UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:	Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment International Affairs Directorate

Country:	Netherlands

Name of Focal Point:	Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment International

Initiative Title:	Knowledge Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Netherlands)

Internet links:	http://www.mvonederland.nl

Scope:	National: - Netherlands

Status:	Completed

Timeframe:	Start: 2000 End: 2004

Lead Institution:	Dutch Mnistry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, International Affairs Directorate

Stakeholders/Partners:

Relevent issues:

Objectives/Challenges:

The objective of CSR Netherlands is to promote CSR amongst its primary target group, namely businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. CSR Netherlands seeks to realise its objective by promoting the exchange of knowledge and experience within and between its target groups. In order to involve SMEs, it will adopt very practical methods. The Dutch approach aims to combine the dissemination of knowledge and information on corporate social responsibility with the active creation of a network in which the stakeholders learn from and with one another.

Lessons Learned:

The Knowledge Centre reaches beyond its immediate membership, as shown by the involvement of a wide range different participants in its workshops, events and projects.

Summary:

In 2000, the Social and Economic Council advised the Dutch government to actively support the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. In 2001, the government decided to set up the Knowledge Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Netherlands). CSR Netherlands actually started work in late 2004.

In 2004 CSR Netherlands drew up, in consultation with its stakeholders, a list of the ten most important social issues. Many of these issues lie at the heart of the agreements made in Johannesburg and in the UN Millennium Development Goals (including climate change, poverty reduction and biodiversity). For each of these issues a think-tank was set up to monitor developments and how companies are responding to them.

Over the last two years, CSR Netherlands has reached out actively to SMEs by means of contacts and projects with trade associations, meetings, workshops, articles and its own newsletter. It also maintains an extensive CSR ‘knowledge library’ and a list of CSR-related instruments. Further information on its resources, activities and results achieved can be found on www.mvonederland.nl.

At present (early 2006) the organisation has some 200 members. These include companies, institutes, NGOs, government agencies, educational establishments and consultancies, most of them leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility. However the Knowledge Centre reaches beyond its immediate membership, as shown by the involvement of a wide range different participants in its workshops, events and projects.