Global Development
BCLC's Global program helps businesses navigate the international development and partnership landscape while showcasing solutions to some of the world’s most complex development challenges. BCLC works closely with public and private sector partners, including the Global Partnership Center at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the World Bank, and the United Nations, to provide supporters with connections and resources that will advance their global corporate citizenship interests and help business development in emerging markets.
Key Issues
- The business role in addressing food security, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Access to medicines and mobile health solutions
- Job creation and skills training at the bottom of the pyramid
- Rural and urban development
- Aid and trade
- Women and girls empowerment
Events
- Spring Forum: Hosted in partnership with the United Nations
- Global Corporate Citizenship Conference: Every October, this conference is the convening place for companies, multilateral organizations, entrepreneurs, and NGOs that are creating a movement of change and progress. The conference consists of interviews, enlightening plenary discussions, active audience participation, best practice models, breakout and networking sessions, and TED-style conversations.
- Forums, briefings, and working meetings throughout the year
Initiatives
BusinessCorps, a platform for business people using their skills to help communities in emerging markets flourish and succeed. Through BusinessCorps, companies donate their employees’ technical skills to address community needs on a pro bono basis. Building on the inspiration that led John F. Kennedy to establish the Peace Corps in 1961, companies are coming together to make a difference, whether they operate in Brazil, the U.S., or around the world.
program 2012 Midyear Accomplishments
The Business for Good Map pilot was so successful that it has been transitioned under BCLC’s research portfolio as a long-term BCLC project.
BCLC partnered with the United Nations Office for Partnerships to co-host The Role of Business in Empowering Women at the UN headquarters on International Women's Day. Drawing more than 400 attendees and generating more than 1 million impressions on Twitter, it's our largest global event to date. Learn more about speakers and sessions.
The International Business Corps has been active for one year in its pilot location, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The steering committee has researched and vetted NGO partners, and the first business volunteer was engaged in January. To date, 19 volunteers from four different companies are active in Business Corps projects. Learn more and consider participating in this exciting multi-company collaboration.
To coincide with Rio+20, BCLC, the Brazil-U.S. Business Council, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Rio co-organized a Strategic CSR Dialogue between Brazilian and U.S. businesses about CSR trends and best practices, and the opportunities for companies around corporate volunteerism. While in Rio, BCLC took the opportunity to visit the Business Corps' NGO partners and meet with some of the corporate volunteers. Learn more about the visits.
We expanded our relationships with the American Chamber of Commerce in emerging markets. In 2012, BCLC worked with AmChams Monterrey, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, and Istanbul.
Program 2012 End of Year Outlook
- Increase stakeholder awareness of the private sector’s role across the Millennium Development Goals and international development through the Business for Good Map, events, reports, videos and social media campaigns.
- Hold U.S. business in the International Standards Organization (ISO 26000) Webinar for network members on September 10. The purpose of the discussion is to hear the latest impact and opportunities from the U.S. Council for International Business.
- Host the 2012 Global Conference CSR: Business Solutions for Emerging Markets at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Headquarters in Washington, DC on Oct 10-12.
- Place all members of the Global Working Group on the Business for Good Map.
- Continue to create connections and platforms to increase partnership opportunities for working group members.
- Conduct assessment of the International Business Corps pilot in Rio de Janeiro and consider the possibility of scaling to another location.
- Raise profile of the Global Program at the US Chamber of Commerce and partnership opportunities with American Chambers of Commerce abroad.
BCLC program Lead
The Global Corporate Citizenship program is a network of more than 50 leading companies that are interested in advancing the connection between international development and corporate social responsibility. To shape this program, global manager Taryn Bird works closely with co-chairs Bo Miller, The Dow Chemical Company, and Kathy Pickus, Abbott, as well as Chamber BCLC's immediate past board chair Akhtar Badshah and the entire corporate working group. Taryn has led or helped create several new business initiatives in the international development space, including a post-earthquake corporate mission to Haiti, a pilot project in Brazil to launch the International Business Corps, and numerous issue forums and conferences. Full bio
Business Co-Chairs
- Bo Miller, Director, Corporate Citizenship, President, The Dow Chemical Company Foundation at The Dow Chemical Company
- Kathy Pickus, Divisional Vice President, Global Citizenship & Policy , Abbott
Global Program Headlines:
BCLC’s newest partnership tool, 
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