It has been four years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015, and while significant progress has been made on raising awareness of , we are not yet on track to meet any of by the target dates.
While the United Nations needs to put the right plans and policies in place, it will also need to cultivate partnerships with Governments, civil society and the private sector to harness the resources, and innovate the ideas and skills that we so desperately need to turn the vision of into a reality.
As the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, anchored in and encompassing the ’s principles and values, is uniquely positioned to foster this collaboration to deliver and scale up solutions that address global challenges. Built on the vision of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who, at the 1999 World Economic Forum, called on business leaders to partner with to create a “global compact” of shared values and principles to give a human face to the global market, the today plays a key role in strengthening business collaboration with the United Nations.
The is a call to companies to align their strategies and operations with ten universal principles related to human rights, , and , and take actions that advance societal goals and the implementation of the . By engaging thousands of companies of all sizes and sectors from around the world, we are working to mobilize a truly global movement of responsible enterprises that embed sustainability into their core strategies and operations—not only for the benefit of their societies but for their own benefit, as well.
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Derived from core conventions and declarations, are recognized and endorsed in numerous intergovernmental resolutions and outcome documents, including General Assembly resolutions. To join , a company’s highest-level executive publicly commits to the Secretary-General that the company will take a responsible, principle-based and integrated approach to addressing guided by , signalling the company’s potential to be a strong, long-term partner of . are:
Human Rights
: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.?
Labour
: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
: the effective abolition of child labour; and
: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.?
Environment
: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.?
Anti-Corruption
: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
With more than 9,500 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries—including a majority based in developing countries—and 70 local networks, we are spreading the word far and wide that businesses everywhere can play an important role in improving our world. By bringing to the table a diverse range of stakeholders from government, investor groups, academia, civil society and beyond, we provide opportunities for strong partnerships and a framework through which the private sector can take concrete action to do business responsibly and keep their commitments to society.
As the current United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has said, “The private sector can and must play a central role in this effort by advancing international cooperation, engaging in public-private partnerships, finding innovative solutions to shared challenges and doing business responsibly.”
At this pivotal moment in development system reform, taking partnerships to the next level has never been more important. shows that while 100 per cent of leaders surveyed believe that greater collaboration across sectors will be critical in advancing , only 59 per cent think that is currently doing enough to engage with the private sector.1
Transforming Partnerships for the
In , the largest study of CEO opinions on sustainability, we described an emerging pathway for business on sustainability. The adoption of , said CEOs, gave business a clear mandate and roadmap to scale up their efforts.
Business Leaders Are Committed to Stepping Up Partnerships
- 87% believe provide an opportunity to rethink approaches to sustainable value creation
- 89% say commitment to sustainability is translating into to real impact in their industry
- 85% see cross-sector partnerships as critical to enabling business to help achieve 2
Following a decade of research into the views of business leaders worldwide, also examined the views of leaders. A rapid scaling up of cross-sector partnerships is essential to accelerating progress on . This is the unanimous view of leaders surveyed as part of landmark research on the past, present and future of partnerships between and business.
The fastest path to achieving the world we want by 2030 is by making a strategic pivot. We need to move from short-term, small-scale partnership projects to long-term, transformational, multi-stakeholder partnerships with the potential for scalable impact.?
The fastest path to achieving the world we want by 2030 is by making a strategic pivot. We need to move from short-term, small-scale partnership projects to long-term, transformational, multi-stakeholder partnerships with the potential for scalable impact. A prime example of how does this is through our that establish multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder partnerships to solve complex challenges and fill emerging gaps in meeting through time-bound and clear deliverables. These foster strong, business-driven action rooted in inputs from partners across the board. This approach has seen significant measurable impact in areas such as water stewardship, reporting, financial innovation and global supply chains. For example, our has mobilized more than 40 major international civil society and private sector organizations to take tangible action, make investments and form partnerships together with governments to leverage the ocean as a resource to deliver .
The recent launch of our : Our Only Future campaign is a similar example of how we are working together with partners to mobilize companies at a global level in the lead-up to the Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
Climate change is undoubtedly the defining issue of our time—and we are at a pivotal moment. Climate change is accelerating by the day, and as the recent report by the shows, every half degree makes a world of difference. We have the innovation, tools and expertise to get back on track. What we need now is leadership and strong partnerships.
That is why, in the lead-up to , is mobilizing a global network of UN agencies, business organizations and industry partners who have come together to collectively call on companies to step up and commit to set science-based targets aligned with limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
At the national level, 70 Global Compact Local Networks enhance the capacity of companies to partner with governments, local agencies, civil society and a wide range of other stakeholders to advance the implementation of and national development priorities on the ground. Our Local Networks also help companies understand what meaningful partnerships look like in different national, cultural and language contexts to facilitate outreach, learning, policy dialogue and collective action. Through our campaign, is mobilizing organizational action locally to advance the implementation of at the national level.
This year, seven Global Compact Local Networks will host regional or national events. ?At a , I welcomed the signing of a Collaboration Agreement between the Global Compact Network Mexico, the Mexican Government and the private sector, highlighting the success of the campaign in forging meaningful partnerships that have the potential to generate real impact.
Around the world, multisector partnerships have become the new normal, and as we move towards the shared responsibility of implementing , these partnerships are more important than ever before. We need leaders of all kinds to step up and ensure that no one is left behind as we develop our communities, societies and nations in a profitable yet sustainable and responsible way. It is only through true collaboration that we can create a truly global movement of responsible companies and stakeholders committed to creating the world we want.
Notes
- and , “Transforming Partnerships for the SDGs. Special Edition: The UN Global Compact–Accenture Strategy CEO Study (2018), 11. Available at .
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The UN Chronicle is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
