2. INTERNATIONAL EVENTS In the last decades, private companies and government institutions have sought solutions to stimulate the economic development in a sustainable manner. For this purpose, there have been several international summits, which have produced protocols, conventions and agreements aiming to promote sustainability. We outline the principal events below. In 1972, Stockholm hosted the first World Conference on Environment, which was important in framing the debates on development and the environment and that represents the beginning of the search for proofs for the mitigation of the effects of climate change. In 1976, a wide political commitment was made among the member countries of the OECD to promote investment; this is known as the Guidelines for Multinational Companies. The Guidelines describe voluntary standards and recommendations for responsible business conduct in a wide range of social and environmental arenas such as human rights, disclosure, labour and the environment. The Guidelines are intended to ensure that the lines of the activities of these enterprises are in harmony with government policies to strengthen the foundations of mutual trust between companies and societies in which they conduct operations. These policies are intended to help improve the climate for foreign investment and support for sustainable development made by multinational companies. However, the issue of sustainability became more visible during the 90s with the realization of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, that produced the resolution to promote and recommend policies for sustainable development. The 1997 adoption of the Kyoto Protocol had as its aim to promote sustainable development through the implementation of commitments to limit and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. In 1999, the Global Compact of the United Nations was signed; this is composed of 10 principles of corporate citizenship that are based on internationally agreed conventions and treaties on human rights, labour relations, environmental protection and the fight against corruption. A major advantage of the Global Compact is its universal character; it provides a common framework for companies in different countries. At the same time, the initiative is voluntary and flexible so that it is possible to adapt it to the particular needs of each situation and each company. The Global Compact's operational phase was launched in July 2000 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York; the first companies soon joined the initiative. The creation of the Green Paper in 2001 for the Commission of the European Communities reinforces the importance of the issue of sustainability to promote a European framework for corporate social responsibility. In 2007 the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that the planet is undergoing a process of anthropogenic global warming and notes that despite all the initiatives of recent years made by governments, businesses and society, we still need to find other mechanisms that can contribute to sustainable development. Finally, it is necessary to highlight the summit of the G-20 held in London in April 2009. In agreement with the chiefs' summit of State and of Government, the political leaders of the G-20, a group that represents 85% of the world economy and