Inspiration in action

PORT OF SPAIN, 26 January 2011

Providing local businesses and T&T-based non-for-profit organizations with information about the current state of employee volunteering, the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its latest publication on the subject entitled “Corporate Volunteerism in Trinidad and Tobago - Developing a Business Culture of Caring” on Friday, the 21 January 2010 at the UN House, Port of Spain.

 The launch function was hosted by UNV Programme Officer Dr. Jens-Ulrich Poppen and his team and attended by stakeholders from the Private Sector, Civil Society, regional and international organizations as well as volunteerism-promoting organizations.

In introducing the publication to the more than 40 invitees, Dr. Poppen outlined the three main sections of the brochure which included an UNV-administered survey on corporate volunteerism, a number of essays by volunteer managers on selected aspects of workplace volunteering as well as the findings of the UNV Programme’s ‘Forum on Corporate Volunteerism’ held in September 2010 as the country’s first national stakeholder meeting on the issue of corporate civic engagement.

In particular the Forum, which gave a total of 50 participants from both private and non-profit sector the opportunity to discuss a broad range of selected aspects of workplace volunteering including program design and partnering provided new insights into the business as well as development benefits of volunteer-driven Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  Its presentations, discussions and recommendations form an integral part of the newly presented publication.

 Dr. Poppen thanked all who partnered with UNV and UNDP over the past year in raising the profile of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Volunteerism in Trinidad and Tobago. He promised a series of innovative new advocacy initiatives organized by his Country Office including a workshop on ‘Corporate Volunteerism and Human Resource Management’, the establishing of a National Stakeholder Committee on Corporate Volunteerism and the creation of a CSR web portal for the local stakeholder community among others. 

 For furtherinformation:

Dr. Jens-Ulrich Poppen, UNV Programme Officer

Tel (868)623 7056 ext 223

Jens.Ulrich.Poppen@undp.org.tt