Republic of Moldova

Small and Medium Enterprises of Moldova discuss the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility

Chişinău, 05 May 2009 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with Global Compact Moldova (GCNM) and the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) organized a roundtable on Corporate Social Responsibility and the impact on SME competitiveness, in the framework of the International Conference of SMEs. The event was attended by 80 representatives of GCNM, SME and public administration.

The participants to the roundtable focused their discussion on CSR principles, highlighting the importance of their applying in practice through the involvement of staff and management of companies. They also discussed how by being corporate socially responsible enterprises, this in turn can contribute to the long term competitiveness of SMEs on the market.

During the roundtable discussion, the university course on Corporate Social Responsibility: practical aspects was officially launched. The course aims at facilitating students access to case studies regarding the implementation of CSR practices by local companies. The course was elaborated with the support of the UNDP Global Compact project and companies which are members of the GCNM. The author, Lilia Covas, noted that this course will be a milestone both for students and for companies to understand the mechanisms of implementation of CSR in development strategies.

"In 2009, we will launch the national campaign" GO GREEN ", which aims to help reduce pollution and protect the environment," said Eugen JOSAN, Chairman of the Coordination Council GCNM, which informed the participants about the achievements and plans for 2009.

The event is part of a series of actions to promote corporate social responsibility in Moldova and raise awareness of SMEs towards CSR practices. In addition to this initiative, the Global Compact will organize other activities including the international CSR conference, a study on the concept of "social message" and various round tables and debates that promote the concept of CSR.

The Global Compact is the largest global initiative of corporate social responsibility, launched in 2000 by former Secretary General of United Nations, Kofi Annan. Currently, Global Compacts has more than 6000 members from more than 133 countries of the world. The UN Global Compact was introduced in Moldova through an official national launch in November 2006 and comprises today 50 members. The Global Compact is promoting the concept of corporate social responsibility and the creation of efficient partnerships between private companies and other social actors that contribute to a sustainable and socially equitable economic growth.

For contact: Aurelia Braguta, project coordinator UNDP Moldova, tel. 269121 or aurelia.braguta@undp.org