UN Global Compact CEO Sanda Ojiambo visits China to promote private sector role for Belt and Road Initiative

UN Global Compact CEO and Executive Director, Sanda Ojiambo, concluded her first visit to China today since taking up the role. During her visit she worked to strengthen private sector collaboration on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative following the visit of the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed in June 2023 to build on the South-South cooperation pillar of the UN Global Compact China Strategy and objectives of UN Global Compact Africa Strategy, as well as lay the foundations for a Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI)-China CEO network to be launched during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2024.

During the UN Global Compact Annual High-Level Steering Committee Meeting of the BRI for SDG Action Platform meeting held in Beijing with high-level representatives from Government, businesses and academia, the UN Global Compact, as the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, unveiled new guidance and assessment tools for companies to advance sustainable infrastructure under the BRI. Ojiambo also welcomed Ong Tee Keat, Chair of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia, Guo Huadong, Director-General of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development, and Sun Ruizhe, President of China National Textile and Apparel Council and Chairman of The International Textile Manufacturers Federation, to the BRI Steering Committee. Ojiambo also spoke at the High-level Forum on Green Silk Road for Harmony with Nature held on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Global Compact Ten Principles Applied in Infrastructure Sectors under the BRI: A Practical Guide for Private Sector Players (Human Rights and Labor Principles, Environment Principles, and Anti-corruption Principle)  and Maximizing Impact towards the SDGs: Guidance and Assessment Tool for Companies to Advance Sustainable Infrastructure under the BRI examine the pivotal role of businesses participating in the BRI to innovate, drive economic growth, and harness resources to be the catalyst to ensure that infrastructure projects not only serve immediate needs but also pave the way for long-term sustainable development. 

The release of the reports is complemented by the launch of the inaugural UN online platform Partnership Data Hub on Sustainable Infrastructure for the Belt and Road Initiative to Accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals and Private Sector Case Studies on Advancing Corporate Sustainability towards High Quality Belt and Road Cooperation to Facilitate the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The work was supported by the UN Peace and Development Fund (UNPDF) which facilitated collaboration between different stakeholders and provided essential resources to enable the project’s completion.

The UN Global Compact China Liaison Office brought together CEOs and business leaders during a series of CEO roundtables held in Shanghai on the Forward Faster Initiative and the UN Global Compact China Strategy. 

The Forward Faster Initiative, launched at the UN Global Compact Private Sector Forum during the High-level week of the UN General Assembly, calls on business leaders everywhere to take measurable, credible, and ambitious action in five action areas —gender equality, climate action, living wage, finance & investment, and water resilience— where the private sector can collectively make the biggest, fastest impact to accelerate progress across all 17 SDGs by 2030. Right now only 15 per cent of the SDG targets are on track, a mere 48 per cent show weak and insufficient progress, and a staggering 37 per cent have experienced a complete halt or regression. The roundtables provided a platform for business leaders in China to engage in these areas further and discuss how to best advance sustainable and responsible business practices. 

Speaking during the event, Ojiambo, said:

“Corporate engagement in Forward Faster holds substantial potential for accelerating progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and showcases where the collective efforts of the private sector can make the most significant and expeditious impact by 2030. We are happy to see the great enthusiasm of Chinese companies in the last month, and it's a pleasure to welcome some of the China early movers today.” 

Ojiambo championed the active participation of CEOs in the dialogue and emphasized that “China is a nation that houses not only over 100 Fortune 500 companies but also more than 44 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), holding immense potential in advancing the mission of the UN Global Compact worldwide. As the world's largest developing country, China's significant domestic economy, overseas investments, and trade exert a profound influence on the well-being of billions of people and the sustainable development of our planet.”

At a roundtable on Gender Equality Corporate Action, Ojiambo welcomed female business leaders and pioneers to discuss how the private sector can work together with the UN to advance the progress of women empowerment and gender equality. Female business leaders and pioneers from different industries joined the roundtable to discuss the challenges of women’s equal representation in senior positions, practices to advance gender equality across the full value chain and business ecosystem, as well as how best to promote South-South cooperation and regional cooperation on gender equality with the United Nations. 

Concluding the discussion, Ojiambo applauded the leadership and achievements of the action-driven women business leaders. She encouraged them to commit their companies to the gender targets of the Forward Faster Initiative and the Women’s Empowerment Principles, and also called for women business leaders to join together in the journey of corporate actions on gender equality to accelerate the 2030 Agenda as role-models, decision-makers, and influencers. China has proposed to hold a Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the UN in 2025.

Notes to Editors

About the UN Global Compact

As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 18,000 companies and 3,800 non-business signatories based in over 101 countries, and 62 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.