Although the definition of local social responsibility is relatively new, the goal that every community should have is certainly not new: improving the quality of life of the people who live there, taking into account the environmental, social and economic perspective.
What does it mean for a territory to be responsible?
Today, starting a path towards local social responsibility means first asking ourselves about the future from a sustainable development perspective, as Sustainable Development Goal 11 of Agenda 2030 reminds us (make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable). This path requires the cooperation of everyone.
A question of responsibility.
If words such as efficiency, competitiveness, sustainability and innovation are part, for better or worse, of companies’ day-to-day operational horizon, it must also be the case in the relationship that public bodies have with their local territories. In other words, responding to contemporary challenges requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving the joint commitment of governments, businesses, associations and citizens. To do this, it is necessary to replace the bureaucratic compliance approach with an approach geared to results and consider citizens not merely as passive users but as active customers who express their needs and expectations and want quality solutions.
Focus on the individual.
All public and private organisations are made up of people, which is why it is important to start with individual responsibility. The word responsibility comes from the Latin verb respondere, which literally means to respond. Being responsible means being accountable for our actions and therefore acting while evaluating the consequences of our behaviour. Only in this way does responsibility become a practical action.
