V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

CSR Editor’s Desk

Dear Readers,

Happy New Year 2014!

We are happy to share with you

all the exciting programmes that

have taken place in the past one

year with the CSR Centre. We

have not only increased our

reach of stakeholders but at the

same time created new partner-

ships.

In 2013 we have been working

towards creating further aware-

ness on both the “ UN Guiding

Principles on Business & Human

Rights” as well as the “ Child

Rights and Business Principles”

through multi-stakeholder dia-

logue, trainings and research. A

number of research on sustain-

ability of sugar and cotton pro-

duction has been conducted. The

Centre is engaging in creating

further impact through CSR.

We continue to engage in vari-

ous partnerships to enhance the

CSR agenda in Bangladesh as

well as through highlighting

CSR best practices in regional

and global platforms!

Shahamin S. Zaman

CEO, CSR Centre

E-NEWSLETTER Business for Better Society

Corporate Social Responsibility

United Nation Guiding Principles

Like most developing countries, Bangla-

desh too has its share of human rights

issues and problems. While fundamental

freedoms are enshrined there is many

scope to implement strategically Human

Rights Components.

With a vision of preventing and address-

ing the risk of adverse impacts on human

rights linked to business activity the CSR

Centre in collaboration with Social Ac-

countability International (SAI) and

Danish Institute of Human Rights

(DIHR) introduced the United Nation

Guiding Principles (UNGP) for first time

in Bangladesh. This will help private sec-

tor in engaging in implementing Human

Rights through a customized approach

and at the same time reduce risk in busi-

ness.

The UNGP was endorsed by the UN Hu-

man Rights Council in June, 2011. Since

this time, the Guiding Principles have

served as a global framework for States

and business enterprises in preventing and

addressing adverse human rights viola-

tions linked to business activity. The

UNGP are built on three pillars: Protect,

Respect, and Remedy.

Pillars in Practice-Seeks

to Ensure Greater Busi-

ness Respect For Human

Rights

A team from CSR Centre and SAI vis-ited Viyellatex, DBL and Epyllion Group factories in Gazipur, Bangladesh on May and October, 2013.

The visit focused on examples of CSR best practices.

Factory Visits

Training of Trainers (TOT)

The CSR Centre, SAI, and DIHR

jointly convened two day long TOT

as a part of the project „Pillars In

Practice‟ to build awareness on the

UN Guiding Principles on Business

and Human Rights on May 12-13,

2013. The CSR Centre, Viyellatex,

DBL Group, M.A.C.K Shirts,

Greenland Garments participated in

the day long trainings.

In collaboration with SAI and DIHR,

the CSR Centre convened the

“Multi-stakeholder Forum” dia-

logue to learn how the United Na-

tions Guiding Principles can help

protect human rights and contribute

to the social sustainability of Bangla-

desh‟s Readymade Garment sector

on May 15, 2013 at Hotel Lakeshore,

Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Multi-stakeholder Forum Dialogue

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E

The CSR Centre with SAI

and DIHR organized and

distributed certificates on

“United Nations Guiding

Principle on Business and

Human Rights” at hotel

Rigs Inn, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Children Rights and

Business Principles

(CRBP)

2

SANSAR Outreach

3

Sustainability of Cot-

ton in Bangladesh

4

Update of United Na-

tion Global Compact

(UNGC)

5

CSR Platform Meet-

ings on Labor Stan-

dard and Women Em-

powerment

6

Seminars and Confer-

ence 7

Upcoming Events and

News 8

Update from Children’s Rights and Business Principles in the Textile and ICT/

Communication Sector.

The Readymade Garment indus-

try accounts for 78% of the

country‟s export earnings and

contributes more than 10% to

GDP. 3.6 million are employed,

80% of them are women. The

industry has created a platform

for 2.8 million women to engage

in a productive role in society.

The industry has empowered

women and played a lead role in

alleviating poverty through skill

development and employment.

Within the next 5 years it is pre-

dicted the ICT Sector will con-

tribute 1% of the country‟s total

GDP from the software and IT

services sector. It is estimated

that ICT export sector growth

will be 1 billion US dollars and

1.5lac professionals will be em-

ployed in software and IT indus-

try. Highly ambitious young

people will be able to contribute

a significant role in developing

this sector.

Emphasis on Child Labor when

referring to Child Rights was

stressed by the respondents from

the Textile Sector. Respondents

from the Textile Sector indicated

their commitment to CRBP was in

response to demands from the

brands.

