EMG took part in Round Table CSR talks in Istanbul, Turkey
Daan Elffers of EMG Group took part in round table talks on 30 June 2015 in Istanbul. The talks took place within the framework of the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility For All’ project, which was set up in November 2012 between the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK) and the European Commission.
One purpose of the talks was to present the findings of the National Review Studies (NRS) which had been conducted in the partner countries, and also to discuss the potential outlines of an awareness-raising and capacity-building support package to be included in further ‘Corporate Social Responsibility For All’ project training. Globally accepted initiatives on reporting were also discussed, and both national and international experts in the field shared their opinions regarding developments with regard to sustainability reporting and CSR.
Representing EMG, Daan Elffers presented on implementation of CSR and sustainability reporting in the MENA region, detailing the newly set up Islamic Reporting Initiative. He emphasized the potential opportunities of CSR reporting in this respect, and the project partners present were thus able to compare similarities and differences between the reporting structure of the MENA and SEE regions. ‘This was a positive and most enjoyable opportunity to discuss further CSR opportunities and development,’ he said.
In addition to the project partner representatives, those present at the discussions included Mr Bennet Freeman, Senior Vice-President of Sustainability Research and Policy for Calvert Investments and a Trustee of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, Mr Erdem Kolcuoğlu, Senior Consultant of Kiymet-i Harbiye, Ms Rebekka Smith from Business Europe, Ms Anna Triponel, advisor of SHIFT RAFFI, Ms Deniz Őztürk, advisor to the board of UN Global Compact Turkey, Ms Mirjana Matesic, Director of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Mr Serdar Dinler, Head of the CSR Association of Turkey.
The Corporate Social Responsibility For All project itself is being implemented under the leadership of TISK in cooperation with employer organizations from Romania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, and the International Organization of Employers (IOE). It aims to guide enterprises regarding their positive impact on society, and to assist them in integrating social, environmental, ethical and consumer concerns, and human rights, into their business operations and core strategy.