14th May 2014
Big honour for former President of the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Adnan Kassar (Lebanon), Chairman of Fransabank, who has been selected as a Business for Peace Honoree.
He is considered “a driver of growth and development in Lebanon, in the absence of political stability and security, for many decades. Today, it is Adnan Kassar, at the head of the Lebanese private sector that ensures the prosperity of the country and its attractiveness to foreign investors, thus maintaining and securing the livelihood of the Lebanese people.” www.businessforpeace.com
Adnan Kassar
Adnan Kassar has been named a Business for Peace Honoree by the Business for Peace Foundation’s independent Award Committee consisting of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and Economics. Adnan Kassar’s significant contributions to a wider acceptance of Businessworthy behavior will be recognized during the Oslo Business for Peace Summit and Award on May 15, 2014, in Oslo City Hall. The award will be presented in the same location where the Nobel Prize is awarded.
Adnan Kassar was selected amongst over 120 nominations from over 50 countries, as an Honoree for being, as described by Per L. Saxegaard, chairman, Business for Peace Foundation, a businessperson “who, through their own actions and commitments, promote socially responsible and ethical business practices in an outstanding way, and stand out as examples to the world”.
Mr. Saxegaard wrote to Adnan Kassar, “We congratulate you with the exceptional appreciation you have received from the Award Committee, and are truly proud to have you in the exclusive group of Business for Peace Honorees”.
The Business for Peace Award is the highest form of recognition given to individual business leaders for fostering peace and stability through creating shared value between business and society. The world-wide search for the 2014 Honorees was a joint effort by the International Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Global Compact and the Oslo based Business for Peace Foundation.
Commenting on receiving the award, Mr. Adnan Kassar said
“It gives me great pride to be recognized with this prestigious award for the work I have done to keep Lebanon’s private sector united and expending for the benefit of our people, during the many challenging decades our dear country has faced.”
“To be henceforth called a Business for Peace Honoree is a personal gratification as I have, in all my positions, called for peace and stability as preconditions for business to invest and prosper. We, in Lebanon, know too well how stability and peace are crucial for development and prosperity.”
“As for the recognition to my work to promote socially responsible conduct, indeed the role of business, as I have preached and effectively pursued in all my capacities and all the groups and companies I have led, is to be a strong and trustworthy community player. Giving back to society is a duty and a long term success for any business.”
Adnan Kassar added: “It is quite an honor joining the global business leaders who have won this award and I am humbled to be considered an example to the world”.