How CSR helped Bangladesh in its fight against Covid-19
BIGSTOCK
Tribune Report
Publish : 17 Nov 2021, 09:13 PMUpdate : 17 Nov 2021, 09:13 PM
Covid-19, as in the case of other nations, obliged Bangladesh to be innovative and focus on the digital economy, while trying to reach every segment of the population and every sector of the economy.
Experts made the observation on Wednesday at the virtual launch of the annual CSR Report, titled Report on CSR in Bangladesh 2021: Pandemic – Embracing the New Normal, organized by the CSR Centre.
Moderating the panel discussion, Chairman of CSR Centre Board of Trustees Farooq Sobhan said the last 19 months proved to be a major challenge for the global community, including Bangladesh.
“We thought it therefore appropriate that our ninth CSR [corporate social responsibility] annual report be devoted to the pandemic and how we in Bangladesh have been coping with the pandemic,” he added.
The CSR Report 2021 highlights the initiatives businesses have taken amid the pandemic as they continue to promote corporate sustainability. It emphasizes partnerships to create resilient communities.
Sector-wise, the report focuses on the health sector, education, manufacturing, the service sector, and tourism and hospitality.
It includes an overview of each of these sectors through interviews and the experience of companies working in the sectors.
The pandemic has changed the way businesses perform in the last two years, said CEO of CSR Centre Shahamin S Zaman.
“And it has been a global epidemic which has impacted different sectors, and what we did with this report is we wanted to highlight how it [pandemic] has impacted some of the major sectors in Bangladesh,” she explained.
“I think working together in a multi stakeholder engagement process will be very helpful as well as public-private partnership,” she also said, adding that socioeconomic environmental progress needs to be the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy.
In a video message as the chief guest of the event, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said corporations may play both supporting and enabling roles as responsible legal entities.
He explained that CSR is a complement to the state’s capability, not only to fulfil the fundamental needs of citizens, but also to enhance their skills for offering them a better and competitive chance.
“In Bangladesh, we aspire to have a responsible and accountable CSR mechanism, rather than one peripherally engaging consumer ignorance for advertising the products of brands in the guise of social responsibility,” the minister added.
The company as an entity must be a responsible actor in the communities it serves, Momen said, adding: “It is time for the corporate leadership to focus on the entirety of its stakeholders, considering all the external injuries and burdens we forcibly impose on the world.”
While businesses can contribute to the common good by creating wealth, providing good services in an efficient way, they can also make a positive impact on social beings and work for creating a way of living together in just and peaceful conditions, the foreign minister further said.
Kicking off the panel discussion, South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-Keun spoke about the RMG sector’s resilience amid Covid-19 through CSR activities.
“Many Korean companies in Bangladesh focused their CSR activities on human resources development — training, on the workforce, and by supporting students at schools,” he said.
Jang-Keun gave the example of the Samsung R&D Institute in Dhaka, which is offering a software academy for students, along with various other ICT programs for university students and teachers.
The Samsung Electronics branch office in Bangladesh has been running schools, and Hyundai Engineering and Construction in Bangladesh is also targeting students with CSR activities, he said.
Noting that factories remained open during the pandemic, he spoke about why there were only few coronavirus cases in many big RMG factories, in which tens of thousands of people are working.
“And I learned that it is largely owed to the vigilance and prudence of the operators… The factories were run under strict protective measures, including checking of body temperatures every two or three hours, and the presence of doctors on site,” he added.
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh ITO Naoki discussed the experience of Japanese companies conducting CSR activities amid the pandemic.
No one left behind is one of the concepts that JICA has been really focusing on while working on socio-economic development in Bangladesh, he added.
“I hope that the Japanese companies will also be able to actively participate in CSR in Bangladesh and try trying to focus on this very concept,” the ambassador said.
Sayed Ershad Ahmed, president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), said the Covid-19 pandemic was a fresh blow to the education system.
