Corporate governance and business practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the role of SMEs, innovation, and technology in the 2030 Agenda, and national and regional public policies to promote sustainability were among the topics discussed by experts from the business, academic, and political spheres at the First Ibero-American Conference on Sustainable Development, organized by the AECA Chair at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
The First Ibero-American Conference on Sustainable Development was held on November 29 and 30, 2018, at the Pocitos Campus of Universidad ORT Uruguay. The conference was titled “Agenda 2030: Together Toward Sustainability, ” and the thematic areas were as follows:
- Corporate governance and business practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The Role of SMEs, Innovation, and Technology in the 2030 Agenda.
- National and regional public policies to promote sustainability.
- Financial and non-financial information and assurance of sustainability reports.
- The role of universities in achieving the SDGs.
- The commitment of young people and women to the SDGs.
The event was organized by the AECA Carlos Cubillo Chair in Accounting and Auditing – Ibero-American Chapter, headed by Dr. Nicolás Gambetta, academic coordinator of the graduate programs in accounting and taxation at the Graduate School of the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences.
The conference featured Professor Isabel Martínez-Conesa (University of Murcia), Professor Roberto di Pietra (University of Siena), and Professor María Antonia García-Benau (University of Valencia) as keynote speakers.
Speakers and panelists included prominent professionals and officials, such as:
- Mireia Villar, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Uruguay.
- Dr. Gaston J. Labadie, Dean of the School of Business and Social Sciences, Universidad ORT Uruguay.
- Claudia Bonnecarrère, Director, National Development Agency (ANDE).
- Dr. Anabela Aldaz, president of the Organization of Women Entrepreneurs of Uruguay (OMEU).
- Bebo Gold, director of Sistema B Uruguay.
- María del Carmen Rúa, Esq., National Internal Audit Office (AIN).
- Mariella de Aurrecoechea, Esq., professor at Universidad ORT Uruguay, partner at Deloitte, and vice president of DERES.
- Álvaro García, Director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP).
- Martín Clerino, Ph.D., professor of corporate governance at Universidad ORT Uruguay and a KPMG partner responsible for sustainability.
The conference was attended by professionals from Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay. Six academic papers were presented, all of which had been reviewed by members of the conference’s Scientific Committee. The event concluded with a gala dinner.
The conference was supported by:
- AECA (Spanish Association of Accounting and Business Administration).
- Deloitte Uruguay.
- Uruguayan Association of Accountants, Economists, and Administrators (CCEAU).
- Inter-American Accounting Association (AIC).
Dr. Gaston J. Labadie, dean of ORT’s School of Management and Social Sciences, officially opened the conference, highlighting the importance of academia in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the school’s commitment to training professionals who are both knowledgeable and skilled in this area.
Next, Mireia Villar, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Uruguay, gave an introduction to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The presentations by the keynote speakers began with a talk by Professor Isabel Martínez Conesa (University of Murcia), who discussed the role of SMEs, startups, and innovation in the 2030 Agenda. She provided a brief introduction to the SDGs and the evolution of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), arguing that the SDGs are drivers of value for companies because:
- They enable the creation of management models that are sustainable over time and generate competitive advantages.
- They foster a more innovative corporate culture.
- They should lead to the creation of shared value and long-term trust as a result of the integration and management of risks and opportunities.
- They cannot be used as a marketing tool.
The next section of the presentation focused on how SMEs should incorporate the SDGs into their businesses, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
He presented the findings of a research project linking corporate social responsibility (CSR) to improved profitability through the multiplier effect of innovation. Finally, the concept of sustainability-oriented innovation was discussed.
The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring:
- Claudia Bonnecarrère, Director, National Development Agency (ANDE).
- Dr. Anabela Aldaz, president of OMEU.
- Bebo Gold, director of Sistema B Uruguay.
The session was moderated by Professor María Antonia García-Benau, Chair of Financial Economics and Accounting at the University of Valencia.
For his part, Professor Roberto di Pietra (University of Siena) spoke about corporate governance and business practices aligned with the SDGs.
The presentation focused on the relationship between corporate governance (CG) mechanisms and CSR actions and disclosure. The discussion centered on whether the existence of sound governance mechanisms and the adoption of CSR initiatives encourage the publication of credible and reliable CSR reports.
In that context, they discussed some of these practices, which are derived from the literature and existing practices in the field of corporate governance, citing findings from their studies in this area of research.
Based on the two studies, the reviewed literature, and current practices, Professor Di Pietra proposes that effective corporate governance mechanisms could support the promotion of CSR initiatives and the disclosure of information in a manner consistent with SDG 16: promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, ensuring access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring:
- María del Carmen Rúa, Esq., Internal Auditor for the Federal Government.
- Mariella de Aurrecoechea, Esq., professor at Universidad ORT Uruguay, partner at Deloitte, and vice president of DERES.
The session was moderated by Professor Nicolás Gambetta, holder of the AECA Carlos Cubillo Chair in Accounting and Auditing – Ibero-American Chapter.
Finally, Professor María Antonia García-Benau (University of Valencia) gave a presentation on financial and non-financial information and the assurance of sustainability reports.
In the first part of his presentation, he discussed the need for corporate reports to include both financial and non-financial information. He noted the growing trend toward non-financial reporting and its value to certain users.
The expert then explained how Spain has adapted to the European Union’s requirements. Finally, she emphasized the need to ensure that this new information is of high quality through verification.
To this end, the discussion focused on the limited scope imposed by the European Union and on the existence of standards that could help improve the credibility of such information. Data was presented on IBEX-35 companies, comparing information from 2007 and 2017 and the trend in the publication of non-financial reports.
The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring:
- Martín Clerino, Ph.D., professor of corporate governance at Universidad ORT Uruguay and a KPMG partner in charge of sustainability.
- Dario Andrioli, Ph.D., Professor of CSR at Universidad ORT Uruguay and Managing Partner at Carle & Andrioli Law Firm.
The session was moderated by Mariella de Aurrecoechea, a professor at Universidad ORT Uruguay, a partner at Deloitte, and vice president of DERES.
Álvaro García, director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP), presented an update on Uruguay’s progress toward the 2030 Agenda at the conference.
As part of the conference, the Deloitte Chair in Management and Accounting for Sustainable Development was launched. The presentation was given by Mariella de Aurrecoechea, CPA, a partner at Deloitte Uruguay, and Alejandro Vanrell, CPA, the Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Manager at Deloitte Uruguay.
The conference concluded with a presentation by the research team from the AECA Chair on the research paper titled “The Latin American governments’ communication strategy in the voluntary national reviews: is the rhetoric aligned with reality?”.
Image gallery:
