Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 13, 2014 – The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is pleased to announce that throughout the month of January, USAID/BiH is highlighting the impact and potential benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR), under the theme “Corporate Social Responsibility Is Just Good Business.” 

 

In its effort to mitigate the challenges facing Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), USAID commemorates January as “Corporate Social Responsibility Is Just Good Business” month, and invites BiH companies to take responsibility for the welfare and development of their local communities. BiH companies committed to investing resources to assist their communities will join USAID Mission Director David Barth at three public forums in Mostar, Banja Luka and Sarajevo. The three forums highlight CSR sub-themes that are important to USAID and its work in BiH:

 

     CSR: Protecting the Environment (highlighting threats to the environment in BiH)

     Thursday, January 16, 2014, 12:00 – 14:00 (Hotel Bristol in Mostar)

 

     CSR: Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (highlighting social challenges facing BiH)

     Thursday, January 23, 2014, 12:00 – 14:00 (Hotel Bosna in Banja Luka)

 

     CSR:  Promoting Good Corporate Governance (highlighting efforts to combat corruption)

     Thursday, January 30, 2014, 12:00 – 14:00 (Hotel Bosnia in Sarajevo)

 

Socially conscious BiH companies will also sign the “USAID Corporate Social Responsibility Commitment Book” to pledge specific actions that they will take to improve their communities in the coming year.

 

Corporate social responsibility is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. Companies have a lot of power in the community and national economy. They control assets and may have resources at their disposal for socially conscious investments and programs. Some companies may feign interest in corporate social responsibility, but many of them are devoting real time and money to initiatives that benefit employees, customers, and the community at large without any financial benefit for themselves.

 

To date, the U.S. Government, primarily through USAID, has provided almost $1.6 billion in assistance to support economic, democratic, and social progress in BiH.