Memorando

Achievements and Challenges of CSR in Colombia
Prepared by Michelle Morton and Mauricio Ardila
February 6, 2008



Speakers:
• Francisco Díaz, President and CEO, Organización Corona
•David Bojanini Garcia, President, Suramericana
• Manuel José Carvajal, CEO, Carvajal
• Antonio Celia, CEO, Promigas
Summary

On January 29, 2008, the Council of the Americas hosted a breakfastwith several representatives from organizations in Colombia to discuss the private sector’s role in promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Colombia, a role which is often overlooked in thecountry’s human rights discourse. Each speaker provided an overview of his respective company’s social objectives and accomplishments and highlighted the long-standing commitment on the part of theColombian private sector to social development. The discussion touched upon issues ranging from the past and future of CSR in Colombia to the importance of the pending U.S.-Colombia Free TradeAgreement (FTA).

In a historical context

In Colombia, the role of the private sector in social development has a long tradition, molded by both cultural and contextual circumstances. In the earlytwentieth century, the Colombian government adopted import-substitution policies to boost the country’s manufacturing capacity, leading to the creation of large industrial companies that now investmillions in social projects. According to Carvajal’sManuel José Carvajal, highly-respected organizations such as the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations attest that Colombia’s social non-profitfoundations—many of which are affiliated with or sponsored by the private sector—are among the most active and efficient in the region.

Social initiatives and achievements

While these foundations cannotreplace government responsibility, they help shape government policy in a number of ways, according to Promigas’ Antonio Celia. Speakers highlighted three projects begun by the private sector and later...