The Caux Round Table (“CRT”) has received a significant grant from Thai patrons of sustainability to convene a series of global round tables to frame an approach to the ethics of sustainable development in support of the United Nation's initiative to adopt Sustainable Development Goals for all nations.

In September 2015, the United Nation’s General Assembly will adopt Sustainable Development Goals for the global community to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which will expire next year.  A process is underway to collect suggestions for the Sustainable Development Goals (see: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300).  

The adoption of global Sustainable Development Goals will be a milestone in the evolution of a more moral capitalism for our global community as it faces the challenges of inequalities in income and wealth distribution, growing populations and changes in our planet’s environment.

The CRT proposes in a series of small round tables to contribute to deeper appreciation of Sustainable Development Goals in two dimensions: one, on the necessity for private enterprise and free markets to responsibly contribute to higher living standards and provide revenue and new technologies for environmental stewardship; and, two, to articulate the core values of our wisdom traditions from around the world, which call for our personal and corporate support for sustainable development as an ethical ideal.

Each round table will be asked to consider the CRT’s Bangkok Agenda for a more moral capitalism, which resulted from the CRT’s 2013 Global Dialogue held in Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2013.  That Global Dialogue and related conference on sustainable development drew upon the advice and insights provided by Theravada Buddhism on incorporating responsible mindfulness in free market decision-making.

The discussions at each round table will be summarized in a proceedings as written by a skilled rapporteur.  The proceedings of all round tables will be condensed into a vision statement for presentation to the leadership of the United Nations and General Assembly.  Each round table will follow the CRT practice of open-ended discussion, skillfully facilitated under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.

The goal of each round table is to draw forth reactions to the Bangkok Agenda statement, along with new, insightful comments on its propositions, supplemented by the raising of additional concerns and perspectives considered germane to sustainable development by round table participants.

The theme of CRT advocacy for sustainable development is the ever present necessity of a moral capitalism to finance and achieve sustainable development with social justice in meeting the aspirations associated with human dignity through just, but robust wealth creation for the global community.

Second, the CRT hopes, by means of theses round tables, to highlight common ethical core values, which speak for sustainable development and justify a commitment to its becoming a reality.

Please send your observations and comments on this initiative to Stephen B. Young, Global Executive Director of the CRT, at: steve@cauxroundtable.net

For further information, please contact: Erik Sande, Director of Strategic Communications for the CRT, at: erik.sande@mac.com

Caux Round Table, The

Caux Round Table, The

Vision: Our VISION is for a world with - Rising Living Standards, Social Justice and Human Dignity for All Our vision is all about being obsessed with better possibilities for all. This vision is not small; to facilitate change for the better in humanity's ability to raise living standards, provide for social justice and realize the fullness of individual human dignity in all our days is a challenge of massive proportions but it is a challenge we readily accept. To achieve it, we will have to inspire and lead with inspiration and courage.

Mission: Our MISSION is twofold:

* To promote moral capitalism and responsible government

* To ensure greater prosperity, sustainability and fairness in a global economy.

These are our overarching goals and priorities. They translate our vision into a concrete view of our direction and purpose.

We believe Moral Capitalism is the only system with the potential to reduce global poverty and tyranny and address the needs and aspirations of individuals, societies, and nations.

As Stephen Young, the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table has written, "the challenge of moral capitalism is to tip the balance of wealth creation toward humanity's more noble possibilities and away from the dynamics of more brutish behavior."

The Caux Round Table stands for movement from aspiration to action. We straddle the ideals of principles and of ethical concern for the common good and the practical needs of businesses and governments to "get it right" in their actions and decisions. To facilitate implementation of a more moral capitalism, the Caux Round Table provides decision-making guidelines in the form of principles for business, principles for governments, principles for NGOs, and principles for the owners of wealth. The Caux Round Table futher provides a comprehensive risk assessment approach to CSR and stakeholder relationships, Arcturus, and a way of encourageing individuals to reflect on their decision-making styles to move from self-centered frameworks to stakeholder frameworks in business and public policy decision-making. We also provide educational programs for company directors, CSR certificates, and handbooks on CSRT for small and medium size enterprises and on the practice of moral government.

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