Responsible Business conduct (RBC) is a concept based on the expectation that all companies can do business with positive contribution to economic, environment, and social progress with a view to achieving sustainable development and avoiding, remediating and addressing adverse impacts related to an enterprises direct and indirect operation, products or services.
Working with RBC is also especially important when companies are a part of a global supply chain.
The agricultural supply chains are more global than ever as products increasingly cross border and oceans, and move from producer to retailers and on to consumers.
The extensive supply chain can contribute to enhanced livelihoods, economic growth and improved health and safety provisions.
However there can be harmful and negative impacts on the society and the environment along the way and it is therefore important for businesses to work responsibly by putting in place structures and procedures so that their activities don’t have an adverse impact.
At the backdrop of this move, Addis Chamber jointly with Confederation of Danish Industries ( DI) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition( GAIN) have come together to enhance and inculcate the idea of RBC among private sectors operating in Ethiopia.
Hosted by Addis Chamber, the RBC platform has attracted countless stakeholders majorly from agribusiness, development organizations and key stakeholders of RBC among others.
In a rare RBC meeting hosted in Ethiopia, key actors of the initiative addressed panelists on the need to promote and carry out the RBC for enhanced business and competitiveness.
In his remark Shibeshi Bettemariam, Secretary General of Addis Chamber said that promoting and enabling responsible business conduct (RBC) is key to attract and retain quality investment and ensure that activities performed by businesses contribute to broader value creation and sustainable development.
RBC has become an integral part of a quality investment climate, and in recent years, it has been a priority policy area in the international economic agenda, the secretary general further briefs.
He went on to say that Addis Chamber is one of the key actors in promoting RBC to the wider business communities and an integral part of Addis Chamber’s policy advocacy efforts and platforms such as the UNGC and SDG are key to the endeavor of Addis Chamber in promoting RBC.
In her briefing to the panel, Roya Amanda from Danish Church Aid, underlines the importance of carrying out RBC among the wider business communities. Since long years back DCA has been engaging in promoting RBC by engaging businesses to have understanding about RBC and the need to align their business model with respect to the principles of RBC.
Synergy and partnership among stakeholders such as policy makers and private sector and CSOs is key to promote a better world that eventually promotes RBC and sustainable businesses that addresses the needs and concerns of societies and communities.
In his exclusive interview with Addis Chamber Sven Pedersen, Senior Advisor from Danish Industry told that his organization is keen to resume such kinds of platforms that aims to enhance the capacity of businesses towards implementing RBC in their respected entities.
The day long capacity building platform has been an ideal platform to share diverse experiences of companies towards practicing RBC and the multiple challenges facing at present.
Actors of private sectors are called for more dialogue to resume ahead as the future is unpredictable to forecast risks associated to do business thus joint platforms are the way-out to address or sustain businesses.