International Activities

Related Links

• ISO Public Comment Forum on Social Responsibility
  The ISO Public Comment Forum on social responsibility is intended to allow interested parties to submit comments on the Advisory Group's report and recommendations in relation to the ISO International Standard on Social Responsibility that is being developed.
  

• Online Voluntary Codes Research Forum
  The online Voluntary Codes Research Forum is a listserve facilitating discussion about environmental, human rights, consumer, worker, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, and other voluntary initiatives, of interest to government, private sector, non-governmental officials, academics, and others.
  
  The Canadian Office of Consumer Affairs manages the forum, to subscribe contact Mr. Kernaghan Webb at: webb.kernaghan@ic.gc.ca

• A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Diagnosis Module for Application in Value Chain Analysis (VCA). April 2006. (pdf file). This report has been prepared by the Foreign Investment Advisory Services (FIAS). FIAS is a joint facility of the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank. The report develops the original CSR diagnostic to be used as a stand-alone analysis or in conjunction with a full value chain analysis. The guidance enables users to conduct a diagnosis, design solutions and quantify the implementation of CSR initiatives, with the aim of enhancing international competitiveness and promoting inward investment.

• Voluntary Approaches to Corporate Responsibility: Readings and Resource Guide - United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), May 2002. The essays and resource guide in this volume aim both to inform readers of recent developments and analysis related to voluntary initiatives, and to highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses of company codes of conduct and “multistakeholder” standard-setting and certification schemes, involving NGOs and multilateral organizations.

• Corporate Social Responsibility: A Pro-Active Approach - Alyson Warhurst, Mining and Energy Research Network (MERN), 20 pp., 1998.

• Green Paper Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility - Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs, Unit EMPL/D.1, July 2001.
  The Green Paper aims to launch a wide debate on how the European Union could promote corporate social responsibility at both the European and international level, in particular on how to make the most of existing experiences, to encourage the development of innovative practices, to bring greater transparency and to increase the reliability of evaluation and validation. It suggests an approach based on the deepening of partnerships in which all actors have an active role to play.

• Corporate Social Responsibility: A business contribution to Sustainable Development (Adobe PDF 199kB) - Communication from the Commission, European Commission, Brussels, 2 July 2002.
  Follow up to the 2001 Green Paper (above) that presents the EU strategy to promote CSR.

• Privatizing Human Rights: the Roles of Government, Civil Society and Corporations - Mr. Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary of State for the US State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. A paper presented to the annual Business for Social Responsibility Conference held in Seattle, Washington on 8 November 2001. Outlines US Government views on important processes and the roles of different actors in the move to CSR.

• "Business and Human Rights: Mapping International Standards of Responsibility and Accountability for Corporate Acts". (pdf file). United Nations, General Assembly. Implementation of General Assembly Resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 Entitled “Human Rights Council. ”This report summarizes the responses to two surveys conducted by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General: (i) a questionnaire asking States to identify current practices of regulating, adjudicating, and otherwise influencing the role of corporations with respect to human rights, and (ii) a questionnaire asking the Fortune Global 500 firms about their human rights policies and practices.

• Altered Images: A report on a survey of attitudes in India provides evidence of support for CSR in developing countries. The report is part of a new project to examine attitudes towards Corporate Responsiblity in South Asia, co-partnered by the Tata Energy Research Institute-Europe and the New Academy of Business, with support by the UK Department for International Development's Asia Division.

• Public Opinion Poll Conducted for the Canadian Democracy and Corporate Accountability Commission
  A survey conducted for the Canadian Democracy and Corporate Accountability Commission from September 28 to October 8, 2001, shows considerable support by Canadians (including shareholders and business executives) for CSR from business, for leadership from government, and for development of international and national CSR codes. Several key results from those surveyed include: 70% supported the need for business to consider the impacts of their decision on their employees, the community, and the country; and 80% said the government should publish social responsibility standards and require reporting against these to allow shareholders and customers to evaluate performance for themselves.

• The Giving List - The Society Guardian newspaper
  A ranking of the private sector donations to charitable and community projects by the top corporations in the United Kingdom. The list, based on the FTSE100, indicates that the leading 100 companies in the UK on average give 0.4% of their pre-tax profits to charities and community projects, this compares to the overall average business donation of 0.2%.
  
  Five mining and oil and gas companies feature in the top 100 listing: Rio Tinto (# 64), BP (# 69), Shell International (# 75), Anglo American (# 89) and BHP Billiton (# 90).
  
  The Giving List was produced by The Guardian newspaper in association with the Directory of Social Change.

• Corporate Social Responsibility Monitor - Environics International
  Survey of community perceptions on corporate values in a number of countries. Bribe Payers Index 2002 (Adobe PDF 36kB) - Survey commissioned by Transparency International ranking the propensity of a countries companies as well as different industry sectors to pay or offer bribes in 15 leading developing markets. The Mining sector ranked mid-range but still with a high propensity to engage in bribery. Less than 20% of business executives surveyed were aware of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions ratified in 1997.

• Equator Principles, July 2006. (pdf file) A financial industry benchmark for determining, assessing and managing social & environmental risk in project financing.

• "Investing in Social Responsibility: Risks and Opportunities", This document has provided background to the Association of British Insurers for drafting its CSR Disclosure Guidelines.

• Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes

• FTSE4GOOD Index
  This United Kingdom index screens companies according to criteria in the areas of environmental sustainability, social issues and stakeholder relations, and human rights. Certain companies are excuded automatically including those companies mining or processing uranium. See the index constituents for more information. The site requires free registration to access the information.

• KLD-Nasdaq Social Index
  The KLD-NS Social Index, based on the Nasdaq Composite, is a market-value weighted index reflecting the performance of around 280 of the largest US corporations in sectors such as technology, financial, and telecommunications. All corporations in the index are screened by the KLD Research & Analytics’ proprietary social and environmental screens used for the Domini 400 Social Index (see below). The KLD-NS Social Index has been developed by Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini & Co., Inc., also responsible for the Domini 400 Social Index, and is based on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

• Domini 400 Social Index
  A market capitalization-weighted common stock index, initiated in 1990, that monitors the performance of 400 US corporations that pass multiple, broad-based social screens. Developed and maintained by the social research firm Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini & Co., Inc.

• AMP Socially Responsible Investment - Australia, United Kingdom

• Ethical Purchasing Index (EPI)
  The Ethical Purchasing Index (EPI) has been developed in the UK as the brainchild of the New Economics Foundation (NEF), in partnership with the Co-operative Bank. A publication, "Taking Flight: The Rapid Growth of Ethical Consumerism", has been released simultaneously with the first edition of the EPI to provide information on the growth of ethical market share. The publication is available on the NEF website.

• SocialFunds.com
  A range of socially responsible investment fund information in relation to personal finance.

• The Compact Quarterly. The Compact Quarterly features a range of articles, interviews and updates on topics related to the Global Compact initiative and corporate responsibility in general.

• The Ethical Corporation - magazine
  A UK-based magazine focusing "on the business case for sustainable development and corporate social and environmental responsibility within large companies". Many of the articles and interviews with fund managers and CSR leaders can be freely downloaded.