Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) encourages business leaders, young professionals, NGO representatives, trade unionists, experts and decision makers to work together to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of values - in personal conduct and in economic life.
Download the CIB factsheet (PDF)
April 2, 2009
Global Financial Integrity, a program of the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C. has assembled online informational resources, including up-to-the-minute commentary and analysis, informational charts and graphics for reproduction in publications.
Public Lecture at Caux
28 July 2009
Mr Rajeev Dubey, India, President (HR, After-Market & Corporate Services) & Member of the Group Management Board of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. will deliver the Caux Lecture at the ‘Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy conference. More
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A detailed programme for the conference “Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy” (24 – 29 July), one of the International Caux Conferences 2009, is available.
A distinctive feature of the conference is the participatory approach to exploring different aspects of the conference theme. This will happen through a series of Work Streams. One of the Work Streams will be led by Jean-Pierre Méan, Vice-President of Transparency International, Switzerland.
Other elements of the programme include Plenary sessions and interviews with speakers. The public Caux lecture is taking place on 28 July (16.45h) and will be held by Rajeev Dubey, Member of the Group Management Board and Chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility Council of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, India, on the theme of "Transforming Capitalism with Trust and Integrity - What Corporates and Companies can Do".
Further Information:
Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE)
A people-focused, sustainable approach to globalization
Friday 24 to Wednesday 29 July, 2009, Caux, Switzerland
Conference registration can be accessed here.
For further information Email us.
Introduction
The global commercial system is a dominant force in our world and relies very much on trust. That trust has collapsed and we are experiencing an unprecedented crisis. Bailing out the system alone is not enough. Can we each be part of finding more fundamental solutions? At the Trust & Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE) Conference at Caux, 24 to 29 July 2009, people from many walks of life will come together because of their desire to offer future generations a sustainable world to live in.
Conference Objectives
Conference Aims
The conference will explore the different subjects through focus groups meeting in work-streams.
Themes for Work Streams
Who should attend?
Young professionals - Social entrepreneurs - Business leaders – Students – Farmers - Media Professionals – Academics - All concerned citizens
Programme
07.30- 08.00: Sources of Trust and Integrity
From 08.00: Breakfast served
09.15- 10.15: Foundations of Trust and Integrity
10.30– 12.15: Work-streams
From 12.00: Lunch served
14.30 – 15:30: Community Groups
15:45 - 16.30: Refreshments
16:45– 18:30: MAIN PLENARY - Panel of Speakers
From 18.00: Dinner served
20.30: Evening programme
Morning Session: Foundations of Trust and Integrity 09:15 – 10:15
Each morning at 09:15 this session will feature one speaker being interviewed on their personal experience on the power of transformation – local, national or global examples. It will include Q&A between all conference participants and the speaker.
Work-streams will be held from 10:30 - 12:15 each day
A unique feature of this conference is the participatory approach to exploring different aspects of the conference theme. This will happen through a series of work-streams starting at 10:30hrs, facilitated by people who are passionate about taking responsibility in their area of concern.
THE MAIN PLENARY FOR THE DAY- 16:45 - 18:30 Panel of Speakers with Q&A
Each afternoon, the Plenary will bring together one speaker from each work-stream who will form a Panel and do a presentation on the progress, decisions and actions coming out of the work-streams and conduct an open discussion with the whole conference.
About The Work Streams at the Conference
Work Stream 1
Responding to the global ‘meltdown’ – Leading positive change
Led by a team of young professionals
This work-stream will bring together experienced practitioners, social entrepreneurs, and young professionals to encourage a return to the human-centered activity, creativity, and conscience-led decision making often lacking in the global economy. Including an exploration of how the technological innovation of the 21st century can be used to care for the planet. This work-stream will help deliver the potential for bringing positive economic, social and environmental change in our world.
