An open meeting “The role and responsibility of business, NGOs and the media in promoting the UN sustainable development goals and shaping a culture of corporate social responsibility in society” was held on June 25 at the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The event was organized by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Committee for Communications and Public Relations of the Association of European Businesses, moderated the discussion Konstantin Krokhin and Marina Tatarskaya.

Opening the meeting, Vice President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry Suren Vardanyan stated that “the topic under discussion is fundamental for the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, because there is a clear understanding that internal corporate positioning of social responsibility in an organization is not just words, but building a certain mentality within the company.” Suren Vardanyan assured that he is ready to submit documents adopted jointly with the Communications and Public Relations Committee of the Association of European Businesses at the level of the Government of Moscow.

Business is not only making money for yourself. Modern business in many areas is social in relation to the society in which it operates in relation to its employees, and in relation to the residents of the region in which it operates.

Elena Feoktistova, Managing Director for Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said: “Over the last two or three years the global context has changed so much that whatever topic we talk about, no matter what organization we are talking about - each of them today adopts strategic documents that are dedicated to sustainable development, and the role and responsibility of business are always at the forefront ”.

Svetlana Gerasimova, head of the school of CSR and sustainable development of the Moscow International Higher School of Business Mirbis, said that “tools and technologies are what are missing today and what everyone is looking for. In our country, the concept is also not well advanced. Because sustainable development is estimated either from the point of view of system positions or from the point of view of ecology, while all other directions are ignored. This causes serious controversy. But Russia is moving very energetically in this direction. ”

The participants expressed confidence that an open meeting will serve as a platform for expert discussion and promotion of successful European and Russian practices in the field of sustainable development.