ID :
31810
Sun, 11/23/2008 - 08:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/31810
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PRESIDENT: BUSINESS COMMUNITY MUST HELP POOR PEOPLE
Lima, Peru, Nov. 21 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the business community must not fail to help the communities present around them, especially in the current financial crisis which has caused the number of the poor to increase.
"That there is a realization that globalization and the way we grow our business, must be done by bringing along the community around us. It must be participatory, it must be inclusive and it must be able to reduce the number of poor people," President Yudhoyono said at the APEC CEO Summit 2008 here on Friday.
The head of state made the statements in his keynote speech titled "Economic Growth, Inequality and poverty: The Challenges for APEC's Developing Economies" at the APEC CEO summit running parallel to an APEC meeting of leaders from 21 Pacific Rim economies which will be held on Nov. 22 and 23, 2008.
Among the CEOs attending the Summit were Richard Adkerson from Freeport McMoran Copper and Gold, Jack Ma from Alibaba Group, Craig Mundie from Microsoft Corporation, Nick Reilly of Daewoo Asia who moderated the meeting.
The challenge of achieving growth, globalization, equity and poverty alleviation had never been easy, Yudhoyono said.
"With the global financial crisis and economic recession that we are in, it will be even more of a daunting challenge. We must be able to get out of recession or sustain some level of growth, but we must also safeguard the most vulnerable groups in our community," he said.
The President believed companies had a moral responsibility and obligation to help the world community in times of difficulties.
"At the height of the recent oil crisis, we witnessed what was said to be 'the greatest transfer of wealth from one set of nations to another in history', involving some US$ 2,3 trillion annually, enjoyed by petro-states and oil companies," he said.
"With this great wealth should also come a moral duty. I do not agree with nationalization, but I do believe in the proposition that the strong have to help the weak, and that great fortunes should also be utilized for the greater good in the spirit of compassion and human solidarity," he said.
"This is especially true as we address the issue of poverty, which is a pressing concern in both the developed and developing world. And it may seem that the current economic crisis and slowdown in growth will prevent the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015, the most pressing of which is the reduction of poverty," he said.
The World Bank had estimated that a one-percent decline in a developing country's growth rate would trap an additional 20 million people in poverty, he said.
The President also referred to poverty eradication programs in Indonesia which had involved community social responsibility programs.
"Indeed, we will not progress in the future without a joint commitment to community social responsibility. Businesses and government must join hands in this effort. Governments need your help, and you do make a difference," he said.
During times of crisis, governments should continue to create a conducive business environment and this meant continuing the programs of facilitating trade and investment, as well as behind- the-border structural reforms, he said.
"These are all key components of the APEC program that not only must be continued, but accelerated. Crisis provides the urgency and need for commitment to reforms so that the cost of doing business will be reduced, which will benefit micro and small enterprises the most," the head of state said.
"That there is a realization that globalization and the way we grow our business, must be done by bringing along the community around us. It must be participatory, it must be inclusive and it must be able to reduce the number of poor people," President Yudhoyono said at the APEC CEO Summit 2008 here on Friday.
The head of state made the statements in his keynote speech titled "Economic Growth, Inequality and poverty: The Challenges for APEC's Developing Economies" at the APEC CEO summit running parallel to an APEC meeting of leaders from 21 Pacific Rim economies which will be held on Nov. 22 and 23, 2008.
Among the CEOs attending the Summit were Richard Adkerson from Freeport McMoran Copper and Gold, Jack Ma from Alibaba Group, Craig Mundie from Microsoft Corporation, Nick Reilly of Daewoo Asia who moderated the meeting.
The challenge of achieving growth, globalization, equity and poverty alleviation had never been easy, Yudhoyono said.
"With the global financial crisis and economic recession that we are in, it will be even more of a daunting challenge. We must be able to get out of recession or sustain some level of growth, but we must also safeguard the most vulnerable groups in our community," he said.
The President believed companies had a moral responsibility and obligation to help the world community in times of difficulties.
"At the height of the recent oil crisis, we witnessed what was said to be 'the greatest transfer of wealth from one set of nations to another in history', involving some US$ 2,3 trillion annually, enjoyed by petro-states and oil companies," he said.
"With this great wealth should also come a moral duty. I do not agree with nationalization, but I do believe in the proposition that the strong have to help the weak, and that great fortunes should also be utilized for the greater good in the spirit of compassion and human solidarity," he said.
"This is especially true as we address the issue of poverty, which is a pressing concern in both the developed and developing world. And it may seem that the current economic crisis and slowdown in growth will prevent the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015, the most pressing of which is the reduction of poverty," he said.
The World Bank had estimated that a one-percent decline in a developing country's growth rate would trap an additional 20 million people in poverty, he said.
The President also referred to poverty eradication programs in Indonesia which had involved community social responsibility programs.
"Indeed, we will not progress in the future without a joint commitment to community social responsibility. Businesses and government must join hands in this effort. Governments need your help, and you do make a difference," he said.
During times of crisis, governments should continue to create a conducive business environment and this meant continuing the programs of facilitating trade and investment, as well as behind- the-border structural reforms, he said.
"These are all key components of the APEC program that not only must be continued, but accelerated. Crisis provides the urgency and need for commitment to reforms so that the cost of doing business will be reduced, which will benefit micro and small enterprises the most," the head of state said.
