ABOUT BBLF

The Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum is the business association in Bulgaria promoting the values of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Till just about 9 years ago, CSR was unknown as a term in Bulgaria. It was in 1998 when 12 multinational companies and NGOs, inspired by the dream of business ethics, created the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum.

They promised the Prince of Wales and his team at the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) they would put ethics in the spotlight and would spread the word about transparent profits and long-term vision and sustainability.

Now, 9 years later, the BBLF has over 220 members - both Bulgarian and international companies. The BBLF Business Ethics Standard has been accepted by over 1500 companies, and the Anti-Corruption and Education statements of the Forum have found their right place on the agendas of politicians, businesses and civic society.

It is BBLF's utmost goal to:

• Promote socially responsible business practices that benefit business and society;
• Develop projects and programmes to show how business, government and civil society work together and can successfully tackle a wide range of local issues;
• Help leverage resources to bring partnership projects to scale and maximise impact;
• Share ideas, information and experience of socially responsible business practice and partnership action at local and international levels to encourage replication;
• Build leadership and management skills in these areas.
  
  
  History of IBLF activities in Bulgaria

1994
Invited by the Ministry of Environment, and funded by the EC PHARE programme, to examine the potential for cross-sector partnership action to address environmental issues

1995 - 1996
Partnership-building workshops in 12 towns - Local Partnership Network established, 49 partnership projects initiated. USAID's DemNet Programme funded further workshops between 1997 - 1998

1995
Bulgarian National Partnership Forum established

1997
Manager Shadowing Programme - final year students exposed to modern management practices

1995 - 1998
Capacity-building and training programmes e.g. 'Learning from experience' (regional leadership and partnership skills building programme); Management Skills Placement Programme (looking at good environmental management practices in the UK); Japanese Executive Management Training Programme (training and placement programme in Japan)

1997 - 1998
Involvement in roundtables, workshops and awareness-raising events to promote the value of public-private sector partnerships and the role of business in development

1998
Setting up of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum by 10 leading companies and 2 NGOs.

Inauguration of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) by HRH The Prince of Wales and President Stoyanov, Sofia, 6 November 1998