Fransabank Group represented by the Head of the Marketing Research Department, Mrs. May Jabbour Rihan was the only Bank in Lebanon that Joined the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2013 held in New York on the 19th and 20th September 2013.
More than 1,000 CEOs from 100 countries gathered at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2013 whereby the ultimate goal was to help create “a more sustainable and inclusive global economy”. The participants aimed to advance principles on human rights, fair labor practices, environmental responsibility and anti-corruption.
In the context of the summit, the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Mr. Georg Kell commended the important role of Fransabank Group Chairman, Mr. Adnan Kassar when as President of the International Chamber of Commerce, in 1999 he accepted, on behalf of the world business community, the challenge of then UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan and founded together the UN Global Compact.
The UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon launched at the Summit the post-2015 business engagement architecture which illustrated the main building blocks necessary to enhance corporate sustainability as an effective contribution to sustainable development, creating value for both business and society.
Looking ahead, Fransabank will build up on what has been achieved so far in the context of corporate responsibility, to consolidate its role and to live up to the new challenges presented by taking the Global Compact to higher levels. In addition, the Bank will align its local and international entities to contribute to the advancement of sustainable development priorities by implementing corporate sustainability strategies that advance inclusive economic growth, social equity and progress, and environmental protection. The objective is to enable these strategies and practices to effectively contribute to revenue growth, resource productivity and the mitigation of operational, legal and reputational risks.
Chairman’s Kassar said in this context that: “Fransabank’s attachment to the UN Global Compact principles, and our adoption of long term Corporate Responsibility strategies is due to our belief that by giving back to our society and our community, we give back to our shareholders, our clients, our employees and our society at large.