“Under this circumstance, improving human capital by investing in education, skill development, health and some other related fields is a key issue for Bangladesh,” he said, urging that the country look into skills development.
“Although a certain degree of normalcy has returned, the next few months continue to be very challenging. Under this circumstance, markets clearly suggest that businesses with the objective to think differently are likely to sustain in the long run,” he said.
Ahmed also said that AmCham members have undertaken various effective CSR programs, such as building cyclone shelters in Sirajganj.
Muhammad N Khan, deputy office director of the Economic Growth Team at USAID Bangladesh, said: “As we have embraced the new normal that Covid-19 has brought, we have seen an increase in businesses in Bangladesh, as well as around the world, becoming more involved in helping people overcome hardship during the pandemic.
“We have seen how some of these opportunities have led to private sector companies becoming more involved in investing in communities, introducing new innovations, and helping people adapt to a rapidly changing world,” he added.
USAID Bangladesh renewed its focus and will be expanding its efforts to work with the private sector in a more methodical and meaningful way under our new country development cooperation strategy, Khan said.
In support of that strategy, USAID Bangladesh conducted a rigorous private sector assessment on Bangladesh’s 16 priority sectors, outside of the RMG industry. Six priority sectors were identified for USAID engagement, which include light engineering, agribusiness, tourism, ICT, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.
“One may still ask, how does corporate social responsibility in this context benefit companies besides simply a noble thing to do?” Khan said.
He stated that CSR activities also create stronger, healthier, more educated, and ultimately more prosperous people, who in turn are able to contribute to an economy more fully and ultimately drive economic growth on a larger scale.
Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government is doing its part to ensure the welfare of the workers and the society, but the government cannot do it alone.
The private sector also has to come forward and make sure that all these initiatives taken by the government are implemented, and that together they can sustain this upward growth trajectory of Bangladesh.
The government of Bangladesh is committed to taking measures in supporting the private sector, but similarly, “we expect and we hope that the private sector will also come forward,” she said.
“A well-coordinated and a fruitful private public-private partnership is crucial to achieving the vision of Bangladesh as it was dreamed by our Father of the Nation,” she concluded.
How CSR helped Bangladesh in its fight against Covid-19
Covid-19, as in the case of other nations, obliged Bangladesh to be innovative and focus on the digital economy, while trying to reach every segment of the population and every sector of the economy.
Experts made the observation on Wednesday at the virtual launch of the annual CSR Report, titled Report on CSR in Bangladesh 2021: Pandemic – Embracing the New Normal, organized by the CSR Centre.
Moderating the panel discussion, Chairman of CSR Centre Board of Trustees Farooq Sobhan said the last 19 months proved to be a major challenge for the global community, including Bangladesh.
“We thought it therefore appropriate that our ninth CSR [corporate social responsibility] annual report be devoted to the pandemic and how we in Bangladesh have been coping with the pandemic,” he added.
The CSR Report 2021 highlights the initiatives businesses have taken amid the pandemic as they continue to promote corporate sustainability. It emphasizes partnerships to create resilient communities.
Sector-wise, the report focuses on the health sector, education, manufacturing, the service sector, and tourism and hospitality.
It includes an overview of each of these sectors through interviews and the experience of companies working in the sectors.
The pandemic has changed the way businesses perform in the last two years, said CEO of CSR Centre Shahamin S Zaman.
“And it has been a global epidemic which has impacted different sectors, and what we did with this report is we wanted to highlight how it [pandemic] has impacted some of the major sectors in Bangladesh,” she explained.
“I think working together in a multi stakeholder engagement process will be very helpful as well as public-private partnership,” she also said, adding that socioeconomic environmental progress needs to be the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy.
In a video message as the chief guest of the event, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said corporations may play both supporting and enabling roles as responsible legal entities.
He explained that CSR is a complement to the state’s capability, not only to fulfil the fundamental needs of citizens, but also to enhance their skills for offering them a better and competitive chance.
“In Bangladesh, we aspire to have a responsible and accountable CSR mechanism, rather than one peripherally engaging consumer ignorance for advertising the products of brands in the guise of social responsibility,” the minister added.
