The second and last day ofEthos 360° Conference Sao Paulo, one of the main ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance – ESG in English, held this Wednesday (18) and Thursday (19), at the Ibirapuera Biennial Pavilion, in the São Paulo capital, presented in its opening panel a lecture of theMinister of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), Vinicius Marques de Carvalho. In participation with Andrea Álvares, president of the Board of the Ethos Institute, the minister addressed the role of the CGU in promoting integrity and emphasized the importance of companies implementing ethical practices, in addition to detailing the strategies adopted to prevent corruption and the recommended actions to align corporate values with integrity standards
“A corruption has come to be treated as an economic problem. At the same time, it became clear that acting only in a punitive way is not enough. As much as one insists on applying punishments, only 2% or 3% of corruption cases involving companies are identified. It was found that it is necessary to adopt another strategy to disseminate the expected integrity standards in the corporate culture.” The minister emphasized, yet, the success of the Pró-Ética Seal, a partnership between the CGU and the Ethos Institute, which aims to recognize and highlight companies that adopt integrity practices,ethics and transparency in their operations
Combating Inequalities
In sequence, Laís Abramo, National Secretary for Care and Family Policy, participated in the panelNational Care Policy as a tool to combat inequalitiesand addressed the barriers faced by women to access and remain in the labor market and highlighted the importance of the National Care Policy, a priority agenda of the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger (MDS)
Abramo explained that “the theme of care has always been present in the lives of all people, especially women, but this issue only became a public agenda a year ago, when two secretariats were created to address this issue. She emphasized that "many times women are unable to enter the job market due to their responsibilities at home and with the family”.
The panelResponsible use of AI and combating inequalitiessought to reflect on how artificial intelligence can be used ethically and responsibly to promote inclusion and reduce inequalities. The debate included the participation of Clarice Tavares, coordinator of Human Rights at InternetLab, that stated that the algorithm still reinforces gender discrimination. “Just look at who the singer of the first song in most playlists is: a man. And posts from the LGBT population are less propagated because they contain words considered toxic by algorithm standards. It is necessary to have more diversity in the development of technology. To avoid and mitigate these biases, we need to invest in training people and in technology to change this standard”, completed
Viviane Lisboa, coordinator of the Data Analytics Center at Prodam, remembered that "the regulation of AI is important to achieve data protection, transparency, security (with ethical use) and accountability of the actors”. And Rafael Miranda, professor and co-director of the Jean Monet Center of Excellence on Business and Human Rights at FECAP, that completed the panel, finished: "The advancement of AI can be used for the promotion of human rights and the promotion of equality. It is essential to think about collaborative solutions, multi stakeholders”.
Climate change
The panelCOP30 and Climate Adaptation Plan: The role of companies in reducing climate vulnerability in Brazildiscussed the opportunity that Brazil has from hosting the event to reaffirm its leadership in environmental preservation and in addressing the impacts of climate change, in addition to leading by example
Inamara Melo, general coordinator of Climate Change Adaptation at the Ministry of the Environment, highlighted thatThe Climate Plan is a significant effort by the government to consolidate climate actions, but it needs everyone's engagement. The fight against climate change is a sectoral and multi-level agenda, that needs a sectoral pact with many actors, among them governments, companies and civil society”. The panel also featured the participation of Priscila Matta, senior Sustainability manager at Natura, and Felipe Saboya, deputy director of the Ethos Institute and moderator of the debate
Business integrity
The panelThe Brazilian Business Sector and the Advancement of Business Integrity: Challenges and Perspectives, offered by Ypê, discussed the advancement of corporate integrity in Brazil, analyzing how companies have faced challenges related to transparency, ethics and responsibility. Cristine Köhler Ganzenmüller, director of Private Integrity at the CGU, reinforced thatthere are many challenges faced, because the theme of integrity is in constant evolution. A very significant advancement is the inclusion of the Human Rights agenda in the Integrity agenda. The Anti-Corruption Law and the Bidding Law are other extremely important advances”.
