Private Sector Development in Europe & CIS

Forum on Responsible Business Opportunities for Greek Businesses in Eastern Europe and the CIS, 2-3 April 2009

2 April 2009 - 3 April 2009
The Special Secretariat for the Development of International Programmes of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are organising a Forum on “Responsible Business Opportunities for Greek Businesses in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States”. The overall objective of the Forum is to explore business opportunities and investments by Greek businesses that have a positive impact on sustainable development and poverty reduction in the region.

Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Inclusion in South Eastern Europe, 4-5 November, 2008

4 November 2008 - 5 November 2008
In cooperation with InWent - Capacity Building International, Germany and Serbian Chamber of Commerce, UNDP is organising the regional conference with an objective to discuss and exchange views about current development of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Inclusion. At the same time, "Baseline Study on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in the Western Balkans" funded by UNDP will be officially launched and presented.

Sustainable independent energy through hydro power

12 August 2008

Montenegro, 12 August 2008 – As an environmentally and politically acceptable way of reducing the country’s dependence on energy imports, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Small Hydro Development Strategy in April 2006. Renewable sources of energy such as small hydro power plants, developed with respect for both socio-economic and environmental criteria, are a new economic sector for Montenegro with growth potential. The Project Power Sector Policy Reform to Promote Small Hydro Power Development in Montenegro will support the Government in realizing its goal of 15-20 MW of new small generating capacity by the close of the project in 2012, instead of 2015 as declared by their strategy.

Ozone down, skills up in Georgia

30 July 2008

Georgia, 29 July 2008 – With today’s delivery of specialized equipment, three Vocational Education and Training (VET) centres in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Kobuleti will begin their activities giving training in refrigeration service. The three centres have been selected by UNDP in a project to help reduce consumption of ozone-depleting substances.

As a party to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol, Georgia is responsible for taking necessary measures to protect the ozone layer and achieve phase-out schedules of the ozone depleting substances. Refrigeration and air conditioning take a lead in consuming substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. Qualified service professionals, the tools they use and the training they get are central to reducing such consumption and controlling damaging emissions, on the way to completely phasing-out of CFCs by the end of 2009.

Business incubation and job creation in Bulgaria

24 July 2008

Bulgaria, 24 July 2008 – The Business Incubator in Kozloduy – the tenth incubator in the JOBS Project countrywide network – was officially inaugurated on 22 July, . The JOBS project (Job Opportunities through Business Support) promotes development of the private sector in Bulgaria, supporting start-up and establishment of small and medium businesses and helping reduce unemployment – and increasing the services available to the local community.

Taking part in the opening ceremony were Stuart Peters, Second Secretary EU/ Economic at the British Embassy in Sofia; Chris Bailey, Consultant of the UK Programme “Social Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Closure in CEE”; Lene Jespersen, UNDP Bulgaria Deputy Resident Representative; Antoaneta Tsoneva, representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and JOBS Project National Coordinator; Rumen Manoev, Mayor of Kozloduy; representatives of Vratsa District Administration; local entrepreneurs and many citizens.

Finding value in cooperation

3 June 2008

Uzbekistan, 3 June 2008 – Small-scale agriculture in Uzbekistan has become much more important with the break up of the centralized model and the privatization of the sector. Land reform has resulted in over 200,000 new small private farms, which individually have limited technical skills and bargaining power. Throughout May 2008, the latest in a set of trainings on business skills was delivered to small-scale farmers in Uzbekistan, drawing on similar experiences in Indonesia.

CSR Western Balkan Survey Training Workshop

17 March 2008
The regional project "CSR responsibility baseline in the countries of Western Balkans" will contribute not only to assessing of CSR practices across the Balkan region, but also for establishing a network with CSR practitioners across the European continent. The workshop will serve as a forum for discussion and training of the National Teams from 5 countries of Western Balkans who are engaged in the preparation of the survey.

Business Opportunities in South East Europe- Vienna, 22 November 2007

22 November 2007
The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a meeting on ‘Business Opportunities for Austrian Businesses in South East Europe’ within the framework of the UNDP Growing Sustainable Business (GSB) Initiative Programme. The Meeting took place on 22 November 2007 in Vienna, Austria. The Forum was intended for Austrian companies that were interested in engaging in responsible investment, mainly in the high potential sectors of Energy & Environment and Agro Processing. The overall objective of the event was to promote investment by Austrian businesses in South Eastern Europe, with positive impact on sustainable development.

