Mary Robinson calls on business schools to take on the human rights challenge

Mary Robinson was among the guest speakers joining CEOs, politicians, business executives and a team of IMD Faculty for a Responsible Leadership Summit from February 1-3, 2009 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“The current financial turmoil in our world is the result of a leadership crisis” stated IMD President Dr John R. Wells.

“Responsible leadership is about getting positive results in the right way. It should permeate all aspects of our business... Given the many public calls for greater responsibility, we are delighted to bring together leaders from the political and business world for the summit to address responsible leadership at the individual, corporate and global level.”

“How do you think responsible leadership will shape the future of business and society?”

Mary Robinson provided the keynote address to open the three-day Responsible Leadership Summit at IMD. Mrs. Robinson urged participants to engage more actively on human rights issues. "In a world so deeply divided between rich and poor, North and South, religious and secular, us and them, we need more than ever common values – a ‘common standard of achievement’ as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights puts it," she stated.

"All of us need tools to hold governments accountable for their performance. The Universal Declaration, which has been affirmed and reaffirmed by governments for more than half a century, is central to that cause.” Mrs. Robinson noted that public demands on companies and individual business leaders to demonstrate responsible behavior will only grow in the years to come. The focus of these demands will increasingly center around human rights principles and standards.

"Business managers who view human rights and other social issues as just philanthropy, or as an afterthought, will face a growing number of risks. I am hopeful that we will increasingly see the emergence of another kind of leader – one who is able to incorporate human rights and other ethical issues into her or his decision-making. That will not only be good for business, but it will also be a powerful force in realizing human rights for all."

IMD Responsible Leadership: A Personal Perspective Q & A

IMD is a leading global business school based in Lausanne, Switzerland. For over 60 years, IMD has worked with leading global companies to develop and retain management talent. IMD is the “global meeting place”: the most international of business schools worldwide.