Business and Government representatives discuss the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in building peace, justice and strong institutions
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United States of America
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 18 July 2019 — Over 70 representatives of business, Government, civil society and the UN gathered on the margins of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to discuss the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in advancing Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions at the global and local levels.
Hosted by Baker McKenzie at their New York offices, the first UN-Business Roundtable on the Action Platform for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Less Platform. More Action event highlighted the increasing interdependence of sustainable business and sustainable development. Speakers emphasized the important role business can play in advancing good governance, including through multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of Goal 16.
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (left), Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact (centre) and H. E. Marc-Andre Blanchard, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations spoke at the event
In welcoming participants to the roundtable, Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact said, “Responsible businesses want to operate and serve in communities where there are institutions, laws and systems that protect their rights and the rights of the individuals they employ and serve. At the same time, they recognize the need for their own values, strategies, policies and relationships to support them in respecting people, planet and prosperity.”
She added: “The UN Global Compact Action Platform for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions will provide guidance on how to integrate Goal 16 into the corporate DNA and advance peace, justice and strong institutions together with the UN, Government and civil society — based on a foundation of ethics, integrity and trust.”
His Excellency Marc-Andre Blanchard, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, addressed private sector leaders in the room saying: “Institutions are only as good as the people who fill them.” He added: “Businesses are incredibly important institutions and you have a big role to play in developing your own institutions and you have a big role to play in contributing to [public] institutions where you are operating.”
In his opening remarks, Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme — when discussing the importance of businesses doing no harm — indicated that there is a need to have effective justice systems that ensure responsibility and recourse. He then went on to say: “It is in this domain that the Action Platform finds itself needing to develop not only new standards for business on Goal 16 that support existing normative frameworks (…), but especially how do we make them stick and work for everyone.”
Ayotola Jagun, Company Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer at Oando PLC said, “Where there is an absence of the rule of law, we have issues of insecurity and injustice. It is critical that we as businesses rally to address this. If one business is threatened, then all businesses will eventually be threatened.” She added: “It is important that we collaborate to speak out against injustice and work with Government to build strong institutions.”
The roundtable also included interventions from the representatives of the Governments of Colombia and Switzerland; Baker McKenzie, L’Oreal and Nestle, Patrons of the Action Platform on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and representatives from other UN-led initiatives to advance Goal 16.
About the United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact works with companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact guides and supports the global business community in advancing UN goals and values through responsible corporate practices. With more than 9,500 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 70 Local Networks, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.
For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at www.unglobalcompact.org.
Contact
UN Global Compact
Leila Puutio
Manager, Communications
Tel: +1 212-884-7523
Email: puutio@unglobalcompact.org