Step in the Right Direction – Socially Responsible Business Models

The Institute for Youth Development KULT took part in a Conference on Socially Responsible Businesses for Developing the Community – Step Forward for Civil Society, held in Sarajevo over the past two days.

The Conference was organized as part of the TACSO project component People to People (P2P). P2P is one of the three pillars of the programme for supporting NGOs, giving NGOs from Turkey and the Western Balkans the opportunity to improve their knowledge of the EU and the accession process through visiting EU institutions, meetings with EU non-governmental organisations and opportunities for networking on international and regional levels.

The contribution of advancing socially responsible businesses in BiH was given through including government institutions, the business community, unions, non-governmental organisations, the academic community and media, as stakeholders in an all-inclusive dialogue. The conference expanded the horizons of non-governmental organisations by providing them with examples of different socially responsible business models. The two-day programme adopted an academic approach to socially responsible businesses and provided practical examples, thus influencing the creating the consciousness about this issue and initiating capacity building within a network of employers’ associations for streamlining companies towards having a positive effect on the community and integrating socially responsible management into their strategic documents. Examples of socially responsible businesses were presented by the Croatian Employers’ Association, Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations, Association of Employers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chamber of Commerce of RS, PRIME Communications, and others.

In its work, the Institute for Youth Development KULT develops, builds and strengthens individual and collective philanthropy in BiH, with the most pertinent example being the Institute’s quick response in organised efforts for helping the flooded areas in BiH.

The Institute added the concept of socially responsible businesses to its cooperation with the Paliemants of BiH and FBiH, certain ministries and cantonal governments, within its partnership with the Centre for International Development of the State University New York (SUNY/CID) on the project Strengthening Governing Institutions and Processes in BiH.