The company as an entity must be a responsible actor in the communities it serves, Momen said, adding: “It is time for the corporate leadership to focus on the entirety of its stakeholders, considering all the external injuries and burdens we forcibly impose on the world.”
While businesses can contribute to the common good by creating wealth, providing good services in an efficient way, they can also make a positive impact on social beings and work for creating a way of living together in just and peaceful conditions, the foreign minister further said.
Kicking off the panel discussion, South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-Keun spoke about the RMG sector’s resilience amid Covid-19 through CSR activities.
“Many Korean companies in Bangladesh focused their CSR activities on human resources development — training, on the workforce, and by supporting students at schools,” he said.
Jang-Keun gave the example of the Samsung R&D Institute in Dhaka, which is offering a software academy for students, along with various other ICT programs for university students and teachers.
The Samsung Electronics branch office in Bangladesh has been running schools, and Hyundai Engineering and Construction in Bangladesh is also targeting students with CSR activities, he said.
Noting that factories remained open during the pandemic, he spoke about why there were only few coronavirus cases in many big RMG factories, in which tens of thousands of people are working.
“And I learned that it is largely owed to the vigilance and prudence of the operators… The factories were run under strict protective measures, including checking of body temperatures every two or three hours, and the presence of doctors on site,” he added.
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh ITO Naoki discussed the experience of Japanese companies conducting CSR activities amid the pandemic.
No one left behind is one of the concepts that JICA has been really focusing on while working on socio-economic development in Bangladesh, he added.
“I hope that the Japanese companies will also be able to actively participate in CSR in Bangladesh and try trying to focus on this very concept,” the ambassador said.
Sayed Ershad Ahmed, president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), said the Covid-19 pandemic was a fresh blow to the education system.
“Under this circumstance, improving human capital by investing in education, skill development, health and some other related fields is a key issue for Bangladesh,” he said, urging that the country look into skills development.
“Although a certain degree of normalcy has returned, the next few months continue to be very challenging. Under this circumstance, markets clearly suggest that businesses with the objective to think differently are likely to sustain in the long run,” he said.
Ahmed also said that AmCham members have undertaken various effective CSR programs, such as building cyclone shelters in Sirajganj.
Muhammad N Khan, deputy office director of the Economic Growth Team at USAID Bangladesh, said: “As we have embraced the new normal that Covid-19 has brought, we have seen an increase in businesses in Bangladesh, as well as around the world, becoming more involved in helping people overcome hardship during the pandemic.
“We have seen how some of these opportunities have led to private sector companies becoming more involved in investing in communities, introducing new innovations, and helping people adapt to a rapidly changing world,” he added.
USAID Bangladesh renewed its focus and will be expanding its efforts to work with the private sector in a more methodical and meaningful way under our new country development cooperation strategy, Khan said.
In support of that strategy, USAID Bangladesh conducted a rigorous private sector assessment on Bangladesh’s 16 priority sectors, outside of the RMG industry. Six priority sectors were identified for USAID engagement, which include light engineering, agribusiness, tourism, ICT, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.
“One may still ask, how does corporate social responsibility in this context benefit companies besides simply a noble thing to do?” Khan said.
He stated that CSR activities also create stronger, healthier, more educated, and ultimately more prosperous people, who in turn are able to contribute to an economy more fully and ultimately drive economic growth on a larger scale.
Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government is doing its part to ensure the welfare of the workers and the society, but the government cannot do it alone.
The private sector also has to come forward and make sure that all these initiatives taken by the government are implemented, and that together they can sustain this upward growth trajectory of Bangladesh.
The government of Bangladesh is committed to taking measures in supporting the private sector, but similarly, “we expect and we hope that the private sector will also come forward,” she said.
“A well-coordinated and a fruitful private public-private partnership is crucial to achieving the vision of Bangladesh as it was dreamed by our Father of the Nation,” she concluded.
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