The Islamic Reporting Initiative (IRI) attended the recent Enterprise 2020 Summit in Brussels. The Summit was of particular interest to the IRI because it presented a platform on which to discuss progress on three strategic priorities, each of which relevant to the objectives of the IRI: employability and inclusion; sustainable production methods, consumption and livelihoods; and transparency and human rights.
The Enterprise 2020 Summit is the latest in a series of initiatives launched earlier this year in Milan as part of the Enterprise 2020 Manifesto, in response to the challenges set out by the European Commission in the Europe 2020 strategy that calls for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Endorsing the initiative and present at the Summit was His Majesty the King of the Belgians, and the Presidents of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and the European Council, Donald Tusk.
The Enterprise 2020 Summit saw the launch of the European Pact for Youth; a mutual engagement of business leaders and the EU to create a culture of business-education partnerships to improve the chances for young people to enter the workforce in a meaningful way, an aspect the IRI seeks to pursue through opportunities in CSR.
Initiated by the European Business Network for CSR (CSR Europe), the Pact is an appeal to all businesses, social partners, education and training providers and other stakeholders to develop or consolidate partnerships in support of youth employability and inclusion. This is anticipated to enhance the quality of training and skills that young people can acquire including digital, entrepreneurial, green and soft skills.
The Summit provided an excellent opportunity to further discuss the role of CSR in alleviating many societal and environmental challenges and network with other, knowledgeable practitioners in the field. During the same visit to Brussels, the IRI’s Drs Daan Elffers had an engaging meeting with Ms Aissata Kane, Acting Permanent Observer at the Brussels office of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to the European Union, to discuss collaborative opportunities.
The IRI is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in the UAE, and is the first, mainstream reporting framework for CSR based on Islamic principles. For more information on the IRI, please visit www.islamicreporting.org or contact info@islamicreporting.org.
Article: enterprise 2020 summit
