AG/RES. 1953 (XXXIII-O/03)

PROMOTION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE HEMISPHERE 

(Resolution adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 10, 2003) 

            THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 

            HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly (AG/doc.4156/03 add. 2), in particular as it pertains to the report on the promotion of corporate social responsibility in the Hemisphere (CP/CG-1521/03 rev. 2); 

            RECALLING that, through resolution AG/RES. 1871 (XXXII-O/02), “Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hemisphere,” the General Assembly instructed the Permanent Council to “continue to foster exchange of experience and information among the OAS, other multilateral organizations, international financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society organizations, among other pertinent bodies, in order to coordinate and strengthen cooperation activities in the area of corporate social responsibility”; 

            BEARING IN MIND that the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas supported “the continued analysis and consideration in the OAS of corporate social responsibility” and the discussion of “ways to promote the development, adoption and implementation by the business community of principles of good conduct that will advance corporate social and environmental responsibility”; 

            RECOGNIZING that businesses play a central role in the creation of prosperity and the flow and maintenance of trade and investment in the Hemisphere and that they can make important contributions to sustainable development and increase access to opportunities, which can include reducing inequality in the communities in which they operate; 

            TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the increasing expectations on the part of our citizens that businesses will conduct their operations in a manner consistent with their social responsibilities; 

            MINDFUL that attention to corporate social responsibility is increasing worldwide and, in particular in the Hemisphere, and that the concept is being addressed in various multilateral forums; and 

            RECOGNIZING the crosscutting nature of corporate social responsibility and its ties with issues under the responsibility of a variety of organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS, 

RESOLVES: 

            1.         To congratulate the organizers, sponsors, and participants on the success of the “Americas Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility, Alliances for Development,” hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the Organization of American States, with the support of the Government of Canada and of the Government of the United States of America through its Inter-American Foundation, which was held in Miami, USA, from September 22 to 24, 2002, with the participation of over 500 representatives of OAS member state governments and civil society, including business and labor groups, in compliance with the mandate assigned to them by the Heads of State and Government in the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas. 

            2.         To welcome the sponsorship by the Government of Panama, with the support of the IDB, of the “Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Americas, as a Tool for Competitiveness,” to be held in Panama City, from October 26 to 28, 2003. 

            3.         To request the Permanent Council and the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) to:  

a.                   Ensure that proper follow-up is given to the abovementioned conferences in the OAS context, in keeping with the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas; 

b.                   Convene a joint meeting to discuss the complementarities between corporate social responsibility and economic development to maximize the benefits from corporate social responsibility; and to encourage member states, should they see fit, to report at this opportunity on progress in this area within their countries; and 

c.                   Undertake jointly to foster the exchange of experience and information among member states and the different organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS, in close collaboration with the Trade Unit of the OAS General Secretariat, the Secretariat for the Summit Process, and the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development, in order to coordinate and strengthen cooperation activities in the area of corporate social responsibility. 

            4.         To encourage OAS member states, insofar as possible, to inform their private sector, business associations, unions, academic institutions, and civil society organizations about the upcoming “Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Americas, as a Tool for Competitiveness,” in Panama, and to promote their participation and that of experts and officials. 

            5.         To instruct the General Secretariat to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources. 

6.                   To instruct the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.