Respondents from the ICT Sector

similarly stated they prohibited

child labour and freely shared

their opinion on the subject with

the interviewers. The ICT sector

valued the practice of CRBP as

promotional and protection for

their brand image.

The findings in both sectors indi-

cate there is commitment and

demonstration to CRBP but in an

adhoc manner. It is recommended

that there are further studies to

identify good practices of CRBP/

CSR both within these two sec-

tors identified for this report and

also additional sectors.

In Partnership :

P A G E 2

Mapping of

Good Child

Rights CSR

Practices in

Bangladesh

“Children’s rights are

an essential

investment in our

sustainable future”

CSR Managers’ Training on

Children’s Rights and Busi-

ness Principles (CRBP)

Introducing CRBP to a new group of

business managers especially those

who are responsible for CSR in their

companies UNICEF, CSR Centre and

Save the Children organized the

training on February 27, 2013 at

UNICEF‟s Office. Professor Syed

Ferhat Anwar from the Institute of

Business Administration (IBA),

Dhaka University conducted the

workshop on CRBP and its imple-

mentation in businesses.

C H I L D R E N ’ S R I G H T S A N D B U S I N E S S P R I N C I P L E S

Children‟s Rights and Business

Principles (CRBP) are acknowl-

edged to be a guide for business

in respecting and supporting

children‟s rights and as a useful

entry point for business to dem-

onstrate their larger responsibil-

ity to respect human rights.

A mapping exercise has been

carried out with 48 businesses

to identify CSR practices

which reflect child rights

Update from Children’s Rights and Business Principles

S O U T H A S I A N N E T W O R K F O R S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

A N D R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y ( S A N S A R ) P A G E 3

The CSR Centre organized a national launch

for the Bangladesh Local Chapter “Launch of

South Asian Network on Sustainability and

Responsibility (SANSAR) Bangladesh Local

Chapter” on June 17, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangla-

desh. SANSAR is a South Asian Network

working on CSR initiatives in India, Bangla-

desh, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. SAN-

SAR‟s programs support the poor and the mar-

ginalized communities including supply chains

in various hard-to-reach sectors such as tea,

coffee, sugarcane, cotton and garments.

The main objective of the launch was to

introduce and initiate the Local Chapter of

SANSAR in Bangladesh. As SANSAR

was already officially launched in Banga-

lore, India on March 2012, this was basi-

cally a formal initiation by CSR Centre to

involve membership of different affiliates

in to the SANSAR Bangladesh Chapter.

Launch of SANSAR Local Chapter

Training

CSR Beginners' Training To introduce Corporate Social Responsi-bility (CSR) and its implementation strategies the CSR Centre organized a training titled as „„CSR Beginners‟ Training‟‟ on July 3, 2013 at Hotel Rigs Inn, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Linkage with Supply Chain in the Agro Sector The CSR Centre organized a training on “Linkage with Supply Chain in the Agro

Sector” on September 10, 2013, at Hotel Washington, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Conference

CSR in South Asia-The Interface

The SANSAR Conference was held on

October 2013 in New Delhi. This was an

opportunity to involve SANSAR Local

Chapter representatives from five coun-

tries.

The participants from SANSAR Bangla-

desh Chapter were Mr. Mizan Patwary,

Manager, DBL Group and Ms. Nazma

Akthar, Executive Director, Awaj Foun-

dation.

The CSR Centre organized a seminar

“Multi Stakeholders Platform to Share

CSR Initiatives in Bangladesh” on Octo-

ber 8, 2013 at Hotel Rigs Inn, Dhaka,

Bangladesh.

The objective of the Seminar was to share

good CSR initiatives and practices under-

taken by prominent national and multina-

tional companies operating in Bangladesh.

Seminar

As a follow up study on “Challenges in

Sustainability and Corporate Social Re-

sponsibility: The Sugar Industry in Bang-

ladesh” the CSR Centre team with Prak-

ruthi, India visited different sugar mills in

Natore and North Bengal region from June

8-14, 2013. Meetings were also arranged

with different stakeholders including GOB

and private sector i.e.,

Bangladesh Food and Sugar Industries Cor-

poration (BFSIC) and Abdul Monem Lim-

ited on the issues of sustainable sugar pro-

duction.

Research Study

Sharing of good CSR initiatives and prac-tices by Chevron Bangladesh, Robi Axiata Limited, Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd and the CSR Centre.

