I'm writing this letter in response to the article by Richard Dion (OGJ, Feb. 21, 2000, p. 21). The article addressed the very important issue of corporate social responsibility in underdeveloped areas in which corporate investment runs high. I'm talking about places such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, and other countries and communities within the former Soviet Union and around the world.
As someone who has worked in the energy sector for nearly 40 years and who has traveled extensively, I have witnessed firsthand the value of working with effective grant-making institutions on the ground to create an economic environment in which business, both large and small, can flourish.
Some may feel that technical assistance is largely the responsibility of government, but I suggest that corporations stand to benefit enormously by entering into public-private partnerships. Knowledge of the important work that takes place on the ground spreads throughout the local community, through the halls of the national governments of the host countries, and to the policymakers at the highest level in Washington. These kinds of partnerships will shape and empower the coming generation of new leaders needed to carry these countries into the next century as increasingly advanced and responsible partners for their neighbors and for the investment community.
Mr. Dion mentioned only one organization that companies might consider working with. There are others.
I have been particularly impressed by the work of the Eurasia Foundation, on whose board I am privileged to serve, which operates in 12 countries of the former Soviet Union at the grassroots level. The foundation's program has been recognized by other leading foundations, foreign governments, and corporations, as well as by the US government and other governments, as a model for efficient allocation of funds on a local level. The foundation targets activities that accelerate the growth of private business, increase citizen participation in the political and economic decision-making of their countries, and develop more effective and accountable local government.
Over the past 6 years, the Eurasia Foundation has awarded more than $91 million in grants to over 4,500 projects in the former Soviet Union. The foundation does the majority of its grant-making through seven field offices staffed largely by professionals drawn from the local region. Over 90% of the foundation's grants are awarded by its field offices directly to local organizations.
Eurasia Foundation's grant recipients are active in the most far-flung regions of the former Soviet Union, from Sakhalin to Aktau to Baku and everywhere between. The foundation has developed successful partnerships with corporations interested in helping to improve the economic climate throughout the former Soviet Union. I encourage my colleagues to consider working with the Eurasia Foundation representatives thoughout the former Soviet Union.
George A. Helland
Houston
