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UNDP Partnerships Strategy (2006 - 2008)

Dr. Thackwray Driver, CEO, South Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce (STCIC) and Dr. Marcia De Castro, UN Resident Representative, at the launch of the UNDP/STCIC CSR Mapping Project 

In envisioning a world that is free, secure and prosperous, the MDGs call for both partnership and responsibility. Partnership because, as recent events have only underscored, no one government or institution can go the distance alone. Responsibility because the goals are a joint commitment made by global and national communities.

 

 

Within UNDP, our support for the MDGs puts partnership at the centre of all aspects of our work. Our partners include governments, other UN agencies, the international financial institutions, bilateral agencies, the private sector and civil society.

Trinidad and Tobago already benefits from a plethora of actors involved in development issues. Private Sector, Academia and Civil Society Organizations, in addition to regional and international Development Agencies, all contribute to the development of the country.

However, there is a crucial need for a structured, focused approach to getting all these actors and development partners working together to meet the human development needs of the country.

UNDP is a critical partner, bringing years of global experience accumulated around the world, helping to reduce the research and development costs of similar initiatives, ensuring relevance, impact and sustainability of programmes and projects.

Private Sector Engagement

UNDP recognizes the critical role that the private sector can perform to progress towards the development of Trinidad and Tobago and the achievement of both the MDGs and the goals stated in the country’s development plan, Vision 2020 (for a study of "Development Oriented Business Practices" in the Caribbean region click here).

In fact, the private sector is a key stakeholder of national development as it utilizes its by-products (infrastructure, IT and increased purchasing power of customers) and promotes development through its knowledge, expertise, resources and relationships. There are at least three broad reasons why it makes sound business sense to contribute towards the achievement of the development of a country, each of which is a crucial pillar for building successful and competitive private enterprises:

  • Investing in a sound environment in which to do business

  • Managing the direct costs and risks of doing business

  • Harnessing new business opportunities


A key element to engage the private sector in the development debate is the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

UNDP’s strategy to promote CSR in Trinidad and Tobago has been focused on four key pillars:

1.      Promotion of the UN Global Compact and establishment of a local network

2.      The CSR Mapping Project

3.      CSR advocacy (the "Business Case for CSR")

4.      Engaging the Government

 

 

  • A Logical Framework: The Global Compact

The UN Global Compact is UN’s global framework for CSR, providing support to the companies in their CSR initiatives and knowledge-sharing. Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact brings business together with UN agencies, labour, civil society and governments to advance ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to mainstream these ten principles in business activities around the world and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 3,000 participating companies from more than 100 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative.  

For more information, see www.unglobalcompact.org

 

Local networks of the UN Global Compact have been established in several countries throughout the world. They provide assistance to the companies in the implementation of their CSR strategies, sharing of best of practice, help coordinate efforts and promote partnerships and joint projects targeting key areas for the development of the country.  

UNDP T&T is facilitating the establishment of a local network of the UN Global Compact in Trinidad and Tobago. On Friday 12th January 2007, the South Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce (STCIC) and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) announced their commitment to CSR by signing onto the UN Global Compact. TTMA has recently announced that it will establish a local network of the UN Global Compact in 2008, and companies are currently being recruited for signing on to the UN Global Compact and join the local network.  

 *   Question and answers on the UN Global Compact

 

  • CSR Mapping Project

The mapping is a base-line study of Corporate Social Activities in T&T. It provides critical data to support a new generation of CSR projects and facilitate a coherent and effective development of its practice in the country, ensuring better alignment and complementary, sustainability and impact. It also helps identify issues of thematic and geographical saturation and lack of coordination. The written report and the website were officially launched on 24th November 2007 and are available on-line, forming a cornerstone of CSR in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. This initiative has been undertaken by the UNDP together with the STCIC and in partnership with TTMA, BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT), BG Trinidad and Tobago (BG T&T) and Guardian Holdings Ltd. (GHL).

To access the CSR website, click on the logo: 

To download the full report, click here.

 

  • CSR advocacy

The CSR Mapping has revealed that companies that are more aware of the strategic implications of CSR and of its capacity to strengthen the business plan, tend to engage more in this type of activities. In addition, this has also a positive impact on effectiveness and the long-tern sustainability of the programmes undertaken, reducing the tendency of companies to engage in ad hoc initiatives. With this in mind, in the past year UNDP T&T has been facilitating various seminars and round table discussions toward increasing the awareness of the “business case for CSR” among private companies.

