 The United Nations Development Programme held its workshop "Partnerships for Small Enterprise Development" was held on January 15 and 16, 2004 in New York.
Deloitte was commissioned by the UNDP and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization under the auspices of the UN Global Compact to provide a resource document for the workshop. Deloitte's Emerging Markets Group prepared this document, backed by our firm's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Deloitte is a participating member of the Global Compact that focuses on galvanizing companies into concrete action on CSR-related issues such as human rights, labor and the environment.
The importance of encouraging sustainability among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is recognized for a number of reasons:
The development and formalization of SMEs is a realistic step toward poverty alleviation and is therefore a key aspect of sustainability.
The 50 page resource document provides an overall guide and framework for how Global Compact companies and others can engage in partnerships to support the development of SMEs, whether the engagement is directly linked to their business, or involves general support to SMEs to strengthen and diversify the local economy. For these reasons, SME development is of key concern for Deloitte's Corporate Social Responsibility activity. The report also includes numerous case studies.
An executive summary of the full 50 page report is attached below. If you are interested in receiving a full copy of the report please use the 'Contact Us' email form. |
