the “Statement of Intent for Doing Business with the World” are:

• Tom de Swaan, Senior Adviser to the Managing Board, ABN Amro
• Paul Hanrahan, President and CEO, AES Corp
• Sir Mark Moody -Stuart, Chairman, Anglo American
• John Manzoni, CEO Refining & Marketing, BP
• Dr Robin Bidwell CBE, Executive Chairman, ERM
• Thulani Gcabashe, Chief Executive, Eskom
• John Rice, Vice Chairman, GE
• Julio Moura, Chairman & CEO, GrupoNueva
• Nina Udnes Tronstad, Executive Vice President, Statoil
• Dr Shoichiro Toyoda, Hon. Chairman and Member of the Board, Toyota
• Antony Burgmans, Chairman, Unilever
• Alan Harper, Executive Director and Group Strategy Director, Vodafone

Download

• Statement of Intent for Doing Business with the World ( 206 kb / 1 MB)
• Declaración de Intenciones: Hacer Negocios con el Mundo (Spanish version) ( 207 kb / 1.3 MB)

More information on WBCSD's Development work:

Through its Development Focus Area, the WBCSD is seeking to:

• Raise awareness of the business contribution to development, helping business and non-business stakeholders understand what is possible by providing case studies, guides and tools that advance the understanding of what business can and cannot do to address development challenges and opportunities.
  
  
• Advocate for improvements to the investment climate working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to create a more enabling business environment and seek out synergies between official development assistance and foreign direct investment.
  
  
• Move into action – working with WBCSD members, its Regional Network partners and other stakeholders to broker new business ventures that are both good business and good for development. A key element in this work is a partnership agreement with Netherlands development agency SNV to broker real and sustainable business in the Andean and Central American regions of Latin America.

Download the Executive Brief ( 101 kb) of the WBCSD Development Focus Area.

View the WBCSD's online case study collection showcasing inclusive business ventures.

Author WBCSD Publication Date 8 Feb 2007 Document Type Press updates WBCSD news Issue/Topic Development Company Anglo American plc BP plc. Environmental Resources Management Group Eskom Holdings Limited General Electric Company Masisa StatoilHydro Toyota Motor Corporation Unilever N.V. Vodafone Group Plc Source WBCSD Include In RSS Business & Development News WBCSD News & Updates		1 MB   197 kb   1.3 MB   213 kb