China: ICRC signs MoU with ACBASR to help Chinese enterprises improve overseas practices

Based on their respective responsibilities and mandates, both parties will share resources, build on each other’s strengths and adopt innovative ways of working so as to help Chinese enterprises improve their overseas practices and build stronger social licenses to operate.  The collaboration aims to contribute to Africa’s sustainable development, the improvement of local people’s livelihood and strengthening their resilience to different challenges. 

“Today is an important moment for the International Committee of the Red Cross here in Beijing, as we formalize our longstanding cooperation with the Alliance of Chinese Business in Africa for Social Responsibilities and sign a memorandum of understanding,” said Mr. Balthasar Staehelin, the Personal Envoy of the ICRC president to China and Head of ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia.

“We will deepen our ties, learn from each other, and strive together to improve the livelihood of populations in Africa. On one hand, the ICRC shares its expertise of fragile and complex contexts, and what it takes for companies to act, manage the business in a responsible way in this kind of context, but also manage the security in these complex situations; on the other hand, the Alliance, with its multitude of businesses, is able to offer interesting perspectives and support to the ICRC, to see how we can improve the livelihood of African populations.”

According to the ICRC’s annual report, five out of its ten largest operations in 2023 were in Africa. Its operations on the continent not only provide emergency assistance and protection to people affected by conflict and other situations of violence, but also focus on long-term programs aimed at helping vulnerable communities build resilience and improve their ability to cope with the compounded effects of conflicts, violence, disasters and climate change.

The ACBASR is a non-governmental, non-profit organization voluntarily established by more than 1,700 members at the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Its mission is to support Chinese enterprises operating in Africa to participate in and contribute to autonomous and sustainable development of African countries. In 2021, the Alliance launched the “100 Enterprises and 1,000 Villages” initiative, mobilizing at least 100 Chinese enterprises to fulfil their corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Africa to bring benefits to at least a thousand  villages and towns.

At the recently concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China announced that it would work with Africa to take partnership actions for modernization in the next three years, including the implementation of 1,000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects to promote local economic and social development and people’s wellbeing.

By signing the MoU, the ICRC and the Alliance will jointly organize activities such as thematic seminars and technical exchanges, and collaborate on case studies and research, with particular interest in the Alliance’s implementation of the “100 Enterprises and 1,000 Villages” initiative. In addition, the ICRC will actively participate in specialized training sessions on responsible business and security management in complex environments organized by the Alliance for its members, and make available relevant technical resources and knowledge products to these sessions.

Mr. Diao Chunhe, Executive Chairman of the Alliance, stressed that such cooperation was significant for both parties.

“Both parties look forward to making greater contributions in Africa, particularly in encouraging Chinese enterprises to fulfil their social responsibility, and in disaster relief, aid and the promotion of people’s livelihood and well-being. This is the significance of our signing the MoU today. I hope both sides can deepen cooperation and achieve results as soon as possible.”

The signing ceremony was one of the important arrangments on the agenda of 2024 China-Africa Industrial Cooperation Conference (CAICC) organized by the Alliance.  Boris Kelecevic, Deputy Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia, was also invited to attend a high-level dialogue of the conference. The panel was themed “Social Responsibilities promote People’s Livelihood”.

Mr. Boris said the ICRC supports communities in less developed areas of Africa mainly through activities in three key areas: economic security, health, and water and habitat. Since 1935, the ICRC has been working extensively with various stakeholders such as governments, local Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other organizations, reaching communities affected by conflict and disasters, thus gaining rich experience in terms of local humanitarian and security situation. He stressed that the ICRC hoped to discuss with Chinese actors on how to combine corporate social responsibility initiatives with humanitarian assistance programs, jointly contributing to the improvement of people’s livelihoods in Africa and achieving development goals.

At the invitation of the conference, the ICRC also set up a booth to showcase its humanitarian logistics supply chain in the field. Among its five global logistics centers, two are located in Africa. The Nairobi Regional Logistics Support Center is the second largest one, serving not only Africa but also surrounding regions.

The CAICC was hosted by China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters (CCCMC) and organized by the Alliance. It gathered more than 500 representatives from government departments of China and over 10 African countries, international organizations, investment institutions and enterprises, including Mr. Tang Wenhong, Assistant Minister of Commerce of People’s Republic of China, Mr. Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, Assistant Minister of Investments, Trade and Industry of Kenya, and Mr. Liu Junfeng, Vice Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency.