Moody-Stuart, chairman of U.N. foundation, to replace Kofi Annan as ND conference keynoter

Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of the board of directors of the Foundation for the United Nations Global Compact, will replace U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the keynote speaker for a conference of academics, corporate executives, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government policymakers which will be convened at the University of Notre Dame from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14 (Sunday to Tuesday)

Annan is unable to attend the conference due to scheduling conflicts.  He is stepping down Dec. 31 after two five-year terms as head of the international body.

As chairman of the Foundation for the Global Compact, Moody-Stuart oversees the non-profit organization’s efforts to raise funds for the work of the U.N. Global Compact office. Rev. Oliver Williams, C.S.C., director of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business, and organizer of this conference, also serves on the foundation’s board.

The Global Compact was established by Annan in 2000.  It brings companies together with U.N. agencies, labor, civil society and governments to advance universal principles in order to foster a more sustainable and inclusive world economy.  

Moody-Stuart holds a doctorate in geology from Cambridge University and is a fellow of the Geological Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the Institute of Petroleum.  Before assuming his present position as chairman of Anglo American PLC, an international mining company, he was chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies from 1998 to 2001 and of the Shell Transport and Trading Company from 1997 to 2001.  He chairs the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and was a member of the U.N. secretary-general’s advisory council for the Global Compact from 2001 to 2004.

The conference, “Peace Through Commerce:  Partnerships as the New Paradigm,” will examine the roles partnerships of businesses and NGOs might play in social development and world peace.  It also will propose ideas for new academic business courses concerning the advancement of peace through economic commerce. 

Carolyn Woo, Gillen Dean of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, is a prominent and vigorous advocate of this approach.  For nearly two years, she has led efforts in meetings of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which accredits business schools worldwide, to deepen its theoretical and strategic appeal. 

Among the companies represented in the conference discussions will be  Barlow;  Bristol-Myers-Squibb; Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Chevron; The Coca-Cola Company; Cummins Inc.; Ford Motor Company; Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold, Inc; General Electric; IBM; Lansdowne Consulting; Nestlé, S.A.; Newmont Mining Corporation; Novartis; BP; and Occidental Petroleum.

NGOs participating in the conference include CDA (Collaborative  for Development Action); the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS; TechnoServe; Initiative for Global Development; The Business Humanitarian Forum; UNDP; Peace Group of Bogota’s Business Leaders Forum; Oxfam; Fundacion Ideas Para la Paz; and PACT Congo.

The “Peace Through Commerce” conference is sponsored by the AACSB, the United Nations Global Compact, the Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business, and Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

Contact:  Rev. Oliver Williams, C.S.C., director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business, at574-631-5761 or Williams.80@nd.edu. For the detailed schedule, visit the conference website at http://www.nd.edu/~ethics/ethicsConference/

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