(from left) Stephanie Venuti (OECD Policy Officer), Shivani Kannabhiran (OECD Policy Officer), and Hideki Kagohashi (ILO Enterprise Development Specialist)

1 March 2019 – The Makati Business Club and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with the support of the European Union, conducted a roundtable meeting today on Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains. The discussion, which was participated by some of the major agricultural companies in the country, centered on international standards that all enterprises in the agricultural value chain can observe in order to adopt responsible business practices.

The visiting OECD officers,  Ms. Stephanie Venuti and Ms. Shivani Kannabhiran, shared and explained the five-step due diligence framework that can guide enterprises in identifying, assessing and mitigating actual and potential negative impacts of their activities. They presented a strong case for businesses to operate more responsibly, citing reasons such as investor and shareholder requirements, consumer awareness and action, legislations, obtaining social license to operate, increasing productivity, and accessing new markets.

MBC supports the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and encourages businesses, from small enterprise to large conglomerates, to utilize the tools offered by OECD to improve and increase the business sector’s contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will support OECD’s three-year project in the Philippines focused on guiding businesses in adopting RBC standards.