CSR forum for banks

ABL and CSR Lebanon to launch a survey of social responsibility status

A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) forum dedicated to the banking and financial sector was held in Beirut on December 1st. The forum was titled ‘Banking and Finance 2012: The Social Risk’.

It was organized by CSR consulting firm ‘CSR Lebanon’, with the support of UK’s CR Academy, and British charity organization Business in the Community (BITC).

During the event, the founder and CEO of CSR Lebanon, Khaled Kassar, said that social responsibility for corporates has become crucial for the development of businesses. He cited a recent survey which shows that 93 percent of CEOs globally see sustainability as important to their company‘s future success.

The president of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Joseph Torbey, said that the ABL and CSR Lebanon will launch a statistical survey for the banking sector in order to assess the status of the social and environmental responsibility in the sector.

The vice-governor of the Central Bank, Muhammad Baasiri, said that the CSR concept is a comprehensive strategy for managing social and environmental risks. He said that the Central Bank has issued new circulars urging banks to facilitate lending to eco-friendly projects.