Details

Title	Aboriginal Engagement & Sustainability
Summary	A CBSR compendium of leadership practices based on the Building Sustainable Relationships conference hosted in Vancouver on February 8-9, 2005
Produced / Developed By	CBSR
Description	On February 8-9, 2005, Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR) hosted the Building Sustainable Relationships: Aboriginal Engagement and Sustainability Conference, a collaboration between CBSR and leaders from industry, Aboriginal communities, government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The conference focused on Aboriginal engagement in the context of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Canada’s natural resources sectors, particularly the mining, oil and gas, forestry, and energy industries. The unique format of the guidebook reflects the conference presentations and the interactive spirit of the proceedings: conversations between partners presenting distinctive points of view and candid examples of collaboration between corporations and Aboriginal Communities. While the statements attributed to the various presenters and moderators are representative of the actual discussions, those statements are not literal quotations. The two-day conference was opened and closed by Leonard George of the Tseil-Waututh First Nation, who set the tone for the conference. He cited the importance of recognizing the history of the Aboriginal experience in Canada while looking to the future with hopes of creating a new, sustainable reality. Conference participants were witness to 11 case studies on best practices in business/Aboriginal partnerships as well as presentations on several tools for Aboriginal engagement. Although each presentation and case study had unique circumstances and lessons learned, there were some general themes that ran throughout the conference.
Access/URL	http://www.cbsr.ca/sites/default/files/CBSRAboriginalEngBook.pdf
Areas Of Interest	Corporate Social Responsibility; Development; Economic - Environmental; Economic - Social; Human Rights; Indigenous People; Resource Extraction; Sustainability