Henton spoke at the inaugural session of the Global Compact Regional Conclave in the Indian city of Jamshedpur.

Launched by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in 1999, the Global Compact brings together business leaders from around the world to discuss initiatives such as human rights, labor, environmental responsibility and anti-corruption. The Global Compact, with more than 1,800 participating companies, is the largest corporate-responsibility initiative in the world.

The theme of the conclave was “Key to Business Sustainability: Reducing Poverty, Fostering Entrepreneurial Development and Employment.”

Henton’s remarks on corporate social responsibility and business sustainability focused on the role of the college, university, state and nation in fostering social responsibility and sustainability through educational, research, and outreach programs. A key component of her presentation was the AU/UN World Food Programme partnership featuring Auburn’s student-led World Food Programme Initiative.

“We face a great challenge in higher education to help students better understand the issues of sustainability facing us today which have the potential to do irreparable harm to us as individuals and to the world community,” Henton said.

“By participating in this international forum focused on corporate social responsibility, I will have a unique opportunity to showcase to the world what Auburn students have worked so hard to achieve in the ‘War on Hunger’ campaign and what they hope to accomplish in the future,” the Human Sciences dean added.

“Hunger is perhaps the most pressing of all sustainability issues, and the ‘War on Hunger’ campaign provides a context for students to learn why they should and must care about seeking solutions to global problems that impact the natural environment as well as the health and well-being of current and future generations.”

Last fall, the World Food Programme, the Rome-based United Nations organization that assists 80 million people annually through feeding programs, selected Auburn University as its lead partner to establish a comprehensive model for a student-led “War on Hunger” campaign.

Auburn’s initial contact with the U.N. agency came through the College of Human Sciences, which presents its International Quality of Life Award to a global leader each year in a ceremony at the U.N. headquarters in New York.