Want to know more?

www.sustainableportal.com

In Partnership :

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y O F C O T T O N I N

B A N G L A D E S H P A G E 4

Assessment of Market Sensitiveness and Market Environment for

Cotton Supply Chain in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh textile industry

has been maturing and positioning

in the world competitive market,

it is the 2nd largest exporter of the

garments products. While the ex-

panding industry is attracting

world renowned brands and retail-

ers, it is also facing turmoil in

terms of social improvements and

adoption of cleaner production to

improve efficiency and to sustain

the supply chain. Among the

risks, Bangladesh‟s poor record

on safety and labour rights, recur-

rently illustrated by deadly acci-

dents in the garment units, could

undermine the country‟s image,

prompting international compa-

nies to relocate production. The

Economist Intelligence Unit

(EIU) reports that “In Bangla-

desh, cheap labour costs, reloca-

tion by Indian and Chinese com-

panies, and investment in the tex-

tiles sector suggest that consump-

tion growth of cotton will be

strong,” but the amount of domes-

tic cotton production of the total

could cater only negligible pro-

portion of the total requirement of

the country's textile industry.

In this regard, CSR Centre in part-

nership with Solidaridad has un-

dertaken a mapping study on the

Cotton Supply Chain in Bangla-

desh.

This study is being conducted by

the support of Cotton Develop-

ment Board, an entity of the

Ministry of Agriculture, Govern-

ment of the People‟s Republic of

Bangladesh.

The study was undertaken in the

view of understanding market

sensitiveness and market environ-

ment in terms of demand patterns

and quality and quantity of supply

chain in the cotton market in

Bangladesh, with a specific em-

phasis on sustainable cotton.

This study focuses to understand

the bottlenecks in terms of proce-

dures and policies in the cotton

supply chain that affects the per-

formance of the whole textile sup-

ply chain. It focuses on mapping

potential stakeholders in develop-

ing effective collaboration among

different actors towards achieving

responsiveness and efficiency of

the sector. The study hopes to

look for opportunities to integrate

sustainable cotton.

Field Visit

The cotton research was con-

ducted in 8 geographical regions

Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga,

Jhenaidah, Rajshahi, Bogra,

Rangpur and Dinajpur from Sep-

tember 4 – 6, 2013 and from No-

vember 15 - 17, 2013. During the

visit the team interviewed around

100 local farmers as well as sev-

eral private ginners, spinning mill

owners and the related offices of

Cotton Development Board.

UNGC Local Network Bangladesh 1st Steering Committee Meeting

The meeting of the UNGC Steer-

ing Committee working group on

Human Rights and Labor Issues

was held on March 28, 2013. The

committee discussed the present

human right and labor conditions

in Bangladesh and put forward

their view points and ideas re-

garding the issues.

.

The UNGCLN Bangladesh

working group for Terms of

Reference (ToR) + Vision &

Mission organized its first

meeting with the participating

committee members on March

10, 2013. It enables the

UNGCLNBD raise funds for its

activities.

UNGC Steering Committee

working group on Fundraising

was held on March 14, 2013.

The committee decided that it

will Facilitate training and ca-

pacity building sessions take

the following initiatives to take

the Fundraising.

Global Compact Network-Working Group Meetings

P A G E 5 U N I T E D N A T I O N S G L O B A L C O M P A C T ( U N G C )

The first meeting of the UNGC

Steering Committee (SC) for

Bangladesh took place on January

21, 2013 at Bangladesh Enterprise

Institute‟s (BEI) Conference

Room. At the meeting, it has been

discussed that the SC will pro-

mote sustainable, social responsi-

bility activities among various

business sectors in Bangladesh

and will also serve as advocates

and champions of the Compact

nationally by contributing to pub-

lic discussion and policy.

The committee members will also

actively recruit new adherents to

UNGC. Four working groups

have been formed on Environ-

ment, Human Rights and Labor

Issues, TOR + Vision & Mission

and Fundraising to deliver the

UNGC Principles to formulate the

vision and mission of the Steering

Committee and to look into the

fundra ising ini t iat ives to

strengthen the sustainability of the

Global Compact‟s in Bangladesh

Tor + Vision & Mission

Fundraising

Human Rights & Labor Is-

sues

The first meeting of the

UNGC Steering Com-

mittee working group on

Environment was held

on January 21, 2013. The

committee discussed

present Environmental

Condition.

For New Membership:

www.unglobalcompact.

org

Environment

UNGCLN

Bangladesh Steering

Committee : Change

in Chair

Mr. Shitangshu Kumar Sur

Chowdhury, Deputy Gover-

nor of Bangladesh Bank has

taken over as Chair of

UNGCLN Bangladesh Steer-

ing Committee. We welcome

him on board.

