The Issue

With almost half of the 500 largest companies in the region, Brazil boasts some of the strongest corporations in Latin America – some of them already excelling globally and having a profound impact in the regions and societies where they operate. More than ever, the country – and its corporations – has the capacity to contribute with the improvement of the state of the world. Its increasing international presence entails a responsibility to actively engage in global issues and develop communities worldwide.

In this scenario, the impact of Brazilian corporations in the wider environments where they operate is significant, not only domestically, but also in Latin America and around the globe. Corporate global citizenship is now evolving into a key competitive advantage for true global Brazilian enterprises, allowing sustainable and responsible growth, while also supporting cross-regional multistakeholder communities and global well-being.

Insight

Building on the Forum’s previous work in developing best practices for corporate global citizenship, this initiative will:

• Assess how Brazil’s leading globalizers – companies that are already global, or that are expanding rapidly outside Brazil – are putting corporate global citizenship into practice
• Identify the best practices of corporate citizenship in markets where Brazilian Globalizers operate
• Find opportunities for present and future Brazilian Globalizers to develop their corporate citizenship based on their individual capabilities and strengths
• Define measures to ensure that other emerging Brazilian Globalizers – and potentially other Latin American companies – implement excellent corporate citizenship practices

The initiative will explore the opportunities and challenges facing Brazilian companies, and will examine the corporate and competitive framework under which they operate. It will also focus on the leading role these companies can play in the regions where they are investing and operating, and how they can increase the competitiveness and prosperity of their own country.

The project will work closely with Brazilian members and constituents of the World Economic Forum, government agencies and ministries that stimulate Brazil’s competitiveness and global presence, and civil society and sectorial leaders.

A diverse network of the Forum’s global and local stakeholders will also be engaged in the project’s activities, including international academia, media leaders and the Forum’s Network of Global Agenda Councils on Latin America and on Emerging Multinationals, who will provide expert support to this initiative.

Interaction

Stakeholders will have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas on multiple occasions and in various formats; including interviews and workshops, as well as exclusive sessions in the Forum’s regional and global platforms.

The initiative’s milestones for 2013-14 include:

• Meeting of the project’s Advisory Board: São Paulo, November 2013
• Roundtable discussions at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014: Davos-Klosters, January 2014
• Launch of the “Emerging Best Practices of Brazilian Globalizers” report: Brazil, March 2014
• Workshops at the World Economic Forum on Latin America: Panama City, Panama, April 2014

Impact

The project will build on previous Forum efforts to support corporate global citizenship and promote best practices, and will highlight the many strengths of Brazil’s multinationals on corporate global citizenship. It will also look into the challenges they face in today’s hyperconnected corporate landscape: from environmental sustainability and social innovation, to the corporate role in increasing national competitiveness and productivity. This work will result in a report that will identify best practices, present new insights and make recommendations on how to build corporate citizenship capacities in Brazil and globally.

This initiative will allow Brazilian companies to showcase how corporate global citizenship principles are being put into practice and how, by strategically adopting these principles, companies can boost their competitive advantages while still promoting social, environmental and economic well-being.

The “Emerging Best Practices of Brazilian Globalizers” initiative enables increased understanding of Corporate Global Citizenship and how it can improve adoption by emerging Brazilian Globalizers - and potentially other Latin American global corporations.

The Project Advisory Board

The initiative’s Advisory Board consists of prominent champions and experts in globalization, social responsibility, and corporate citizenship initiatives in Brazil – and globally – who represent a range of sectors and backgrounds, covering the full spectrum of stakeholders of the corporate global citizenship ecosystem – the private sector, the government, academia, non-profit organizations, and civil society.

Current Advisory Board members include:

• Frederico Curado, President and Chief Executive Officer, Embraer SA, Brazil
• Henk S. de Jong, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Latin America, Brazil
• Marco Stefanini, Chief Executive Officer, Stefanini IT Solutions, Brazil
• Daniel Feffer, Vice-President, Suzano Holding SA, Brazil
• Roberto Teixeira da Costa, Trustee Board Member, Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais (CEBRI), Brazil
• Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Netherlands; Global Agenda Council on the Role of Business
• Marcos Troyjo, Co-Director, BRICLab; Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, USA
• Sherban Leonardo Cretoiu, Professor; Coordinator of the International Business Center, Fundacao Dom Cabral (FDC), Brazil
• Pankaj Ghemawat, Professor, Anselmo Rubiralta Chair of Strategy and Globalization, IESE, Spain
• Carlos P. Braga, Professor of International Political Economy; Director of the Evian Group, IMD, Switzerland
• Felipe Monteiro, Assistant Professor of Strategy, INSEAD, France

Contact Information

For more information, contact Bernardo Silva at bernardo.silva@weforum.org or visit our website at http://www.weforum.org/