For further information contact:
Joe Swann, CIB UK by Email Web www.cib.iofc.org
Justin Walford, Canada by Email
Work Stream 2
Reshaping Business Around Core Values
Led by Jean-Pierre Méan, Switzerland - Lawyer, Chief Compliance Officer, Group Legal Counsel of SGS S.A. Geneva 2003-2008,
Today, many things indicate that we are going through an unprecedented period of change, when it seems that something is on the way out and something else is painfully being born. Business can no longer patch up the old systems we have been working with. We need to take bold steps towards transformation. This is a rare opportunity to bring fundamental change. You are invited to meet at Caux with a group of professionals and senior business leaders who are passionate to reshape business around core values, bring together our best thinking and take action to address the challenges we face in our global economy.
For further information contact Jean-Pierre Méan
Work Stream 3
How can the media help rebuild a global economy that is trustworthy, honest and inspiring?
Led by media professionals
In this digital age our lives are shaped by the media daily. A growing network of media people in 116 countries recognises that they can influence society for good or ill. Together they want to play their part in building a more caring and compassionate world with a high sense of responsibility and respect for each other. The workshops will explore how to create a new moral basis for the media and society without which just and fair global economic and commercial systems cannot flourish.
For further information contact:
Robin Williamson, UK, International Communications Forum Email here Web www.icforum.org/
Work Stream 4
Food, Health and Sustainability
Led by Food & Sustainability Network and supported by members of Farmers Dialogue
With close to one billion undernourished people and irreversible environmental damage creating significant challenges we need to look at more sustainable ways to feed the world. This work-stream will explore how we can all collaborate to ensure we work towards a sustainable future in food, health and wellbeing.
For further information Email here.
Community Groups
A centre-piece of the Caux experience is the participation in community groups and community service. Offering your time and to serve fellow participants at dining room service and other areas of the house is an opportunity to make new friends and break down barriers. Opportunities to volunteer in various roles are available.
About Caux
'Since the end of the Second World War, the Caux conference centre – Mountain House – has seen thousands of encounters between tens of thousands of people of goodwill, from all over the world. They have come to recharge their batteries, to find fresh impetus for personal reconciliation, to learn about mediation, to promote good governance, and a globalization of responsibility and human security. The extraordinary position of this “house on the mountain”, between the Alps and the pre-Alps and with an unbeatable view over the Lake of Geneva has always encouraged introspection, a spiritual search, and encounters in silence and with each other; without which nothing could have been achieved.'
The fee structure for the conference, inclusive of conference registration and other conference services, four meals, morning /evening refreshments and other programmes are:
Conference registration can be accessed here.
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Conference Update Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE): Cultivating Knowledge - Generating Action Held on 11 July – 16 July, 2008
Corporate Leaders say Short Term Results Contribute to Financial Crisis Corporate leaders from Europe, Japan and India met at Caux, Switzerland and announced their deep concern about the demand for quarterly results which made managers too focused on share prices and short term outcomes.
Meeting at Caux, the International Conference Centre for Initiatives of Change in Switzerland, the group included Dr Jamshed Irani, board member of Tata Sons Ltd in India, Toru Hashimoto, Chairman of Deutsche Securities in Japan, and Dr Jean-Pierre Mean, group general council and chief compliance officer of SGS Ltd, Geneva, the world’s leading inspection, testing and certification company.
Presenting their report to the Trust & Integrity in the Global Economy conference, the business leaders called for long-term thinking and the need for CEOs to remain in office for longer terms than the current three to five year cycle, prevalent in some countries.
Dr Mean who delivered the report added that ‘we have to restore human rights as an absolute and intangible value for the whole of humanity’. He deplored investors hunger for on-going short term gains on the share market. ‘This has contributed a lot to the current financial crisis,’ he said.
Proposed Action
The Corporate leaders listed a series of steps to increase the responsibility of corporations in the global economy as follows –
Raymond Baker says Our Financial System Facilitates Illicit Fund Transfers
Raymond W Baker, author of Capitalism’s Achilles Heel, was delivering a public Caux Lecture on ‘Financing a secure world’. Baker, a leading anti corruption campaigner from the US said that illicit international transfers amounted on conservative estimates to 1-1.6 trillion dollars, about half of which was funds leaving poor countries and going to rich countries.
An entire structure now existed to move money from the poor to the rich, Baker continued, ‘cutting the heart out of foreign aid. 50-80 billion dollars a year in official foreign aid was outweighed ten-fold by some 500-800 billion coming back in the other direction. ‘This cannot work for the poor countries, and it cannot work for the rich,’ Baker said.
