What we’re about
Welcome to this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Sustainaibility Meetup Group!
Initially based in Geneva since 2012, we organize regular (8 to 10) online sessions a year in which we invite speakers from all the continents and geographies, involved in the field of CSR, may it be CSR practitioners, Academics, NGOs, International Institutions, Corporate professionals, Business founders and more.
You are very welcome to join these exchanges and discussions that raise the awareness both on the problems we have to solve in terms of social, societal, and environmental issues, and their solutions via the change in corporate, institutional, business and public organizations.
See you soon online!
***********************************************************************************************************************************
Group Name: CSR/Sustainability Meetup Worldwide
Our post COVID working environment is transforming not only the corporate world, but the entire context for public-private cooperation. Some of us were already exploring this policy space in a CSR group initially founded ten years ago by Michael Hopkins at the University of Geneva. Our objective was to promote intellectual exchange of ideas and good practice between top professionals drawn from academia, the UN, private industry, NGO's and social enterprises. The group's scope has gradually widened from its Geneva origins to Meetup groups around the world numbering around 10,000 members. Today, the Meetups work with hubs such as CSRFi (https://www.csrfi.com ), Globethics (http://www.globethics.net/), IICSR in India https://www.iicsr.com/, selected Universities in Kenya and South Africa.
Although we are always interested in new ideas, our focus has generally been on the wider interpretation of CSR promoted by Michael Hopkins in his various books (see photo below), essentially definition of CSR is about treating corporate stakeholders responsibly, with how business fits into, and affects, society and vice versa. Michael also terms `corporate' mean almost any collection of people and institutions. So both public and private entities are included. CSR is also considered to be community-based philanthropy, especially emanating from India. But today most companies look at all their key stakeholders and associated industries. Thus the dozens of Meetups over the past decade have covered, with the following examples:
- The relation between governance, the private sector and basic income (Michael Hopkins)
- Sustainable development in the New World (former President of Mauritius)
- Ghandian principles and the multi-stakeholder view of society (Prof. From India)
- CSR in South Africa and its progress to multi-sectors of the economy
- Global Climate Catastrophe and the private sector (Ed Milner former BBC producer)
- Human Rights in Business with focus on Ruggie principles (Mary Mayenfisch, lawyer, Switzerland and former Head of Pepperdine University, Lausanne)
Our group is broad, informal, open and welcoming, seeking to include professionals from the international community, from both public and the private sector, as well as community members interested in sustainable economic and social development. We get together to listen to a top level speaker and then share our ideas about sustainability/CSR and network among an informed group.
Speakers are introduced by our moderator, Gilles Bach of Globethics and Michael Hopkins, Founder. The speech is 20-30 minutes with or without slides, followed by 30-60 minutes of Q and A.
All recent sessions have been recorded for instance the one by Ed Milner can be found on https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/bgYLNJukykACgOjC0-MaXNkq-Y2g_6ZlHo5Y2Q_YFH79HxKRvGuXIOwM4roHbFtM.JTY3Qu4o8CjR5D2w?startTime=1609954783000
Access Passcode: ix7uDNP&
Michael Hopkins, Nairobi, January 2021
*********************************************************************************************
This group is for sustainability/CSR professionals from the UN, government, international NGOs and the private sector, as well as community members interested in sustainable economic and social development. We get together to listen to a top level speaker and then share our ideas about sustainability/CSR and network together. We also hope to get back to some regular face-to-face meetings.
