In October 1996 the International Standing Conference on Philanthropy, INTERPHIL, in co-operation with Open Estonia Foundation, staged in Tallinn the 25th conference "Philanthropy and Business". The event brought together representatives of foundations, charities and NGOs from Estonia, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Jugoslavia, Poland, and Lithuania.

Established in 1969 and governed by the Swiss Civil Code, INTERPHIL is an international organisation promoting the development of civil society and the ideas of modern philanthropy, that is, private giving for community purposes.

The organisation's concern extends to NGOs, foundations and charities, fund-raising, corporate giving, legislation, fiscal policy, advocacy and international co-operation.

The initiative for establishing this association came from American and European non-profit organisations that were concerned about misapprehension and ill informed political criticism of philanthropy. Participants in the organisational conference felt certain about the ever-increasing importance of philanthropy across all continents, therefore they decided to create a mechanism to foster the development of philanthropy and to monitor its relationships with the business community and government.

The three-day conference "Philanthropy and Business" was the first event organised by INTERPHIL in the Baltic States. The primary purpose of the conference was to discuss the state of philanthropy and its relations with business in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as to compare the conditions for private giving and relevant laws in the region. Participants were invited to share their experience by presenting and analysing case studies. The final part was devoted to compiling a "code of good practices" which may provide a basis for the development of philanthropy.

The opening statement was delivered by President of INTERPHIL Countess Anne Sforza who has dedicated over ten years of her life to the development of philanthropy. The countess was one of the few people who organised financial support for Bosnia. More than five million French franks (about a million US dollars) were raised thanks to her efforts.

Here are a few thoughts put forward by Ms. Sforza in her opening speech: "Where then do Philanthropy and Business have a meeting of minds - and of hearts? Surely it can only be in the common interest of those who devote all or part of their lives to either philanthropy or to business to examine together how to move the world forward towards a greater measure of equality, of social justice, of fairness and decency. Those who promote philanthropy need to examine their programmes and activities to ensure they are conducted in as business-like a manner as possible, for none of us can afford to waste precious resources. Those who earn their livehoods from commercial production or trade of goods or services need to make their skills, knowledge and insights available to the voluntary sector, both to support it and to enable it to improve its performance. And who knows, perhaps the businessman (or woman) who disdains the "do-gooders" as irrelevant to the "real world" might learn from volunteer and charitable workers that their values are what society needs."

Another speech that aroused much interest among the participants was the presentation of a business strategy by President of Levi's Strauss Foundation Alan Christie. He said that philanthropic activity was one of the major aspects of the company's mission. "Every company should necessarily find its place in open society. We simply cannot imagine a successful business strategy without doing so. We measure our reputation by how we are understood and accepted by society", Mr. Christie stressed.

In addition, the conference hosted the ceremony of the Biken Award. This award was introduced by representatives of the Biken Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Orshunay, in memory of their talented daughter who had died tragically.

This time the Biken Award was granted to a young Estonian graphic artist. The award is another example illustrating that philanthropic practices can be very diverse indeed.

Among the conference participants there were Lithuania's Ambassador to Estonia Halina Kobeckaitė and Advisor to the Embassy Artūras Jonkus.