Overview
“A vision of development that leaves out the private sector is only vision,” said a UNDP official. Today, multinational companies play a vital role in social development as businesses not only fund but provide labor and planning for community projects that range from educational courses that teach elementary school children about health and dental hygiene to micro-credit programs for poverty stricken families trying to earn a living.

US companies, in addition to the integral economic and business roles that they play in individual ASEAN countries, also invest large amounts of human and financial capital towards improving developing communities. With social programs that address education, health, human rights, and environment needs of the local people, US companies have continued to build upon mutually beneficial relationships established with the 10 ASEAN Nations.

Mission Statement
The member companies of the US ASEAN Business Council recognize the important role private business can play in bettering the local communities they do business in. In an effort to play a more proactive role in promoting US company sponsored community activities existing or in the works, the Council is launching a new working group focusing on Corporate Responsibility and promoting existing and future private and public sector community initiatives related to ASEAN.

The US ASEAN Business Council is creating the Corporate Social Responsibility webpage to give member companies a venue to:
1. Communicate what the company has done in the realm of corporate responsibility in the ASEAN region
2. Share best practices with other companies
3. Obtain ideas on future projects within the region

By promoting the community projects member companies are involved in, the Corporate Responsibility Working Group of the US ASEAN Business Council hopes to emphasize that economic integration and globalization can not only improve economic conditions, but also have a positive social impact in a country.

To learn more about the Council's corporate responsibility projects or to get your company involve, please contact William Marmon at wmarmon@usasean.org.

Financial Literacy Project

Generously funded by AIG, a study was done on the financial literacy of overseas Filipino Workers (OPW). This study, conducted through the Overseas Worker Welfare Administration, explored the level of financial literacy among Filipinos that are currently working abroad, mainly in the region. We hope to use the results of this study to improve education for those Filipinos working outside the country in order to assist them in making strong personal financial decisions. It is the opinion of the Council that to teach individuals to plan for the future is a positive step for the global economy.

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Anti-Corruption Project in Indonesia

Through KPK, the Indonesia Corruption Irradiation Commission, the US-ASEAN Business Council conducted a survey on anti-corruption in Indonesia. As a result of those findings, we will be working with CSIS to organize a workshop in Jakarta in the Spring of 2008. This workshop will address anti-corruption in Indonesia and will bring together experts in this field from all over the world.

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Restoration of the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon, Myanmar

The US-ASEAN Council for Business and Technology, the US-ASEAN Business Council’s 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, has recently obtained a license from the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to raise funds for the maintenance and restoration of the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon, Myanmar (pictured above).

This is an exciting project for the Council not only because it is the first OFAC approved license for the purpose of providing assistance to a humanitarian project that we have received but also because the history of this Synagogue is so mesmerizing.

Yangon was once a thriving Jewish community consisting primarily of Jews from Cochin, Calcutta, Iraq and Iran. The Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue was built in 1893-1896 as a result of the growing Jewish population, which, at its peak was about 2500. During World War II, and in the years following, most of the Jews in Burma migrated to other countries. The Burmese government’s nationalization of businesses in 1969 contributed greatly to this migration. Now, in 2007, there are only a small handful of Jewish people in the country and, as a result, the Synagogue, the only one in existence all of Myanmar, is in desperate need of restoration. Without restoration and maintenance, this unique piece of history will be lost. With the obtaining of the OFAC license, the Council plans to achieve a number of things:

• raise funds for the Synagogue’s monthly expenses consisting of utilities, salaries for workers, and various miscellaneous expenses
• raise funds in order to complete restoration and necessary maintenance of the Synagogue
• raise funds to assist the Synagogue in the purchase of a new cemetery

Under US law, the exportation of financial services to Myanmar is prohibited. There are limited exceptions and the US-ASEAN Council for Business and Technology has qualified for an exception. Monitoring of funds will be conducted by a trustee of the Synagogue as well as an American attorney living in Yangon. The attorney will independently verify the proper use of the funds.

For more information about donating to the project, please contact Frances Zwenig at 202-416-6721. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, the check should me made out to “US-ASEAN Council for Business and Technology” with “Synagogue Fund” in the subject line and send your check to our address at 1101 17th St, NW Ste 411, Washington, DC 20036.

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US-ASEAN Business Council – JHPIEGO CEO FORUM

“Public Private Partnerships for Women and Children’s Health
in the Philippines and Beyond”
8 February 2006
Manila, Philippines

Above: Dr Leslie Mancuso (second from left) with panelists: Ms Lydia Palaypay (far left), Mr Jon Lindborg (center), Ms Judy Reinke (second from right) and Ms Luli Heras de Leon (far right).

Over 50 leading public-private executives and Philippine government representatives interested in the welfare of women and children's health in the Philippines attended the February 8 US-ASEAN Business Council CEO luncheon Forum in Manila featuring Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO, JHPIEGO. The presentation entitled "Public-Private Partnerships for Women and Children's Health in the Philippines and Beyond" drew representatives from the Philippines Congressional Spouses Foundation, Filipino and American multinationals and leading health associations for the country. To view the attendance list at the Forum, please click here. Undersecretary Dr Ethelyn P. Nieto of the Department of Health was the guest of honor and delivered the welcome remarks at the Forum. Dr Mancuso highlighted the fact that cervical cancer is the number two cause of death among women in the Philippines and that these deaths are preventable with JHPIEGO's "Single Visit Approach." JHPIEGO recently held a global cervical cancer prevention conference in Bangkok and the Philippines sent the largest delegation of health experts to gauge the program’s feasibility for the Philippines. The panelists at the Forum were: USAID Mission Director Mr Jon Lindborg, U.S. Commercial Senior Officer Mrs Judy Reinke and Ms Luli Heras de Leon, Vice President of Unocal Philippines and Ms Lydia Palaypay, Consultant for Special Projects, Far Eastern University.

To view the presentation that Dr Mancuso made in Manila, please click here. For more information on JHPIEGO, please visit their website at www.jhpiego.org.