Russia in recent years had seen the greatest theft of resources in human history, and China was rapidly following in the same game. Nigeria had seen the greatest percentage of GDP stolen in any one country, where 70% of the population lives on between one and two dollars a day. The Congo had seen the longest rip-off in history and, since the year 2000, some 4.5 million people had been killed there: ‘economic deprivation kills’ Baker emphasised. ‘What would happen if a large part of these funds stayed in the poor countries?’ he asked.
Biggest Loop Hole in Economic System
Baker said that Illicit money transfers took three forms - bribery and theft of local elites, the proceeds of criminal activities, and commercial tax evasion. ‘Corrupt countries’ contribute about 3% of the total, he noted, while 30-35% was criminal, the largest part, 60-65% was commercial tax evasion.
This international system has been largely developed since the 1960s, driven by two forces: ‘the desire of economic and political elites in poor countries wanting to move capital out – and we in the West helped them – and the spread of multi-national business’. There were now 91 tax havens, and millions of disguised corporations. Drug dealers and criminals didn’t need to invent any new ways or new channels. This constituted ‘the biggest loophole in the global economic system,’ he asserted.
‘We in the West are not innocent victims,’ he said. ‘We developed techniques and structures for illicit international money transfers – and now they come back to bite us.’ ‘What part of our standard of living do we in the West want to owe to slave trading, trafficking in women, counterfeiting?’ he asked. ‘We just don’t want to know,’ he suggested.
About CIB
Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) is an Initiatives of Change program. CIB encourages business leaders, young professionals, NGO representatives, trade unionists, experts and decision makers to work together to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of values in everyday life.
CIB engages all these stakeholders in building trust and integrity in the global economy, seeking to meet human needs in the context of a sustainable world and deal with economic insecurity - a major root cause of conflict and suffering in today's world.
CIB organizes –
CIB works together with other groups and organisations such as The Farmer's Dialogue, International Communications Forum and Centre for Training in Ethical Leadership (India) , IC Centre for Governance (India), Transparency International and the Caux Round Table
CIB annual conferences are held at Caux in Switzerland and Asia Plateau in India.
Nigel Heywood, Team Leader, of the international Action for Life programme reports on Conversations that Matter on ‘Leadership and Values’, held on 24th June in Melbourne, Australia.
Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) and the Initiatives of Change Centre in Melbourne, Australia hosted Conversations that Matter with 40 people on the theme of Leadership and Values. The two speakers were Andrew Horsfield and Saurabh Mishra. Download Saurabh’s slides More...
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Caux Initiatives for Business is working in association with JADE, a student-run, pan-European network representing about 20.000 young entrepreneurs in more than 225 local non-profit organisations, called Junior Enterprises. By running professional consulting projects and managing small- to medium sized enterprises, the students add practical experience to their theoretical skills, develop entrepreneurship at an early stage, broaden their horizons and, of course, prepare themselves for challenging careers throughout Europe. JADE has promoted the CIB Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy conference to all its members through its newsletters and website. For more on JADE click here NEWS
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Michael Smith, freelance journalist from the UK and author of Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy – stories of people making a difference, spoke about his book at a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change on 15 April 2008. More...
Conversation with the ticket seller behind the counter at a local railway station, on seeing Mike Smith holding his book:
Ticket seller: “That should be a best seller with a title like that—[reading it out loud] trust and integrity in the global economy.”
Smith: “Oh, thanks. It’s my book.”
Ticket seller: “Oh, I didn’t know you write. Well that title couldn’t be more appropriate for these days.”
Smith: “Thanks! You’ve made my day!”
Trust and integrity in the global economy
The Inflection Is Near? Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.” Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began. Thomas Friedman, NY Times. Read More..
It's All About Green Energy
Solutions to climate change can lead to a philosophical shift in the way we develop, explains Rajendra Pachauri, winner of the Nobel peace prize and chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
More...
11 - 16 July 2008
Reviewing Corporate Strategies:
Drawing the lessons of the current crisis,
Towards Alignment with Millennium Development Goals
Download Full Report (2MB)