The 8th Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy was held on November 1-4 in Seoul, Korea. With the theme of “Empowering Civil Society for Democracy and its Renewal,” the assembly had over four hundred participants consisting of representatives from civil society organizations, experts, and practitioners.

On November 4, East Asia Institute (EAI), in partnership with Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), held an assembly workshop entitled “Corporate Citizenship and Collaborative Governance” to discuss the role of collaborative governance and corporate citizenship in promoting democracy.

The overarching theme of this workshop was to explore the role of corporate citizenship in building trust and promoting collaborative governance in response to the challenges facing democracy. Practice of public-private dialogue as a means toward sustainable development and the roles of civil society in building corporate citizenship and collaborative governance were discussed. Moreover, the role of the private sector in contributing to collaborative governance as an alternative was explored. Empirical data and case studies from South Korea, Lebanon, and Thailand were discussed in order to suggest effective practices and action-oriented recommendations.