Role of Business in Advancing Peace Addressed at UN General Assembly Debate

(New York, 25 April 2014) – As part of the Thematic Debate of the General Assembly "Ensuring Stable and Peaceful Societies", Monica de Grieff, UN Global Compact Board Member and President of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota, delivered remarks on the important relationship between peace, business and development.  The debate provided a platform for Member States to reflect and deliberate on concrete ways in which stable and peaceful societies can contribute to sustainable development in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.

In a statement presented yesterday to the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the need for peace and stability in order to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. Building on these sentiments in her remarks, de Grieff commented on the critical need to align international development priorities with national needs through local partnerships: “It is very important to give regional and local institutions a primary role that will be directly involved in the implementation of any peace-building process.”

Ms. de Grieff also noted the critical role of the private sector in advancing peace and highlighted the Global Compact’s Business for Peace (B4P) platform as a way to help companies implement best practices towards sustainable peace and development. She said, “A company´s decisions on investment, employment, and sustainability on relations with local communities, on protection for local environments, or security arrangements, can help a country overcome conflict. The innovation and economic development which the private sector brings can be a powerful agent of positive change.”

These statements reinforce UN Global Compact consultations with thousands of companies and stakeholders on the post-2015 development agenda.  These discussions revealed that Global Compact LEAD companies, as well as B4P participants, strongly support the inclusion of peace and stability as a stand-alone goal in the post-2015 agenda. Environments that enable responsible investment and private sector participation in economic planning and policymaking are considered essential building blocks of any future global development framework, and a critical foundation for companies to contribute to the realization of sustainable development.

• Learn more about Business for Peace
• Read about the UN Global Compact and the Post-2015 Development Agenda
• Read the UN Global Compact’s issue brief on Peace, Stability and the Role of Business
• UN News Centre, 24 April 2014: Peaceful, stable societies vital for advancing development, General Assembly told

Contact

Melissa Powell
Head, Business for Peace
UN Global Compact
powell1@un.org