| worldaware business group
In this section:
[ membership ] join the Worldaware
Business Group
[ events ] events held by the Business
Group
Background
British business continues to be in the forefront of identifying
and encouraging the potential for economic growth in the developing
world, and it is now widely recognised that British companies have
a major role to play in the economic and social development of these
countries.
Believing that the views and experience of the private sector should
be more adequately represented in discussions about public policy
on international development issues, Worldaware invited representatives
of business to join with it in setting up the Worldaware Business
Group.
Aim
The principal aim of the group is to provide opportunities for representatives
of business to have informal discussions with policy-makers and
policy-influencers in government and international organisations.
In Summer 1996 the Group helped to organise a meeting at Chevening
House between senior officials of DFID (then the ODA) and a group
of business executives, with a report back to the then Minister
and a number of Chairmen and Chief Executives. As a result, a process
of co-operation and dialogue between DFID and business was initiated.
Globalisation is one of the principal theme-words of the present
age. Events of the last two years have shown the paramount importance
of understanding the relationship between international business
activity and global development; and of developing suitable policies
for the future which will assist in reducing as rapidly as possible
the gap between rich and poor nations.
Within available resources, the Worldaware Business Group now aims,
as these major policy changes on international development are taking
place, to widen its membership to ensure (1) that a comprehensive
range of views, based on the practical experience of companies,
is represented in the policy-making process, and (2) that all levels
of business have a forum for discussing the positive contribution
that commercial activity can make to global development.
The original purpose of the Business Group is as valid as ever.
Set up in recognition that trade and investment have a major role
to play in the economic growth of the developing world, the Group
comprises members from all business sectors, ranging from multinationals
to small businesses and individual entrepreneurs. It therefore offers
a broad spectrum of ideas and experience on the problems and challenges
of working in the developing world. Under Worldaware’s auspices
as honest broker, the Group has proved to be a useful sounding board
for representatives from Government departments, international agencies
and NGOs. Furthermore, Worldaware is now endeavouring to complement
its work with the formal education sector (see education)
by providing resource material for schools on key trade and development
issues, including globalisation, and by encouraging greater convergence
between the business and education sectors in this area (for instance,
through joint conferences for schools and business representatives).
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