2011 Summit Program
Business as an Instrument of Peace
Oslo, 17 October 2011
The Symposium will investigate how business can work together with other stakeholders to promote the building of trust, leading to stability and peace.
The 2011 Research Symposium is in three parts. A breakfast debate at Litteraturhuset is followed by a presentation of detailed research findings at Oslo Konserthus – transport will be arranged. A late afternoon gathering at Oslo City Hall will discuss the highlights from the day’s presentations. A number of the contributors are English speakers, and the symposium will be conducted in English.
Registration and participation is free. YOU CAN REGISTER AT THIS LINK.
Breakfast debate – Litteraturhuset (House of Literature), from 09.00-10.30
Presentation of Research – Oslo Konserthus (Oslo Concert Hall), from 11.00 to 15.00
Business for Peace Summit, Part II of Oslo Innovation Week Opening Symposium – Oslo City Hall, from 16.00 to 19.00
The day is a collaboration between:
OECD National Contact Point Norway (OECD NCP Norway)
United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
Institute for Corporate Responsibility (ICR-GWU)
International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR)
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
Business for Peace Foundation (BfPF)
PROGRAM FOR OCTOBER 17.
BREAKFAST DEBATE – HOUSE OF LITERATURE – 09.00-10.30
09.00-10.30 Breakfast debate at Litteraturhuset (House of Literature). “Business in Development – from conflict to collaboration.” Leaders from business, politics and society join for debate. How are businesses dealing with the challenge posed by human rights and concern for the environment? How can Norwegian authorities contribute to assist businesses facing stricter demands? Can dialogue and mediation of disputes be effective approaches in conflict resolution between businesses and local societies? (Breakfast served from 08.30) Program in Norwegian.
You will meet:
Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and of International Development
Caroline Rees, Director, Governance and Accountability Program of Harvard Kennedy School
Joseph Wilde, Senior researcher Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), Coordinator OECD Watch
Harald Norvik, Chairman of the board Telenor
Øyvind Briså, Company director BAMA, and proponent of social dialogue between unions and businesses in Costa Rica
Hans Petter Graver, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Private Law, University of Oslo
Moderator: Elin M. Myrmel-Johansen, director Storebrand
The debate will build on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – Recommendations for Responsible Business Conduct in a Global Context.
RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM – OSLO CONCERT HALL – 11:00-15:00
11:00-11:15 Welcome - Kristian Berg Harpviken, Director, PRIO
11:15-11:45 Business and Peace
A Sketch of the Terrain of Scholarly Literature on Business and Peace
Timothy L. Fort, Executive Director, Institute for Corporate Responsibility, George Washington University School of Business
11:45-12:15 ‘Being Businessworthy’ Can Contribute to Stability and Peace
A Business View of Peace, by Per L.Saxegaard, Chairman BfPF
In the 21st Century, businesses will benefit not only from peace but also for contributing to it. Through the Internet revolution we have gone from being connected, to interconnected to being ethically interdependent. The essence of the 21st Century business model is to be “businessworthy,” a concept that insists on creating economic value that also creates value for society, leading to the building of trust and stability, and ultimately peace.
12:15-13;00 Business Executives, Private Sector Actors as Peacebuilders, or Private Sector Building Peace
Johan Genneby, Director International Council of Swedish Industry
NIR’s many years of practical experience of working together with other private sector actors in conflict-affected countries around the world identified limitations in the debate on the role of business in peacebuilding. Commissioned by NIR, the Swedish Institute for International Affairs (UI) conducted a review of current debate which found a normative, lack of consensus on the role and benefit of private actors’ involvement in conflict prone and conflict-affected markets. Concluded in October 2011, the research project “Private Sector Actors Role in Peace Building” develops an embryo for a framework to aid academic researchers, policymakers, business executives and CSR officers to better assess the roles private sector actors may plan in peace processes. Moreover, the framework will also assist private sector actors when assessing and developing their corporate strategies and risk management for operations in conflict-affected markets.
13;00-13:30 Break
13:30-14:15 A Strategic Opportunity for Business and Public Policy USIP/GWU
Raymond Gilpin, Director Sustainable Economics Program, USIP
John Forrer, Associate Director ICR-GWU;
Timothy Fort, Executive Director ICR-GWU
Peacebuilding in conflict-affected regions requires much more than boots on the ground, peace accords, security arrangements and focused diplomacy. Practitioners, scholars and policymakers agree that success in this regard requires the effective leverage of all stakeholders – including the business sector.
The USIP-ICT Task Force calls for government to give greater recognition to private efforts in peace-building and more specifically posed three research questions: (a) How does business affect peace? (b) How do business models adapt to overcome challenges in conflict-affected states?, and (c) How do domestic and international regulatory arrangements impact profitability and competitiveness?
14:15-15:00 ‘Capitalist Peace’ – Is Economic Exchange as Important to Peace as Democratic Institutions?
Håvard Hegre, Research Professor at PRIO and the University of Oslo)
Globalization is often seen as a source of conflict and unrest. Certainly, some forms of economic exchange have negative consequences. In particular, trade in goods with a potential of disproportionally favoring political elites in the absence of strong institutions may be detrimental to peace. Moreover, conflict itself undermines the prospects for peace-conducive economic activity, creating a ‘conflict trap’ that may be hard to escape. Still, over the last couple of decades, empirical research has demonstrated a clear, positive relationship between most forms of economic exchange and peace. Early research, often referred to as liberal peace studies, found that states that trade extensively with each other have fewer interstate conflicts. Relatedly, internal armed conflict is most frequent in poor and stagnant economies — economies often characterized by inadequate access to global markets. What is conducive to economic growth and the intensification of business relationships, both domestically and internationally, seem also to be conducive to peace in a wide understanding. The presentation discusses various explanations of these patterns, including the notion of a “capitalist peace”. This is based on the idea that free markets and solid protection of property rights is more (or equally) important than democratic institutions for international peace. Other views sees the emergence of property right protection, open economies, and strong democratic institutions as outcomes of closely related processes.
15:00-15:15 Closing Remarks – Kristian Berg Harpviken, Director, PRIO
PHILOSOPHER’S CHALLENGE – Oslo City Hall – Part II of the Oslo Innovation Week Opening Symposium
A Philosopher of Ethics Examines the Claim that «Business can be an Instrument of Peace».
16:00-17:00 Reception at the City Hall of Oslo
17.00 – 17.15 Opening session
17.00 Welcome and Opening Remarks from the City of Oslo.
17.10 Opening Statement (Per L. Saxegaard, Chairman BfP)
17.15 – 18.40 Keynote session (chair: Kristian Berg Harpviken, PRIO)
Keynote Address by Minister of the Environment and
International Development, Erik Solheim.
17.40 – 18.40 Philosopher’s Challenge
Henrik Syse, philosopher of ethics, examines the claim that “Business can be an Instrument of Peace”.
Participants:
Johan Genneby, Director International Council of Swedish Industry
John Forrer, Associate Director ICR-GWU;
Raymond Gilpin, Director Sustainable Economics Program, USIP
Håvard Hegre, Research Professor at PRIO and the University of Oslo
18.40 – 19.00 Panel session (chair: Kristian Berg Harpviken, Director, PRIO)
18.40 – 19.00 Panel Discussion. Participants: Policymakers, leading businesspersons
20.00 – 23.00 Business for Peace Dinner, at the Nobel Peace Center – by Invitation Only.
REGISTRATION LINK – PARTICIPATION IS FREE.
