Share Your Ideas on Conflict

NBS

| March 23, 2022

How can we address and reduce conflict? Let’s collect ideas and actions, for Ukraine and other conflicts worldwide.

As the war in Ukraine unfolds, many of us are thinking about this conflict and others across the globe. Let’s share ways that NBS members — managers, educators, and others — can address and reduce conflict.

On this page, we share

NBS’s Statement on the Ukraine War (revised 3/18)
Themes from a discussion held by the NBS Sustainability Centres Community
Selected resources for action
Upcoming related events

Please share your ideas, in the comments or to info@nbs.net. If you’d like to write an article about issues related to conflict, tell us that too.

NBS Statement on the Ukraine War (revised 3/18/22)

War is contradictory to the principles of sustainable development and community building, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is heartbreaking. NBS stands with victims of these terrible events.

Consistent with our mission, NBS will mobilize knowledge around the role of academia and business in war and other forms of oppression. We will also share information that enables actions to support those suffering. We will do all this through continuous engagement with our Sustainability Centres Community, business communities, and other stakeholders. 

We believe it’s important to speak up and to engage in reflection and positive action. We hope that our actions will be part of the path to peace, now and in the future, for this war and in other violent conflicts.

Themes from Sustainability Centres Community Conversation

On March 14, 50 members of the NBS Sustainability Centres Community gathered to discuss “What Sustainability Centres Can and Should Do about (the) War.” Here are some of the themes and questions that emerged. (Thanks to Katrin Muff for facilitating the conversation.)

1. What sustainability centres/academics/ universities can do. How can they support those affected by the Ukraine conflict; how could they respond to other conflicts.

2. What businesses can do. How do they contribute to conflict? How should they respond to conflict? what does corporate political responsibility mean? How does conflict affect sustainable development? (See also 2 recent NBS articles: How Business Should Act in the Ukraine War, by Tim Fort, and 5 Ways Businesses Contribute to Conflict, by Brian Ganson.)

3. How to communicate across polarization. A recurrent theme in SCC exchanges has been the importance of staying connected to those with different views – whether on war or climate! How can we create this space for each other and/ or explore best practices?

4. How to define values and make decisions. When should we act, as organizations and individuals, in a world with many conflicts and crises? This also speaks to how academics support or challenge companies they work with, e.g. in business schools.

Resources for Action on Ukraine War

ScienceforUkraine: This platform shares opportunities to support graduate students and researchers affiliated with academic institutions in Ukraine. It includes both remote and in-person opportunities.

WeHelpUkraine: This platform shares opportunities to support Ukrainian refugees with housing, transportation, documentation, medical aid, and other needs.
Donation/ volunteer options The StaR Center at Vienna University of Economics and Business created this list of ways their staff and students can take action. It provides a model for other institutions.