Corporate Social Responsibility

It is increasingly recognized that the necessary resources for development in ADB’s Developing Member Countries should be mobilized from the private sector. To identify the issues and best practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investment (SRI) activities in Asia, in collaboration with other partner institutions in Asia, ADBI held the three-day Enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia conference on 17-19 October 2007. Nineteen participants from selected Asian development institutes attended the conference.

Speakers from several private corporations gave presentations on their companies’ solutions to public issues. Because companies expand their influence in society along their supply chains or value chains, some examples of supply chain management were illustrated. Other presentations explored both the overall situation of SRI in Asia and specific country and industry cases. The final session focused on how to integrate and comprehensively apply the previously discussed CSR concepts to actual public policies. In accordance to changes expected from companies, three government roles were proposed for promoting CSR in Asia: (i) regulation, (ii) encouragement, and (iii) collaboration with the private sector.

View papers and presentations from the conference.