Concept Note of Consultation

South Asian Network on Sustainability
and Responsibility (SANSAR) is a network born out of the need to improve the
sustainability of value chains in the South Asian Countries under the Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) in South Asia project. This project was initiated
in January 2010, with Oxfam-Novib, Netherlands, supporting a program on
promoting CSR in four countries of South Asia; India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. The project envisions working through a network to prepare
organizations in each country to interact and cooperate in promoting
responsible practices and sustainability of supply chains.

SANSAR decided to initiate national
chapters in each country, with each chapter taking responsibility for activities
at national level. Presently, Sustainable Development Policy institute (SDPI),
founding member of SANSAR, will be hosting SANSAR-Pakistan’s secretariat. SDPI
is a non-profit organization, serving as a source of expertise for policy
analysis and development, policy intervention and policy and program advisory
services. The organization offers impartial and authoritative information on
issues concerning sustainable development. The mandate of the organization is
to conduct policy advice, policy oriented research and advocacy from a broad
multi-disciplinary perspective, promote the implementation of policies,
programs, laws and regulations based on sustainable development, strengthen
civil society and facilitate civil society-government interaction through
collaboration with other organizations and activist networks, disseminate
research findings and public education through the media, conferences,
seminars, lectures, publications and curricula development, contribute to
building up national research capacity and infrastructure.