BSR Insight

A Weekly Newsletter for BSR Members | February 1, 2011

   
 

In This Issue

Editor's Note

Driving Innovation Through Partnerships

Alongside our more than 250 member companies, BSR works in close partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders to advance social and environmental sustainability efforts in emerging economies. With the support of private and corporate foundations, governments, and multilateral institutions, we design innovative partnerships that link companies to program partners along global supply chains—from leading factory-based women's health trainings in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East with the Swedish government, to engaging stakeholders on the issue of conflict minerals with the GE Foundation, to driving energy efficiency improvements and standards for green ports with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

This special issue of the Insight kicks off a quarterly update on BSR's cross-sector partnerships to advance the efforts of companies, nonprofits, and stakeholders alike.

In today's feature, we spotlight a groundbreaking partnership that aims to bring the pro bono service model to China. BSR has teamed up with HP, the Taproot Foundation, and a local nonprofit and a private foundation in China to harness business’ human capital to build the capacity of emerging nonprofits—a partnership that ultimately will deliver both business and social benefits.

Also in this issue, we highlight our recent work in Saudi Arabia to advance corporate responsibility and human rights for local companies and the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce.

Finally, we share a new report from our Migration Linkages initiative, which explores business' role in creating fairer remittance systems for migrant workers.

For more information on BSR's Partnership Development work, please contact Chad Bolick.

Bringing Pro Bono Services to China: Tapping Business to Build NGO Capacity Department Icon

In Depth

Bringing Pro Bono Services to China: Tapping Business to Build NGO Capacity

By Adam Lane, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR

At a critical moment in the development of China's philanthropic sector, BSR is creating an innovative partnership among a multinational company, U.S.-based nonprofit, and a local Chinese nonprofit and foundation to harness business' human capital to build the capacity of emerging nonprofit organizations.

Read more →
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Spotlight

Promoting Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Strategic Role for Business

By Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR

Recently, BSR visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. State Department project to promote CSR and human rights in the region. While there, BSR led:

  1. A seminar for members of the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce that more than 60 business leaders attended. The seminar raised awareness of key sustainability issues, such as water scarcity and migrant labor, and introduced a toolkit for small- to medium-sized enterprises on how to build CSR strategies.
  2. One-on-one discussions with leading Saudi companies across multiple sectors to discuss ways to move from a focus on philanthropy and community investment to a strategic approach to CSR that maximizes impact.
  3. A workshop with a local communications firm to plan the first-ever Arabic and English newsletter dedicated to CSR. The newsletter—which will feature global case studies on best practices and regional sustainability trends—will inform both the business community and civil society.

For more information on this work, contact Chhavi Ghuliani, and look for a feature article in next week's Insight on longer-term trends in the region.

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Toolbox

Improving Remittance Systems for Migrant Workers

By Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services, BSR

BSR's Migration Linkages initiative released a new report on remittance systems used by migrant workers to send wages back their home countries to support their families. The report analyzes the importance of remittances to national economies, provides an overview of the current remittance system, and highlights business' role in creating a fairer system for migrant workers.

Report highlights include:

  1. The current remittance system—which often includes monthly checking account fees, money transfer fees, and high opportunity costs and collection fees for recipients—erodes the value of migrant workers' "take-home" pay.
  2. Approximately 35 to 70 percent of remittance flows are being sent through informal channels such as unauthorized intermediaries. While cheaper and more convenient, these informal channels are riskier for migrant workers.
  3. Global buyers, private employers, and financial intermediaries operating in both migrant destination and origin countries can create fairer remittance systems by educating themselves on the issue, engaging with workers and other stakeholders, and collaborating across industries to improve costs and geographic and service access.

For more information, contact Guy Morgan.