  • “The Business case for CSR”, held on 17th May 2007 by Kelly Bute and Balboni Fabio, on behalf of UNDP, at the Trade and Investment Convention of the TTMA. The objective of this seminar was to present and discuss how CSR can contribute to socio-economic development of a country while also improving the profitability and the Return on Investment (ROI) form a business’ perspective. Practical examples of CSR among Caribbean companies were also discussed.

    *  Power point presentation: “The Business case for CSR”

  • “CSR and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): Opportunities and Challenges”, held on 30th October 2007 by Fabio Balboni and Ron Sookram at the Excellence in Business Forum 2007 of the Business Development Company. While CSR is often seen as the territory of large companies, also SMEs can experience large benefits from the practice of CSR, despite their limited human and financial resources. For more information on the event, please see http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article?id=161221492 

* Power point presentation: “CSR and SMEs: opportunities and challenges”

  • UNDP T&T also actively contributed to the cycle of regional seminars entitled “Promoting Social Responsibility in SMEs in the Caribbean” promoted by the OAS, UNECLAC, CAIC and YABT, which were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 10th-12th September 2007 and in Barbados on the 26th-28th November 2007. UNDP's interventions highlighted in particular the importance of leveraging CSR tools such as the UN Global Compact and establishing local networks in the Caribbean region. In fact, this would allow to localize the CSR priorities of private companies in national development challenges, but also to reduce the implementation costs, promoting partnerships and resource-sharing.

*  Power point presentation: “The UN Global Compact and the role of Local Networks”

 

For further information or request for seminars please refer to the contacts at the bottom of the page.

        

          Showing case-studies

In addition to the seminars, UNDP has provided support in the planning and identification phase of a pilot project on CSR and competitiveness in the Manufacturing sector, funded by IABD and executed by TTMA. This project is seen as a key one towards showing local companies the concrete bottom-line benefits that can be achieved with a strategic implementation of CSR. The project, to be launched in March 2008, will provide support to 5 selected companies in implementing CSR practices towards achieving internal efficiency gains (e.g. reduced absenteeism, increased work productivity and employee motivation). It will also support the strengthening of the local network of the UN Global Compact, hosted by TTMA. After the project’s completion, the main lessons learned will be disseminated through the local network, and it will be assessed the scope for replicating the project on a larger scale. 

 

  • Engaging the Government of Trinidad and Tobago

While remaining essentially business-led, the effectiveness of CSR and its related tools in achieving national socio-economic development can be improved only with the help and direct engagement - and in some cases, the leadership - of public sector agencies in developing countries. In this light, UNDP T&T is trying to engage the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in underpinning the practice of CSR in the country, providing guidelines for private companies on the key areas of intervention and implementing adequate regulations, fiscal incentives and codes of conduct.

The role of public agencies in underpinning CSR, within the specific context of Trinidad and Tobago, is the focus of a UNDP T&T strategic paper, available on line at the following link.

*  Balboni, Fabio (2007), "Possible Strategies to Enhance the Effectiveness of CSR in Trinidad and Tobago: The Role of Public Agencies", UNDP T&T

* Power point presentation: "The role of CSR in the achievement of the MDGs and the goals stated in Vision 20/20"

 Other related links

*   UNDP brochure on private sector engagement

*  For more information on UNDP’s programmes with the private sector, visit: www.undp.org/partners/business/

 

Other initiatives in the area of Public Private Partnership include a conference on ‘Energy and the Competitiveness of the Caribbean’, co-hosted by the Caribbean Central American Action (C-CAA) and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the UNDP in September 2006. The UNDP Country Office in Trinidad and Tobago was a major sponsor. The Conference provided an excellent opportunity to engage policymakers, senior public and private sector leaders and key stakeholders in the energy and energy-related industries to discuss critical energy issues, including ways to reduce the region’s dependence on non-renewable sources of energy in the power generation and transportation sectors and has opened the door for follow-up interventions at the national level in each of the Caribbean islands. For more information on the conference click here.

 

Prepared by Fabio Balboni, UNDP Trinidad and Tobago, on 15th January 2008.

Contact: registry@undp.org.tt

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