More Than 10 000 Vietnamese Business People Reached

Quang Ninh, Viet Nam, May 2017—Since June 2015, more than 10 000 businesspeople across 45 Vietnamese cities and provinces have gained the tools and methods to adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies that incorporate wildlife protection.
To date, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has held over 240 courses, with the support of TRAFFIC, to reach members of the business community.

Continuing this successful outreach for CSR integration, TRAFFIC and VCCI’s Small and Medium Enterprise Centre this week held its third Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in Quang Ninh Province with funding from the Peace Parks Foundation.

The workshop further enhanced the capacity of trainers who are fostering CSR adoption throughout Viet Nam, with the participants gaining insights into how it can benefit nascent companies. The trainers also learned of the current state of wildlife crime and the latest methods and tools to change consumer behaviour.

The master trainers were also encouraged to seek out the most influential members of their communities to become key opinion leaders (KOL)—those entrepreneurs and businesspeople who not only abstain from consuming threatened wildlife, but also actively speak out against the practices that harm biodiversity.

‘The master-trainers delivering the corporate social responsibility courses are instrumental in expanding the reach of the Chi Initiative, which is designed to reduce demand for rhino horn and other threatened wildlife,’ said Madelon Willemsen, Head of TRAFFIC’s Viet Nam office.

‘VCCI and TRAFFIC are together heading into our third year of implementing these courses that foster zero-tolerance towards threatened wildlife consumption and we want to maintain the strong momentum in delivering effective behaviour change messages.’

‘Through this workshop, we can ensure the trainers are up to date on conservation issues and have a chance to share their experiences from the 140-plus courses have held since our second workshop last year.’

The meeting also presented an opportunity to refine approaches to maximize the adoption of CSR policies to curb wildlife crime in Viet Nam. Participants were also given the opportunity to review the effectiveness of the CSR integration courses and discuss the challenges of incorporating wildlife protection into business practices.

‘VCCI understands how important it is to grow and manage your business responsibly,’ said Ms Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vice Director of SMEs Development Center, VCCI.

‘Social responsibility benefits companies that adhere to it, while improving the world around them. We want to ensure that members in our network can strengthen their business models in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.’

Story and photos by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network

About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance of IUCN and WWF. In 2015, TRAFFIC, WWF Netherlands and Peace Parks Foundation concluded an agreement for an extensive communication campaign over a wide range of media.