Responsible Business Forum Held in Minsk, Belarus

Top managers of the Belarusian business and HR, PR, ESG and CSR experts focused on the issues of corporate sustainability and social responsibility of businesses.

Speakers at the Forum once again highlighted the importance and timeliness of the agenda. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Belarus, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Finance, Chairman of the BSB Bank Management Board and Chairman of the Coordination Board of the UN Global Compact Network Belarus addressed the Forum participants with welcoming remarks.

As part of the Forum, businesses shared their best practices in development of sustainable products and services and experience in ESG-transformation: over 20 Belarusian companies made case-study presentations.

Current UN system partnerships with private sector include, for example, a joint initiative implemented by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) company  aimed at preventing online bullying among children and teenagers and promoting free tools that provide help: a 24-hour hotline and online psychological counseling.

SoftTeco company joined the initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) aimed at creating enabling environment for parent employees and launched a web application for Red Cross volunteers called “Volunteers in Action.”

"The United Nations in Belarus always join forces with private sector to support initiatives and partnerships aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and to support international platforms and national events for exchange of experience and best practices in the area of corporate social responsibility," Joanna Kazana-Wisniowecki, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus said, noting that business can and should act as the driving force in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at both global and national levels, because it provides economic sustainability and generates positive changes in social, economic and environmental areas.

The UN Resident Coordinator congratulated the UN Global Compact Network Belarus participants on its 15th anniversary and highlighted its great potential for further development of cooperation and partnership with responsible businesses in Belarus.  The United Nations in Belarus was the originator of the Global Compact National Network in 2007.

Globally, the UN Global Compact is currently the largest corporate social responsibility initiative in the world with over 20,000 participating companies from 179 countries.  There are 28 participants in the Global Compact Network Belarus.

The activities of the UN Global Compact participants are based on the concept of sustainable development, which combines three major areas: economic, social and environmental. In their daily work, participating organizations implement projects aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and 10 principles of the UN Global Compact.

Ten principles of the UN Global Compact in the area of human rights, labour relations, environmental protection and anti-corruption efforts are based on Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), Rio Declaration on Environment and Development  (1992) and UN Convention against Corruption (2003).

Video "UN Global Compact Network in Belarus: Business to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals"