La Comercial and UNICEF hold the 'Business and Development Forum', during which the joint action undertaken by UNICEF and the private sector was presented.

Last 20 March, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration- La Comercial and UNICEF presented the joint action undertaken by UNICEF and the private sector. During this session, the strengths of joining forces with UNICEF within the framework of corporate social responsibility were highlighted, as well as the socio-economic profitability of the work carried out by UNICEF in developing countries. In addition, the main strategic alliances with three Basque companies that have already signed collaboration agreements with these world organisations were presented. These companies are: Cállate la Boca design company, Grupo Eroski and the Igualatorio Médico Quirúrgico.

20 March 2007

Others

The aim of this event was to reveal and disseminate the CSR approach (Corporate Social Responsibility). This approach is based on the concept of stakeholders or ?interest groups? in a company, and it involves corporate commitment to responsible action focused on these interest groups. Some of them are ?closer? to the business activity: workers, shareholders, customers, etc., whereas there also those ?affected? in a more remote way, whoare the recipients of corporate social action plans.

Participants in this Conference included: Susana Rodríguez Vidarte, Dean of La Comercial at the University of Deusto, who opened this Session, and Consuelo Crespo, Chairwoman of UNICEF in Spain and member of the Board of the University of Deusto, who gave a lecture on 'La Responsabilidad Social de las Empresas orientada a la Cooperación al Desarrollo: las ventajas de aliarse con UNICEF'.

Other participantswere: Adriano González-Regueral, UNICEF Representative in Haiti, who focused on the topic 'Rentabilidad socio-económica: cómo se invierten los fondos transferidos a los países en desarrollo', and Juan Garteiz, businessman and UNICEF collaborator in the Basque Country, who gave a talk on 'La Responsabilidad Social de las Empresas en el País Vasco'. This Session ended with a round table on ?Tres ejemplos de empresas vascas comprometidas en la inversión en la infancia como base del desarrollo: los casos de Cállate la Boca, Eroski e Igualatorio Médico Quirúrgico'. Participants in this round table included: Felipe Apalategui, Manager of Cállate la Boca; Marta Areizaga, Director of Social Responsibility for Eroski Group Foundation; and José Andrés Gorricho, General Manager of the Igualatorio Médico Quirúrgico.