2008-01-30

Speech of Perry Calderwood, Ambassador Designate of Canada to Venezuela, on the ocassion of the boook “Derechos Humanos y Empresas en Venezuela”.

Welcome and thank you for coming today. The Embassy of Canada is honoured to be able to host the launch of this important and timely book "Derechos Humanos y Empresas en Venezuela".

Canada has long been a supporter of the work of Amnesty International and this past December bestowed the honour of the Order of Canada to Alex Neve, current Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, for "his leadership in the field of human rights at the national and international levels, notably through Amnesty International Canada".

Human rights is a central theme of Canadian foreign policy along with democracy and the rule of law.

Canadians have for a long time expected their government to be a leader in the human rights field by reflecting and promoting Canadian values, including respect for diversity, on the international stage. Canadians recognise that their interests are best served by a stable, rules-based international system. Countries which respect the rule of law tend to respect the rights of their citizens, are more likely to benefit from development, and are much less likely to experience crises.

The UN Charter and customary international law impose on all countries the responsibility to promote and protect human rights. This is not merely a question of values, but a mutual obligation of all members of the international community, as well as an obligation of a state towards its citizens.

Canada is also an exporting nation and a major foreign investor. We are a particularly key player in the international mining and energy sectors where issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) such as human rights, labour and the environment, are most visible to the public eye. CSR plays an even more important role in countries that face governance and corruption challenges or internal conflict.

Against this background, Canadian companies that operate abroad can make an important contribution to sustainable development through socially responsible business practices.

This is why the Canadian government expects Canadian firms operating abroad to uphold local laws and international norms and standards and to reflect our values and international commitments, but we also recognize that more can be done to enhance the ability of the Canadian extractive sector, to mention just one sector, to manage the social and environmental risks of its operations overseas.

As our Minister of International Trade, David Emerson, recently noted, we can't talk about our global reputation without addressing the importance of our industry's CSR activities.

To build those linkages, Canada supports and encourages the Canadian business community to include social, environmental and economic concerns into their strategic plans, not only to make themselves more attractive to host governments like Venezuela but also, in partnership with other stakeholders, to ensure that Canada continues to be viewed as a partner of choice. As such, the Government of Canada will continue to develop guidelines and training modules for Canada's embassies abroad in order to better advise Canadian companies on CSR.

At the international level, Canada works multilaterally and with stakeholders to develop and advance CSR standards such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) guidelines for Multinational Enterprises through Canada's National Contact Point (NCP). These Guidelines, endorsed by 39 countries including Canada, provide a framework of standards and principles for responsible business conduct in areas such as environmental stewardship, human rights and labour.

On February 2007, the Government of Canada announced Canada's support for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This initiative supports improved governance in resource-rich countries through the full publication and verification of company payment revenues. The EITI thus reduces the corruption and diversion of these revenues, as well as providing a critical first step to hold decision-makers accountable for the use of their revenues. In addition, at the G8 Summit held from June 6 to 8, 2007, in Heiligendamm, Germany, Prime Minister Harper and other G8 leaders agreed to promote a consolidated set of internationally recognized CSR guidelines and principles for the extractive sector industry that will help clarify the expectations of investors in developing countries.

On October 25, 2007, Export Development Canada (EDC), a Crown Corporation, announced that it had become a signatory to the Equator Principles, an international financial industry benchmark for assessing and managing social and environmental risk in project financing. Adopting these principles reflects the ongoing commitment to conduct international business in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

Canada continues to foster and promote CSR international standards in a number of multilateral forums including the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC).

Canada has also been exploring ways to include CSR-related clauses in the context of the FTA negotiations, as was the case in the Canada-Andean trade talks involving Peru and Colombia. The purpose of such clauses is to encourage Parties to promote internationally-recognized standards and principles or responsible business conduct, including with respect to human rights.

This year, the Canadian Embassy in Venezuela, in partnership with the Canada-Venezuela Chamber of Commerce, and Venezuelan companies and NGOs, will develop an Action Plan to promote Canadian best practices in the area of CSR, as well as new CSR projects in Venezuela, including training workshops and multi-stakeholder seminars.