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Inauguration of the website by Hon'ble Minister Dr. Shashi Tharoor on 6th January 2010 at Hotel Ashok
India would be hosting the UN Global Compact Asia-Pacific Regional Conclave on 15th & 16th March 2010 at Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. The leadership for the conclave would be provided by a High Level Advisory Council under the Chairmanship of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs and co-Chaired by Mr. Arun Maira, Member (Industry) Planning Commission. Other members of the Council include Secretaries of concerned Ministries, CEOs of Public and Private Sector companies and CEOs of apex business chambers.
At the first meeting of the Council was held on 6th January, 2010 at Ashok Hotel, New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr Tharoor and attended, among others, by Dr. J J Irani, Director, Tata Sons; Mr. Rana Som, CMD, NMDC; Mr. Satnam Singh, CMD, PFC; Mr. P. Uma Shankar, CMD, REC; Mr. Kamal Meattle, CEO, Paharpur Business Centre; Mr. B.B. Pattanaik, Managing Director, CWC; Dr. U. D. Choubey, Director General, SCOPE; Dr. Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI; and Mr. R.S Sharma, CMD, ONGC. Dr. Tharoor who during his UN days had been one of the principle architects of the UN Global Compact initiative and had played a key role in coining the term ‘Global Compact’, laid down the tone for the event by saying that it should be a platform for highlighting the best practices of Indian companies regarding compliance to the Global Compact Principles. He also reiterated that the event should help to showcase good practices and success stories from the region to the rest of the world. He hoped that as we march into the 21st century, the Conclave would inspire more and more Indian companies to set international standards in responsible business practices.
Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus, CIDC who has been steering the Global Compact movement in India made a presentaion laying out the basic design of the Conclave. The theme of the Conclave would be “Enhancing Enterprise Value through Responsible Business Practices – The Role of Global Compact”. He stated that about 500 representatives from the entire region and beyond were expected to attend the Conclave. In order to ensure that it is a truly regional event, help would be sought from Global Compact Local Networks in 15 countries in Asia to identify the key speakers and delegates. The sessions would focus on dialogue and debate through panel discussions that are interesting and thought provoking.
It was suggested that the possibility of organizing field visits around the National Capital Region to give an opportunity to the delegates to get a practical exposure to responsible business initiatives should also be explored. It was decided to form a small Core Group to work out the details for the Conclave.
The official website for Global Compact Asia Pacific Regional Conclave 2010 designed by Dreamfire was inaugurated by Dr. Tharoor. The site would be the single window interface platform for the event and would serve as a platform for interchange of ideas and networking for the delegates, organizers and the public at large.
Dr. J. J. Irani stated that as underlying message of the Conclave, the corporate social responsibility activities by companies should be seen as investments rather than costs as they enhance the brand image of enterprises.
Mr. R. S. Sharma, CMD, ONGC offered to extend all possible support to ensure the successful hosting of the Conclave by ONGC.
Dr. A. K. Balyan, Director (HR), ONGC and Chairman Organizing Committee while giving the vote of thanks asserted his faith that the event would usher in responsible business practices in Indian firms which would provide them with the edge to emerge as top contenders internationally.
