VCCI General Secretary Pham Thi Thu Hang said the current global economic recession is an opportunity for businesses to enhance their competitiveness through improving working and environmental standards, particularly enhancing working and living conditions for workers, encouraging involvement among workers, economising and using materials effectively, investing in cleaner production technology, preventing and treating pollution, and preserving biodiversity, thus boosting their prestige among customers. She stressed that the launch of CSR Award 2012 is an activity in support of implementing Resolution 09. On behalf of VCCI, she officially announced the "CSR Award 2012".

 

                                    

Florian Beranek, Chief Technical Advisor of the United Nations Industrial Development (UNIDO)-VCCI CSR Project, said businesses previously only cared about maximising profits, but their perception has been completely changed. They are now always conscious of improving product quality, protecting the environment and exercising corporate social responsibility. The significance of the award is to honour organisations recognising and implementing CSR issues in the right manner – towards sustainability, reliability, respectability, and success. The award will also recognise businesses having a comprehensive view of their social responsibilities and applying these CSR principles into their daily operations. However, he noted that winning the award means your businesses does better than your competitors, the efforts of your businesses are recognised, and your businesses are doing the right thing. But, this does not mean that your businesses are perfect.

                                                               

 Addressing at the award launching ceremony, Nguyen Quang Vinh, Director of the Office for Business Sustainable Development (SD4B), presented assessment criteria and application processes for this year's awards. The objective of the award is to honour businesses successfully integrating corporate social responsibility into their operations with outstanding achievements in the two fields of labour and environment. More importantly, the award helps businesses raise awareness of the role and benefit of corporate social responsibility for the sustainable development of business, community and society. It practically supports Vietnamese businesses in making contact with international businesses and forums in the field of CSR, to gain experience in sustainable development.

                                        

                                     

 CSR Award 2012 is jointly launched by the Office for Business Sustainable Development (SD4B) under VCCI, the Vietnam Business Council for the Sustainable Development (VBCSD), and the UNIDO-VCCI CSR Project (the project helping Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises improve awareness and implementation of CSR to strengthen links with the global supply chain for sustainable production). Candidates will prepare applications and score themselves from now till October 2012. Then, the jury board will score the candidates to choose the best companies and award two first prizes, four runner-up prizes, six third prizes and 10-20 consolation prices. Scoring process and criteria will be made public during the awarding ceremony, in written documents delivered to businesses and on www.sd4b.vn/dondangky website.