Business Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility, Georgia, October 2007

24 October 2007

TBILISI. 23 October 2007 – Head of the United Nations in Georgia Robert Watkins and State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Vice Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Baramidze at the specially convened Business Forum discussed best practices and prospects of Corporate Social Responsibility in Georgia.

The Business Forum is part of this year’s United Nations Week in Georgia. Annual UN Week is to celebrate the United Nations Day on 24 October and provide an update on the UN’s work in the country.

Global Meeting of Growing Sustainable Business Initiative- Vienna, 16-20 October 2007

17 October 2007 - 20 October 2007
Global Meeting of the Growing Sustainable Business Programme (GSB) was organized from 17 – 20 October 2007 in Vienna, Austria with an objective to bring together GSB global team (GSB Brokers) of 15 countries from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia to discuss programme achievements, operational changes, future challenges and the ways how to address them. The new Private Sector Development Strategy was presented which stands for a new platform for the UNDP in working with private sector.

Seminar on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Southeast Europe and the CIS

27 June 2007
Using the framework of the UN Global Compact, this seminar promoted responsible investing in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova; Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The event was organized jointly by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Belgium, Federation of Enterprises in Belgium, and UNDP.

Regional Meeting for East European Global Compact Networks - London, April 2007

23 April 2007 - 24 April 2007
15 UNDP country office managers (focal points for the Global Compact Networks) and companies (Global Compact Champions from the Networks) participated in this meeting held in London from 23 to 25 April 2007.

EC, UNDP to promote responsible business in new and prospective EU members

11 January 2007

The European Commission and UNDP have launched a new initiative to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) in new and prospective EU member countries.

Global Compact launched in Belarus

20 December 2006

Over 170 participants from business, government, civil society organizations and media launched the Global Compact in Belarus capital Minsk in December.

Moldova firms join Global Compact

28 November 2006

Business leaders came together with representatives from government, civil society and the donor community to launch a new dialogue on two global UN initiatives now started in Moldova -  the Global Compact and Growing Sustainable Business.

Global Compact Networks Meeting - Barcelona, September 2006

28 September 2006

Community of Practice Meeting- Vienna, June 2006

22 June 2006 - 23 June 2006
RBEC Community of Practice Meeting took place in Vienna on 22 – 23. June 2006. The objectives of the meeting were: • To learn about progress of UNDP Growing Sustainable Business and other new partnering with the private sector – globally and in RBEC • To discuss and agree on collaboration in implementing regional business partnership projects • Discussing new BRSP guidelines on working with the private sector (corporate strategy, risk management) • To network, brainstorm ideas, learn from achievements of each other, share experiences around specific common themes • To agree on regional communication strategy – incl. lessons learnt from the Vienna event

Responsible business is good business: Vienna CSR forum

19 June 2006

Corporate social responsibility is more than just philanthropy - it makes clear commercial sense, heard delegates at a UNDP-sponsored conference on responsible investing in Southeast Europe, the EU member states and the CIS.

Responsible Investing Business and Corporate Social Responsibility In Eastern Europe and CIS, Vienna, June 2006

19 June 2006 - 20 June 2006
The Government of Austria and United Nations Development Programme in association with the UN Global Compact Office, Government of Belgium, respACT Austria, US Chamber of Commerce - Business Civic Leadership Centre and the Centre for International Private Enterprise organised a conference to promote corporate social responsibility and facilitate business partnerships in the countries of South East Europe (SEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), in order to contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Businesses convene in Vienna to promote corporate social responsibility in Eastern Europe & the Commonwealth of Independent States

16 June 2006

VIENNA, 16 June 2006 – The private sector and the development community worldwide increasingly understand that business can be conducted more responsibly – and often more profitably – by integrating social and environmental concerns into commercial activities. On Monday, 19 June over 200 representatives from the private sector and the international development community will convene at the Vienna International Centre to align social objectives with investment opportunities in Southeast Europe, the new EU member states and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).