On Wednesday morning, August 13th, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), through its InteRDom program, hosted a networking breakfast for partner organizations wherein they discussed “Sustainability In Cutting Edge Organizations” in Santo Domingo at FUNGLODE’s art gallery.Patricia Cuevas de Pittet, Director of Human Resources at the Grupo Universal and former president of the Dominican Association of Human Resources (ADOARH in Spanish), shared her experience as a professional in the area of human resources. She talked about sustainability within cutting edge organizations through their social contributions, including to the InteRDom internship program.
The objective of the activity was to provide practical information about sustainability as a way of creating social awareness and to discuss what basic facts organizations need to understand in order to be socially responsible.
Ms. Cuevas explained the organizational structure of Grupo Universal and reiterated its commitment to comprehensive and sustainable development and how it relates to Dominican society. La Universal de Seguros is a good example of this initiative as it is a leading business constantly on the lookout for innovation. The company’s reliable track record in the domestic market and its reputation for excellence in the quality of its services have contributed to InteRDom’s mission and growth as an internship program.
The networking breakfast was open to representatives from public, private and non-profit businesses, project coordinators and human resources professionals interested in diversifying their human capital with local and international talent. Other organizations and companies who sent representatives include the Dominican Chamber of Deputies, the Brugal Foundation, BNV Bank and the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO, among others.
“I find it very interesting that the private sector is implementing sustainable measures that are wide-reaching and have such beneficial social impact. And, more importantly, these measures and procedures are not just being observed within the organizations, but are applicable outside the work arena and extend to the homes and daily lives of those in the organizations,” said Juana Maria Mendez, representative of the Autonomous University of de Santo Domingo (UASD) and the Community Promotional Center (CEPROCOM).
The networking breakfast was organized by InteRDom, an initiative of the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and its sister institution in the United States Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD). InteRDom facilitates professional exchange between universities, international students and businesses and supports training initiatives that stimulate development, diversity, the culture of work and social commitment.