Sustainable development
The SUSTAINABILITY|COMMUNICATION Group adheres to the principles of the Declaration of the Communicators and Public Relations Professionals of Quebec on Sustainable Development, signed by communication associations in October 2006.
Enhancing these values will be a constant commitment within our activities in Quebec, Canada and elsewhere in the word.
A meaningful commitment
For a public engagement
The Declaration of the Communicators and Public Relations Professionals of Quebec on Sustainable Development was signed at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) on June 4th, 2006 by all major associations of communication professionals. This commitment was signed during the symposium, Développement durable et Communications – Vers un nouvel engagement des communicateurs, an event acknowledged as the first contribution of communication professionals to the implementation of Québec’s sustainable development plan.
Organized in the wake of the Sustainable Development Act adopted by the National Assembly of Québec in April 2006, this event attracted 300 people from all areas of communication practice. They attended an information and awareness day on the central role that communicators play in fostering the widest possible participation of Quebecers and organizations in this vast social project. They also had the opportunity to document and exchange information directly with professionals from some fifteen organizations working on these issues.
With the help of many volunteers, participants were able to learn about the eco-responsible principles of ecological event management by contributing to the conference's environmental impact reduction objectives.
In solidarity, Quebec communication associations solemnly committed to respecting and promoting the values of sustainable development in all spheres of their interventions in society.
The signatories :
Nicole Beaulieu, president, Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques (SQPRP)
France Poulin, president, Association internationale des professionnels en communication – Montréal (now known as AIBC QC)
Bernard Poulin, president, Association des communicateurs municipaux du Québec (ACMQ)
Francine La Haye, president, Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques du Québec (ACRPQ)
The signing of this commitment took place during a ceremony honoring Pierre Dansereau, pioneer of sustainaible development in Quebec and Canada.
The symposium was organized by the Center for Studies on Social Responsibilities, Sustainable Development and Ethics – an entity of the Chair of Public Relations and Marketing Communications at UQAM – which became the SUSTAINABILITY|COMMUNICATION Group at the end of 2010.
Presentation of the Declaration to Pierre Dansereau
Photo : Caroline Gélineault
December 2006. Presentation of the Declaration of the Public Communicators and Public Relations Professionals of Quebec on Sustainable Development to Pierre Dansereau.
Pioneer of sustainable development in Québec and Canada, a great scientist and humanist, professor emeritus of UQAM, holder of numerous honorary doctorates, Pierre Dansereau is internationally recognized as one of the founders of modern ecology.
An international recognition
On March 30, 2007, the Declaration of the Communicators and Public Relations Professionals of Quebec on Sustainable Development, signed in October 2006, received international recognition at a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York:
“We applaud this commitment; it sets out the essential role of communicators in enhancing values that advance sustainable development in all spheres of society. We hope this broad-based initiative from Québec’s professional community will serve as a catalyst and will provide a model for the communications community that can be used around the world”.
Caption:
Collinet Finjap Njinga, UN Chief of Meetings Coverage Section of the Press Service,
Solange Tremblay, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for the Study of Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development and Ethics, a component of the Chair in Public Relations;
Danielle Maisonneuve, Professor, Department of Social and Public Communications and holder of UQAM’s Chair in Public Relations;
and Ahmad Fawzi, UN Director of News and Media Division.
(Photo : Devra Berkowitz/UN Photo)
A continuing commitment
On March 21, 2018, during the launch of Développement durable - Une communication qui se démarque, Quebec communicators renewed their pledge to actively exercise their role in promoting the values of sustainable development in all spheres of their activities within organizations, the population and society.
The co-signatories:
Maria Constantinescu, IABC QC (previously known as IABC Montreal),
Yvon Desautels, Alliance des cabinets de relations publiques du Québec,
Annie Paré, Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques,
Guy Versailles, Public Relations without Borders.
Rear: Solange Tremblay, coauthor.
Absent from the photo: Louis Latraverse, Association des communicateurs municipaux du Québec (below).
Photo : Groupe DURABILITÉ|COMMUNICATION