Four working groups have been formed to deliver the UNGC Principles, to formulate the vi-

sion and mission of the Steering Committee, and to look into the fundraising initiatives to

strengthen the sustainability of the Global Compact‟s financial future globally and locally.

C S R P L A T F O R M M E E T I N G S O N L A B O U R

S T A N D A R D S A N D W O M E N E M P O W E R M E N T P A G E 6

Global Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Volunteering

The CSR Centre with VSO Bangladesh organized

the final CSR Platform Meeting on “Global Trends

in Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee

Volunteering” on July 31, 2013 at BRAC Centre

Inn, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A presentation by Mr. Simon Brown, Corporate

Partnership Manager, VSO Asia and Pacific showed how VSO works in different countries with

their volunteering program. He also gave examples

on how different multinational organizations are

engaging in CSR within their organization through

multi-stakeholder engagement.

CSR Centre and VSO organized the 8th-CSR Plat-

form Meeting on „Gender and Women Entrepre-

neurship‟ on June 5, 2013 at Hotel Crystal Crown,

Dhaka, Bangladesh. The objective of the meeting

was to discuss the issue of violence against women

in Bangladesh and the solutions to overcome the

hurdles.

Ms. Zakia Hassan, Executive Director of DIPTO-A

Foundation for Gender and Development and Ms.

Munmun Rahman, Sr. Vice President of Bangla-

desh Women Chamber of Commerce and Indus-

tries (BWCCI) attended the meeting as panel

speakers.

Labor Standards in Bangladesh

CSR Centre and VSO Bangladesh organized the 7th CSR Platform Meeting on “Labour Stan-

dards in Bangladesh” on April 17, 2013 at BRAC Centre Inn, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The meeting was focused on workers migration, trade union organizations‟ capacity to address

workers‟ needs and their wages.

Dr. Lily Gomes, Solidarity Center and Ms. Hasina Begum; International Labour Organization

(ILO) attended as panelists.

Gender and Women Entrepreneurship

CSR Platform Meetings

The Partnership

CSR Centre, in association with

Voluntary Service Overseas

(VSO) Bangladesh, created a

CSR Platform with the active par-

ticipation and representation from

some of the leading corporate

houses and other stakeholders.

With this platform, CSR Centre

and VSO aimed to enhance cor-

porate engagement and develop

sustainable partnerships among

the private sector and develop

linkages between private compa-

nies and marginal producers

through industry specific business

groups.

The partnership contributed and

facilitated several CSR Platform

Meetings during the period 2011-

2013.

Roundtable Discussion

CSR Centre, in partnership with VSO Bangladesh, organized a Roundtable Discus-

sion on “Developing National CSR Guidelines for Bangladesh” on March 5, 2013

at BRAC Centre Inn, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The objective of roundtable was to share the recent CSR National Voluntary Guide-

line developed in India and to discuss the need for Bangladesh having a similar CSR

Guideline. The presentation was made by Mr. Viraf Mehta, CSR Director at Prak-

ruthi, India who was a team member for developing the National Voluntary Guide-

line on Social, Environmental & Economic Responsibilities of Business endorsed by

the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.

Developing National CSR Guidelines for Bangladesh

“Courage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet

voice at the end of the day

saying- I will try again

tomorrow.”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

Seminar/ Conferences

S E M I N A R / C O N F E R E N C E S P A G E 7

The Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh (NCCI), Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and Corporate Social Responsibil-ity (CSR) Centre jointly organized a Roundtable Discussion titled „Responsible Business through Partnerships and CSR‟ to promote responsible business practices by the Nordic companies operat-ing in Bangladesh. The program was held on March 3 , 2013 at BEI‟s Conference Room. The panelists were Ambassadors form Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Roundtable on Responsible Business through Partnerships and CSR Youth Convention 2013 to contribute to a National CSR Policy for Children

CSR Centre presented a paper on

“Corporate Engagement towards

Elimination of Child Labor through

Producing Skilled Workforce” in the

event “Youth Convention 2013 to con-

tribute to a National CSR Policy for

Children” on October 9, 2013 at Os-

mani Memorial Auditorium, Dhaka,

Bangladesh.

The event was organized in the frame-

work of the Project “Partnerships to

Combat Child Labor Through Cor-

porate Social Responsibility (CSR) in

Bangladesh” which is a 3 year Project

implemented by Save the Children

and funded by the European Union

(EU).