Pedro Rubião, Legal Director, Compliance, Institutional Relations and External Communication at Ypê, pointed out thatethical conduct is fundamental, however, there is a long way for companies. It is important to emphasize that, yes, it is possible to act ethically and achieve the expected business results. It is necessary to put an end to the myth that private companies cannot advance on this agenda“. The panel also featured the participation of Valéria Café, general director of IBGC, and Caio Magri, president-director of the Ethos Institute, as a mediator
A Crisis of capitalism and the need for a new economic paradigmit was the subject of a panel that addressed how recent corporate governance scandals have highlighted the structural flaws of a capitalism focused on profit at any cost, raising questions about the sustainability of this economic model. John Paul Pacific, CEO of the Gaia Group, explained that profit at any cost is a practice that persists to this day, but has already proven to be unsustainable. “Companies need to take impact investment into account, that takes into account not only the financial return, but also the social and environmental return”. Solon Neto, co-founder and director of news and audience at Alma Preta, reinforced that this behavior is seen even in the daily news"There is a lack of diversity even in the news". The different media outlets always report with the same bias, for the same people
The debate also featured the participation of Adila Nascimento, Finance and Strategic Operations Manager at Sistema B Brazil, and the mediation of Andrea Álvares, president of the Board of the Ethos Institute
Deconstructing racism in language
The panelGlossary in reverse: deconstructing racism in languagepresented a proposal for deconstructing the structural racist terms, desenvolvida por Conselheiras Negras do Conselho de Desenvolvimento Econômico Social e Sustentável (CDESS/SRI/PR) e por pesquisadoras do Grupo de Pesquisa Ativista Audre Lorde e do Coletivo Ativista de Psicanalistas Ativistas em Psicanálise, Education and Culture
Mônica Veloso, vice president of the Metalworkers' Union of Osasco, emphasized the importance of defining what racism is and where harassment begins. “The workplace also builds discriminatory languages and they can become microaggressions”. She reported on the work developed with companies to create processes to change this type of relationship. “Racism is a violation of Human Rights and companies need to act”, reinforced
Rosangela Hilário, professora permanente do Mestrado Acadêmico em Educação/UNIR, remembered that the Brazilian language is extremely rich and does not need racist words. "Change has to start at school", with the belonging of Black students and in the treatment of teachers. "We need to deconstruct structural terms of racism as a prerequisite for actual access to citizenship". The panel also featured the participation of Alcieli dos Santos, trainer and director of Education at Instituto Iungo, that explained that the glossary will be presented in various frontsso that it serves as a strategic tool in combating the structural terms that consolidate naturalized racism”.
Food insecurity and fighting hunger
The panel “Food Insecurity and Fight Against Hunger”, promoted by Assaí, addressed the multiple dimensions of food insecurity in the country. Kiko Afonso, CEO of Ação Cidadania, remembered that it is necessary to engage in dialogue with various stakeholders so that Brazil can get off the UN hunger map and reach 2030 as a country with zero hunger. “For the vast majority of companies, the fight against hunger (SDG 2) is not a material issue in GRI reports. That's why investments come from Marketing and not from ESG, with lower values”, said
Fábio Lavezo, Sustainability and Social Investment Manager of Assaí, remembered that companies have a role to play in this agenda to combat hunger. “The pandemic was a time of much reflection and learning and ways to address solutions”, stated. Furthermore, explained that the redistribution of food is a greater obstacle in the fight against hunger, since currently less than 10% of uneaten food is donated in the country. “We have a regulatory obstacle regarding accountability for food produced and donated”, Lavezzo stated. The panel was mediated by Glaucia Oliveira, leader of Management and People and Organizational Development at the Ethos Institute
Emphasis, yet, for the panelsCorporate Volunteering: Strengthening Organizational Culture and Generating Strategic Social Impact, organized by Raízen, Diversity, equity and inclusion – The role of companies for a more equitable society, offered by Novelis, andSustainable Finance – business opportunities and financing, carried out by Banco do Brasil
Sponsors: Diamond Sponsorship: Raízen and Novelis | Silver Sponsorship: Banco do Brasil and Federal Government | Bronze Sponsorship: ArcelorMittal, Assaí, Box, Energy Cup, Gerdau, Ypê | Support – Abvtex, CropLife, IRecycle, Facility Doc, Globe, Itaú, Klabin, Safe Harbor, Educare Network, Course, SmartCafé | Institutional partnership – Alcoa, Hydro, Nature, PwC, Sebrae and Shellin
