Minister Žužul took part in the "Corporate Social Responsibility" project...

Minister Žužul, along with the UNIDO Director-General, took part in the presentation of a new project in Croatia called “Corporate social responsibility”. Also present were 18 ambassadors and permanent representatives from Central and Easter Europe, as well as potential donors (Great Britain, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and Austria) and representatives from the EU office in Vienna and UN Development Program in Zagreb. $140.000 worth of initial funds were donated by UNIDO, and the project is expected to last for 15 months.

Corporate Social Responsibility is a new approach by big companies and small- and middle-sized enterprises to environment protection, social relations and financial indicators of business success, especially in export. Based on the pilot phase in Croatia, UNIDO plans on turning the project into a model for the entire region. It is expected that the EU countries with experience in that field (Great Britain has a minister for Corporate Social Responsibility) will lend their support, as the EU itself places great importance on this issue, having declared the next year “The Year of Corporate Social Responsibility”.

Minister Žužul stressed the need for the regional co-operation to get a concrete content, with precisely determined activities and objectives in specific fields which the project was designed for.

After the presentation, Minister Žužul held a speech on the eve of the 29th session of the Industrial Development Board, UNIDO main governing body. The meeting between Minister Žužul and UNIDO Director-General Carlos Magarinos discussed the details of the implementation of the Corporate Social Responsibility. Director-General Magarinos announced the opening of the Office for Corporate Social Responsibility in Zagreb, that would also include the UN Development Program. A series of activities were announced for the following period, in which UNIDO will include countries of the region.

Minister Žužul met in Vienna with Director-General of the UN Vienna Office Costa with whom he discussed the co-operation between Croatia and the Office on Drugs and Crime in preventing drug abuse, transnational organised crime, corruption and terrorism. Minister Žužul repeated his invitation to the Director-General to visit Croatia and be present at the beginning of the Regional Workshop activities co-organised by the Republic of Croatia and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in March next year. Costa thanked minister Žužul and confirmed his visit to Croatia early-2005.

Costa commended the measures Croatia has taken in these fields and asked for support in future activities of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, describing Croatia as the leading country in organising regional initiatives. Minister Žužul said that Croatia is interested in activities in the region and principally supports future activities of the Office.