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Article

13 Jun 2012

Author:
Richard Welford, CSR Asia

Is Rio+20 going to make a difference? Is privatising development the answer?

...[M]any of the most innovative sustainable development projects over the last decade have come from the private sector and many multinationals have demonstrated a real interest in tacking development and protecting the environment. As the world’s only truly global players, multinational enterprises have a lot to say and a lot to offer. And yet, the Rio+20 model guided by the “convening” role of the UN has not embraced the private sector adequately. Sure there will be multinational corporations and a smattering of Global Compact signatories at the event, but this is a lost opportunity to leverage of the power of business...I am wondering...whether we need to have a new debate on “privatising development”. By this I mean taking the best of what we have...and supplementing it with the resources and management discipline that the private sector has to offer.

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