ACADEMIC, BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WILL GATHER TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES FOR INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY INTO BUSINESS EDUCATION


ACADEMIC, BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WILL GATHER TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES FOR INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY INTO BUSINESS EDUCATION

The 3rd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education allows academic institutions to learn about and participate in the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) as part of the UN Global Compact

May 7, 2012 – New York – The 3rd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education, hosted by the PRME Secretariat of the UN Global Compact Office, will be held June 14-15, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to bring together leaders in academia, business, government and civil society, to discuss and identify best practices for integrating sustainability and responsibility into management education. The PRME initiative facilitates change, inspiring and recognizing educational institutions that embed corporate responsibility and sustainability into their mainstream curriculum — thereby producing business leaders equipped to manage the complex challenges facing business and society.

Since the initiative’s launch in 2007, over 400 institutions have signed up to PRME and have been implementing change to their curriculum. Inspiring examples will be presented at the forum, including the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. As part of the initiative the University developed a course titled, Business on the Frontlines, which allows students to directly examine the impact of business in war-torn countries with two weeks of hands-on fieldwork.

“Clear objectives and deliverables are important so that the service-learning project does not just become a feel-good experience. These objectives include understanding the multiple dimensions of a problem, their structural causes as well as possible strategies for intervention,” said Carolyn Woo, Former Dean, Mendoza College of Business.

PRME signatory schools and universities are working to improve responsible management worldwide through innovative strategies and initiatives. At the Global Forum, working groups will showcase their achievements including the development and promotion of the Women’s Empowerment Principles; the changing of curricula to include anti-corruption content; the advancement of research on the relationship between management education and poverty reduction; and the encouragement of cross-sector partnerships.

The 3rd Global Forum will take place as part of the Global Compact Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum and as the official side meeting for the management education sector at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio+20. At Rio+20, which marks the 20th anniversary of the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, governments will build consensus on a more sustainable course for our world in the environmental, social and economic spheres.

Registration for the 3rd Global Forum is by invitation only for signatories of PRME and academic participants of the UN Global Compact. To be eligible, institutions can sign up to PRME and/or the Global Compact. Additionally, all institutions of higher education are encouraged to play their part by signing the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20 declaration.

To learn more about joining PRME please visit: http://www.unprme.org/how-to-participate/index.php.

To view the agenda of the 3rd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education visit: http://www.unprme.org/global-forum/agenda.php.

About the PRME Initiative
The mission of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative is to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally. The PRME are inspired by internationally accepted values such as the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. They seek to establish a process of continuous improvement among institutions of management education in order to develop a new generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.

In the current academic environment, corporate responsibility and sustainability have entered but not yet become embedded in the mainstream of business-related education. The PRME are therefore a timely global call for business schools and universities worldwide to gradually adapt their curricula, research, teaching methodologies and institutional strategies to the new business challenges and opportunities. By teaching current and future business leaders, management educators are uniquely positioned to facilitate the transition to a sustainable future. As the business sector increasingly demands an understanding of sustainability, educational institutions must adapt in order to produce graduates equipped for a changing business environment.

Taking the Six Principles as a guiding framework, any institution which is willing to integrate corporate responsibility and sustainability in a gradual but systemic manner is welcome to join the initiative. PRME was initially developed in collaboration between the United Nations Global Compact and representatives of business education. The Six Principles were first unveiled at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in July 2007. There are currently over 400 organizations signed up to the PRME initiative.

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Media Contact
Kathleen Rafferty
212-994-7515
Kathleen.Rafferty@rfbinder.com

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