UN Secretary-General Urges Business Everywhere to Advance New Sustainable Development and Climate Agendas

(New York, 14 January 2016) – Today, the UN Global Compact Board joined Ambassadors and senior UN officials to emphasize the role of the private sector and partnerships in advancing global challenges. The meeting takes place on the heels of historic global agreements reached by world leaders on sustainable development and climate in late 2015.

At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the business community to collaborate on the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, and asked the UN Global Compact to play a leading role with business in implementing the SDGs.

During a high-level luncheon, co-hosted by Permanent Representatives of Denmark and South Africa to the UN, there was broad recognition that partnerships will be essential for leveraging resources and expertise, and uncovering solutions faster and more effectively.

Addressing participants, the UN Secretary-General stressed the need to “build more and stronger partnerships if we are to move forward and have a lasting impact on people’s lives. Questions of integrity, accountability and transparency must be front and center as we scale up our work with business.”

He went on to urge business everywhere to “bring sustainability into the center of their operations and the mainstream of their thinking.”

Ambassadors welcomed the participation of business in the implementation of the new sustainable development agenda, echoing the outcomes of the recent UN General Assembly resolution “Towards global partnerships: A principle-based approach to enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners”.

Lise Kingo, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, confirmed that, “rolling out the SDGs to business everywhere is our ambition.” She went on to state: “We will translate the SDGs into business action and innovation around the world. With our Local Networks and signatories, there is enormous opportunity to turn global goals into local business.”

UN Global Compact Board meets with UN Secretary-General at UN Headquarters in New York. (Photo Credit: Andres Wong/ UN Global Compact)

The UN Global Compact Board – comprised of stakeholders from business, civil society and labour, and chaired by the UN Secretary-General – also met to discuss strategic issues around the initiative’s integrity measures, participant relations, Local Networks and UN-business collaboration.

In addition, the Board met with senior UN leaders participating in the UN Private Sector Focal Points Network, chaired by the UN Global Compact Executive Director, to identify ways to strengthen UN system-wide collaboration with the private sector.    

• Read UN Secretary-General's remarks at UN Global Compact Board Meeting Luncheon [as prepared for delivery]
• Read the UN Secretary-General's remarks at UN Global Compact Board Meeting [as prepared for delivery]
• Learn more about the UN Global Compact Board
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