In 2007, the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) of the OAS partnered with the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC), the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) and with the support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), developed the project “Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in Small and Medium Enterprises in the Caribbean.” The aims were to create awareness within SMEs about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), encourage execution of CSR practices through CSR implementation assistance, and promote CSR best practices in the region. A mapping project of economic sectors was developed as part of this initiative, which confirmed the importance of tourism as a key sector in the Caribbean.
This inaugural work was the catalyst for the development of a Regional initiative to promote CSR among small and medium enterprises in the tourism industry in the Caribbean. The first component of this initiative was a Regional Workshop which was held in St. Lucia, September 14-16, 2009. This workshop was geared towards public and private sector tourism representatives in fourteen (14) OAS member states in the Caribbean, participating in the OAS’s Small Tourism Enterprise Program (STEP). Countries attending the workshop included Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago.
The objectives of the Regional Workshop were as follows:
i.To create awareness of CSR and its relevance to the Caribbean tourism industry;
ii.To build the capacity of public sector representatives in the tourism industry to support and promote CSR in the private sector;
iii.To foster engagement in CSR by private sector entities in the Tourism industry in the Caribbean, particularly small and medium tourism enterprises; and
iv.To provide tools/resources to enable implementation of successful CSR initiatives in the Caribbean Tourism Industry.
The workshop consisted of interactive modules which explored the principles, key concepts and best practices of CSR. Topic covered included the Relationship between CSR and Tourism; CSR in different organizational contexts; CSR in the supply chain; stakeholder engagement; and CSR Management Tools and Indicators for Small and Medium Enterprises.
Participants were given the tools and skills to implement and promote successful CSR activities; instruction to replicate training in their individual destinations and enterprises; and reference materials on CSR best practices in the tourism industry in the Caribbean.
One of the major outcomes from the workshop was the decision by participants to create a network of tourism practitioners to advance and share information on CSR.
