Building on the learnings and achievements of the Alliance for Inclusive Business between SNV Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Latin America, some initial steps are being taken to broaden the geographic scope of this strategic partnership toward Africa and Asia.
Most notably, in Zimbabwe, the Business Council for Sustainable Development Zimbabwe (BCSDZ), a member of the WBCSD’s Regional Network, and SNV Zimbabwe, are collaborating in view of introducing inclusive business as a collaborative approach for companies, the public sector, donors and NGOs to reduce poverty in a sustainable way.
SNV and BCSDZ are currently linking different actors, developing local capacity, mobilizing resources and facilitating studies in view of being able to start the implementation of inclusive business projects.
As part of their cooperation agreement signed in late 2008, SNV Zimbabwe and BCSDZ are arranging a three day visit to South Africa for senior representatives of their two organizations at the end of August. The visit is primarily aimed at studying the experiences of five leading South African organizations that have substantial projects on inclusive business, or enterprise development as it is more commonly known in South Africa, which have agreed to share their experiences with the visiting group.
The visit, which is partly sponsored by SNV Zimbabwe, will include a meeting with the National Business Initiative (NBI), also a member of the WBCSD’s Regional Network, and a strong advocate for the collective role of business in support of a stable democracy, growing economy and healthy natural environment.
Inclusive Business was also one of the topics addressed in the framework of the BCSDZ annual meeting in November 2008, which engaged senior members of the business community and the mayor of Harare in an active debate on sustainability issues ranging from waste management to water, energy provision, education and social issues.
More information:
Contact George Foot, BCSD Zimbabwe Administrator, or Rik Overmars, Portfolio Manager, Eastern Portfolio – SNV Zimbabwe.
Watch this space in November for an update on the joint SNV-BCSDZ visit to South Africa.
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