The development of a country’s economy is very much dependent on successful collaborations between government and private sector entities. The government has direct access to people and resources, while companies have the capital and expertise. Therefore, a very high impact can be achieved if synergistic partnerships are formed and business strategies, and processes are aligned through transformational thinking. founder of CSR International and Director of think tank Kaleidoscope Futures, Dr. Wayne Visser will be in Sri Lanka to deliver a series of keynote speeches on Transformative CSR from April 22 to 24. He is here at the invitation of CSR Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka spends over Rs. 4 billion annually on CSR initiatives, yet little attention is paid to sustainability in most projects. ln addition, there are no mechanisms to measure the impact or map the continuity of these projects. ln the past, companies used CSR for philanthropic or public relations purposes. This concept is now outdated. A new business paradigm that looks at creativity, scalability, responsiveness, “glocality” which means “global localization”, and “circularity” which is an alternative to the traditional linear economy, is the new way forward and will be expounded in greater detail by Dr. Visser.
ln keeping with this development, CSR Sri Lanka (Guarantee) was launched in October 2014 to be the apex body in providing strategic guidance and the resources to create long-term sustainable value in the CSR efforts of the corporate sector. CSR Sri Lanka also seeks to build private sector / public sector like-minded partnerships focused on national priorities such as education and vocational training, rural development and poverty reduction, to name a few. In addition, CSR Sri Lanka aims to be the central repository of technical know-how and expertise on CSR in the country, while acting as a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building.
Chandula Abeywickrama, Chairman of CSR says “There have been no greater challenges faced by society, enterprises and the environment for their continuity, sustainability and survival, than what we face today. Neither can we sacrifice one for another just for short term gains. This is where the paradigm shift is critical for transformation in the way we think and act in business;whether it is sociol, entrepreneurial or looking after the environment’.