Danida Business Partnership Conference 2013

The Danish Embassy in Dhaka invited CSR Centre to do a

presentation at the “Sustainable Development Conference”

on November 7, 2013 at Hotel Westin, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the Conference CSR Centre shared best practices of CSR

undertaken by prominent national and multinational compa-

nies operating in Bangladesh from different sectors such as

telecommunication, pharmaceutical, bank, power & fuel,

and food & agriculture. The activities of CSR Centre were

also highlighted.

Regional Co-operation in Advancing Responsible Business Practices

A Conference by The United Nation Economic and Social

Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Or-

ganization for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD) was a part of the 3rd “Asia Pacific Trade and Invest-

ment Week” which took place from November 18-22, 2013 at

UNESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand. The CSR Centre was invited as

Panel Speaker to the session “Regional Co-operation in Ad-

vancing Responsible Business Practice” .

UN Annual Forum on Business & Human Rights

The CSR Centre in collaboration with the Danish Institute of

Human Rights (DIHR) launched a country portal project

“Human Rights and Business: Country Guide” of 40 countries

funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation

Agency (SIDA). As a key local partner of the project the CSR

Centre was invited to the “UN Annual Forum on Business &

Human Rights: Public Launch of Country Portal & Launch of

Pillars in Practice Project” from December 2 - 4, 2013 in the

Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

Korea- Bangladesh CSR Seminar 2013 “Further Strengthening the 40 Year-Long Partnerships through CSR”

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in partnership with the CSR Centre

organized a Seminar titled „Korea-Bangladesh CSR Seminar 2013: Fur-

ther Strengthening the 40 Year-Long Partnerships through CSR‟ on De-

cember 14, 2013 at Hotel Lakeshore, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The objective

of the Seminar was to showcase “CSR Best Practices” of Korean compa-

nies operating in Bangladesh.

“CSR Centre believes in the

power of youth to drive future

economic growth.”

Want to Join?

Internship

Volunteer

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S & N E W S P A G E 8

The CSR Centre is an independent, non-profit Trust supported by

the private sector and civil society trustees. It was established in

September 5, 2007, with private sector start-up funding to raise

CSR awareness. The CSR Centre‟s goal is to promote sustainable

development through responsible business practices. The Centre

provides CSR services on a commercial basis. The primary objec-

tive of the Centre is to become the prime source of information,

resources, and advisory services on CSR in Bangladesh, and the

operational principal is to contribute to achieving the human devel-

opment targets set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

in Bangladesh through private sector led growth.

CSR Centre is the Focal Point for United Nations Global Com-

pact (UNGC) in Bangladesh. The Centre comprises of the UNGC

principles and is the principal promoter of UNGC in Bangladesh.

The CSR Centre is also the founder member of SANSAR (South

Asian Network in Sustainability and Responsibility), which is a

regional network working collaboratively for long term develop-

ment and poverty alleviation.

For more information you can check out CSR Centre website:

www.csrcentre-bd.org

Corporate Social Responsibility Centre

“Promoting Sustainable Development Through Responsible Business”

Upcoming Events in 2014

March -Multi-stakeholder Advisory

Consultation, Pillar in Practice

Project (March 5, 2014) in Dhaka.

- Sustainable Agriculture Busi-

ness Principle (SABP) Consulta-

tion: UNGC Network Bangladesh

(March 18, 2014) in Dhaka.

April - The CSR Report 2013 will be

published.

January-December - National CSR Guideline for

Private Sector led Growth in

Bangladesh– A project in Partner-

ship with Royal Danish Embassy

in Bangladesh (interested in Dia-

logue and Discussion, please con-

tact us).

- Drafting National CSR Policy

for Children in Bangladesh in

partnership with Save the Chil-

dren, Bangladesh & EU

(interested in Dialogue and Dis-

cussion, please contact us).

More information about these

events is available on the CSR

Centre website

Engagement Opportunities

Sign up for the UNGC Network Bangladesh

Sign up for SANSAR Bangladesh membership

Join the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Consultation

Join the Dialogue and Discussion for National CSR Guidelines

Join the Discussion and Consultation for National CSR Policy for Chil-

dren For full details on engagement opportunities, please visit the CSR Centre website and Contact us

Primary Business Address

Apartment 1A, House 11

Road 14, Gulshan 1

Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

Phone: (+88) 02 9893723: (+88) 02 989 2186

E-mail: nizam@csrcentre-bd.org