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Responsible Businesses Gather in Warsaw

October 06, 2003
Responsible Businesses Gather in Warsaw
For two days (October 6-7), the Polish capital hosted a dynamic international conference, focusing on CSR performance in Central and Eastern Europe. The event, titled "Responsible Business - A New Strategy for Development", was organized by the Development Communications Division of the World Bank, the Responsible Business Forum and CSR Europe, in partnership with the IBLF, HR BCSD and UNDP. The conference was part of the CSR Marathon.

The conference served two main objectives: it updated on the CSR-awareness of the EU and presented current CSR practices in Central and Eastern Europe. Several panel discussions and workshop sessions offered opportunities for open debate and productive interaction, for exchange of information and experience among a wide range of international participators.

A major part of the conference concentrated on presentations and examinations of responsible business practice in Poland and other countries of the region. An official survey of the top 500 business managers in Poland demonstrated their wide understanding of CSR as an important factor in business. International presenters shared and elaborated on the best practices among companies, governments and NGOs. A special place was dedicated to concrete examples of exceptional CSR practitioners. The Chairman of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, Mr. Maxim Behar, presented practical examples from the Bulgarian environment. He related the experience of MobilTel, AstraZeneca, TNT and Shell. Furthermore, Mr. Kirko Kirkov, the CEO of Umicore Bulgaria, presented on CSR as a component of a company's development strategy. The next host country of a conference from the CSR Marathon series is Switzerland.

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