Enterprise Asia concludes International CSR Summit and AREA 2017
INTERNATIONAL CSR Summit (ICS) and Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) 2017, Asia’s leading large scale and regional CSR programs, organized by Enterprise Asia, recently concluded its successful event in Bangkok, Thailand. The event saw over 300 CSR thought leaders, doers and practitioners from across Asia attended the International CSR Summit (ICS) during the day, and in the evening. A total of 57 winners were presented with the AREA who have excelled in their efforts in executing sound and effective CSR programs.
ICS, themed “Sustainability Beyond Borders,” offered high-level networking for the CSR community, delivering a platform that fosters interconnecting partnerships and urges global sustainability collaborations — a call to move beyond their borders. The summit reflected on the growing importance of partnerships and alliances in business.
Dr. Wijarn Simachaya, permanent secretary from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Thailand, did the honors of officiating the ICS 2017, and the welcome address was delivered by Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, chairman of Enterprise Asia, former Minister of Human Resources and Chairman of Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia.
The summit featured a full-suite of high level speakers from CSR-oriented organizations that are well known in their fields of expertise. Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, former secretary general UN Conference on Trade and Development, was one of the keynote speakers for the summit.
The AREA honors Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible business practices, demonstrating companies’ leadership, sincerity and ongoing commitment in incorporating responsible and ethical values, compliance, investment in stakeholders, involvement in communities and protection of the environment into the way they run their businesses.
Dato’ William Ng, president of Enterprise Asia said: “The quality of this year’s submission is outstanding. It was a truly monumental task to decide on the best, as every submission was of very high quality — demonstrating the expertise and capability of the region’s CSR practitioners. This is a far cry from when we first started giving out the awards in the year 2009. Much thought has been given to impact and measurability, as a result of increased reporting requirements. The awards are presented in six categories: Social Empowerment, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Green Leadership, SME CSR, and Responsible Business Leadership.
Among the winners of the AREA 2017 from the Philippines are Phinma Energy Corp. — HELP Earth Environment under Green Leadership category and PUNLA Kabuhayan under Social Empowerment category; ARC Refreshments Corporation — ARC Young Leaders Camp under Investment in People category; BDO Foundation, Inc. — Improving the Delivery of Health Care Services in the Philippines under Health Promotion category; and Holcim Philippnes, Inc. — Foster a Child’s Education under Social Empowerment category.