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Press Release

Release Date: 05/09/27

St. Lucia Attends ISO Social Responsibility Meeting 

in Bangkok

St. Lucia was among over 400 delegates from the international standardization community, business and consumer organisations attending the second ISO (the International Organization for Standardization), meeting on developing new international guidelines for social responsibility (SR).  Mr. Marinus Pascal a member of the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Social Responsibility attended the meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok from 26-30 September.

The one week meeting was preceded by a one day workshop (also in Bangkok ) which focused on “Increasing the Impact of Developing Countries in International Standardization”. The aim of that workshop was to enable experts from developing countries to share their experiences on Social Responsibility and prepare for their common participation in the September 26-30 meeting. To guide his participation Pascal and the Bureau’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group prepared a brief country report on corporate social responsibility activities in St. Lucia .

The need for organizations in both public and private sectors to behave in a socially responsible way is becoming a generalized requirement of society. The proposed social responsibility standard (ISO 26000) is expected to assist organizations in addressing their social responsibilities, promote common terminology in the social responsibility field and broaden awareness of social responsibility. It will, provide practical guidance related to operationalizing social responsibility, identifying and engaging with stakeholders and increasing customer satisfaction and confidence.

Mr. Pascal’s participation in this international meeting on Social Responsibility will guide the local Advisory Group in formulating a concrete plan of action for promoting the draft social responsibility standard in St. Lucia . The SLBS Ad Hoc Advisory Group comprises representatives of the National Consumers Association, Ministry of Social Transformation, St. Lucia Employers Federation, National Community Foundation, ISIS and the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities.