The Research Centre on Economics and Social Affairs (CIES) Foundation- based at the Barcelona Science Park, and the Antioquia Government organized this last month of June 16 in Medellin (Colombia) the Forum "Economics and Social Responsibility." The event - which also featured the collaboration of organizations such as Proantioquia and the Social Thought Centre- was addressed to leaders, managers and decision-makers of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for private companies, corporate foundations, NGOs, representatives of unions and department government and municipal officials holding direct or indirect responsibility in any of the dimensions of CSR.

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The forum was organized around three basic themes: the conceptualization of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the construction of socially responsible territories through CSR, and the strengthening of alliances between public, private and charity sectors, and featured the leading intervention of Isabel Vidal, president of the Research Centre on Economics and Social Affairs Foundation (CIES), professor (EU) Economic Theory, University of Barcelona, and academic director of the Master in Corporate Social Responsibility, Accounting and Social Auditing at the University of Barcelona.

A socially responsible territory is one in which actors from the public, private and charity sectors are structured in order to create synergies that promote the development of the territory and its inhabitants, understanding as development that which is capable of generating economic growth and social cohesion that is respectful towards the environment. In this measure all actors that merge together in one territory are participant and co-responsible for such territory´s development.

On this basis, Dr Vidal emphasized “the need to strengthen the relationship between public agents, and actors from the private and charity sectors in order to conform effective alliances for the proper exercise of corporate social responsibility “, while also stressing the importance that cross-sector partnerships must have among equally strong and solid actors, with none being subordinated to another:” Everyone has a defined role in each process, and this role is defined solely by the strengths that each can contribute individually.”

Isabel Vidal also explained to the attendees the various dimensions involved in corporate social responsibility: the State-company relationship, respect to and endorsement of labour rights, sustainable actions from the dual social and environmental perspective, philanthropy and systemic actions. “The key is to know how to manage effective alliances because these actions will result in the development of the territory”, said the president of CIES.