The role of business in mitigating the impact of conflict
During 2006 over 200 leaders from international and Colombian civil society, government and business met in a series of dialogues
across three continents to discuss the role that business can play in helping to mitigate the impact of Colombia's armed conflict
on the vulnerable and socially excluded, and as a result encourage conditions for lasting peace and greater prosperity.
The events took place in Bogotá in July 2006, London in October and Washington in November, and were designed to help tackle
the high levels of mistrust between different groups that have been hindering the potential contribution that business can
make in Colombia.
IBLF produced two reports, one which preceded the dialogues and one which summarised them.
The second, published in February 2007, is a 12 page summary of the three events and explores how all stakeholders can now work together to make a lasting change in Colombia. The report can be downloaded in English or Spanish.
The report and dialogues were produced in association with Colombian NGO Fundación Ideas para La Paz and the UN Global Compact, with sponsorship from IBLF member, The Coca-Cola Company, as well as the support of a range of other organisations.
More on the series of dialogues
London - 31 October 2006
Ed Potter, Director, Global Labour Relations, The Coca-Cola Company
Barry Camfield, Assistance General Secretary, Transport and General Workers Union
Dave Brown, Director, Global Employee Relations Strategy, The Coca-Cola Company
Lucy Amis, Business and Human Rights Program Manager, IBLF
Jorge Rojas, Director, Consultancy on Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES)
Alexandra Guáqueta, Academic Director, Fundación Ideas para la Paz
H.E. Ambassador Alfonso López Caballero, Government of Colombia
Federico Andreu-Guzman, Deputy Secretary General, International Commission of Jurists
Graham Baxter, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, BP
Edward Bickham, Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Anglo-American
James Lupton, Director, ABColombia
Jonas Moberg, Senior Advisor, The UN Global Compact
Washington DC - 3 November 2006
Panellists:
H.E. Ambassador Carolina Barco, Government of Colombia
Melissa Powell, Issue Coordinator for Business and Conflict, The UN Global Compact
John Karakatsianis, Managing Director ANDI Bogotá-Cundinamarca
Jorge Rojas, Director, Consultancy on Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES)
Ed Potter, Director, Global Labor Relations, The Coca-Cola Company
Ambassador Hattie Babbitt, Former US Ambassador, OAS
Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director, Latin America Working Group
Steven Jesseph, President & Chief Executive Officer, Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP)
Mauricio Jimenez, Corporate Affairs Manager, BP Exploration Company (Colombia) Ltd.
Jorge Rojas, Director, Consultancy on Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES)
Daniel Runde, Director, Office of Global Alliances, USAID
Lucy Amis, Business and Human Rights Program Manager, IBLF
Read a summary of the Washington and London dialogues:
7 November 2006: 'We must build a common agenda': leaders address challenges in Colombia
Bogotá - 24 July 2006
Over 100 leaders from civil society, government and business met to discuss the role that business can play in helping to mitigate the impact of Colombia’s armed conflict on the vulnerable and socially excluded, and thereby contribute to conditions for lasting peace and prosperity.
Participants remarked how rare it was for leaders from key sectors in Colombia to talk together - one participant who has worked for decades at the front-line with victims of conflict described the gathering as ‘an important day for Colombia’.
Read a summary of the Bogotá dialogue:
26 July 2006: IBLF and partners facilitate business and peace dialogue
Background on Colombia: challenges and opportunities
Few in business require convincing of the commercial and social benefits that a solution to the conflict and the ensuing peace would bring. However, the means by which the business community can play an active role in helping to bring about peace, as well as how they can promote human rights and help address the consequences of the conflict in the meantime, is not so widely understood.
There is growing evidence from around the world that well-planned corporate citizenship programmes that encompass responsible
core business activities, companies can make a positive impact on sustainable social, economic and environmental development
whilst simultaneously improving conditions for business growth and development. This experience is as applicable in Colombia
as it is in other countries.
However, there are special circumstances and forces at play in Colombia, which require companies to adapt their corporate
citizenship efforts accordingly if they are to have the necessary impacts and enjoy associated benefits.
As well as an appreciation of how companies can support general social and economic development – through, for example, working with schools or by creating jobs - companies in Colombia will benefit from an understanding of the link between their business operations, wider human rights and the causes of conflict. Insights may also be gleaned into related humanitarian needs and the challenges of creating economic opportunities for displaced peoples and former armed combatants re-entering society in the wake of demobilisation.