Global CEOs Sign on to New UN Goals at United Nations Private Sector Forum

(New York, 25 September 2015)– More than 300 CEOs, Heads of State, UN and civil society leaders attended the United Nations Private Sector Forum (PSF) to discuss the role of business in implementing the world's 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Addressing the meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reflected on the success of the past 15 years, noting her optimism for the implementation of the SDGs. She called for the world to build on this momentum and continue to work together to achieve these global goals for 2030.

On 25 September, Heads of State and Government engaged in a General Assembly plenary that gave final adoption to the SDGs, which will replace the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) in January 2016. The result of extensive inter-governmental negotiation and input from the private sector and civil society, the overarching purpose of the SDGs is to eradicate poverty and combine elements of economic, social and environmental action, including climate change.

“First, companies need to do business responsibly and then pursue new opportunities, “said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “We would be closer to the world we want if companies everywhere took baseline actions like respecting employee rights … not polluting land, sea and air … and punishing corruption.”

Since 2008, the UN Private Sector Forum has annually gathered CEOs and Heads of State to the United Nations to discuss pressing issues such as climate change, global development, and human rights. Against the backdrop of the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015, this year’s Private Sector Forum – organized by the UN Global Compact, in close collaboration with UNICEF, UN Women, UN Volunteers, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UN Office for South South Cooperation, the UN Foundation – focused on the role of the private sector in implementing SDGs.

As a keynote speaker, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberghighlighted the critical role of business – in collaboration with other stakeholders -- in advancing the new United Nations global agenda adopted yesterday.  He announced Facebook’s commitment, together with a number other organizations, to make universal internet access a reality in the next decade.  “Connecting the world is one of the fundamental challenges of our generation,” said Zuckerberg. “For every ten people that get connected to the internet, one gets lifted out of poverty.”  

Emerging today from the PSF were announcements of more than 35 corporate commitments to benchmark sustainable development actions, including investment in low-carbon infrastructure, combatting corruption, gender equality in the workplace, access to and strengthening of healthcare services in the Least Developed Countries, and more.

The urgent refugee crisis was a major topic of concern among participants. Responding to the Business Action Pledge in Response to the Refugees Crisis launched last week by the UN Global Compact and UNHCR (High Commission for Refugees) to mobilize business on this issue, several new commitments and partnerships were announced, including educational opportunities, job training, and healthcare for refugees as well as funding for refugee aid organizations in war-torn countries.   

The event also saw the launch of the SDG Compass– developed jointly by GRI, the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – which is a guide for companies on how to take a strategic approach to the SDGs and enhance their contribution to sustainable development through core business activities.

Several other SDG-related resources were launched in the context of the PSF including the SDG Industry Matrix and the Poverty Footprint.