April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility1 Title Goes Here Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Presentation to the OAS Permanent Council Donica Pottie Director, Democracy and Governance Division Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility2 What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Voluntary commitment to operate in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner Requires balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders Complementary to – not a substitute for – regulation and good governance

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility3 The Business Case for CSR Enhanced corporate reputation Improved competitiveness and market positioning Increased labour attraction and retention Better investor relations and access to capital A more credible and sustainable social licence to operate

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility4 A Role for Government? Creating an enabling and transparent environment Clarifying expectations of company performance Offering incentives and support Fostering meaningful and constructive dialogue

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility5 CSR: Not a one-size-fits-all approach Cross-cutting theme: Intersection with corruption, poverty reduction, human rights, engagement with Indigenous communities Synergies: Alignment of CSR practices with national economic and social objectives Spill-over effects: Promotion of socially-responsible business practices by domestic companies

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility6 Examples of good CSR practices Early and ongoing community engagement Revenue transparency Environmental stewardship Local economic development Capacity-building of local workforce Human rights training for security personnel

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility7 Canadas CSR Policy for the Extractive Sector Four complementary pillars to foster different elements of CSR and engage diverse stakeholders: 1.Promotion of internationally-recognized CSR performance guidelines 2.Host country resource governance capacity- building 3.Centre for Excellence in CSR 4.Extractive Sector CSR Counsellor

April 7, 2010Corporate Social Responsibility8 It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. - Warren Buffett CP24089T