Charting the course for sustainability in Davos
Davos, Switzerland
Posted by Lise Kingo, Executive Director, UN Global Compact on 20 January 2016
Starting today, world leaders are convening in the mountain town of Davos for the World Economic Forum. I am delighted to be representing the UN Global Compact at this highly-anticipated gathering – the first of its type since the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris climate agreement were reached in late 2015.
We are going to be asking big questions. How do we kick-start efforts towards achieving global goals spanning a huge range of critical topics? How do we spur action from the ground up? How can the public and private sectors work together more effectively to reach our shared objectives?
I am looking forward to embarking upon these important conversations. At the same time, I am inspired that we all seem to agree on one thing: we are in this together. The UN, Governments, business and civil society are being called on to play a role and to collaborate as we turn 2015’s important global agreements into action.
For 2016 and beyond, the Global Compact’s flagship activities will center on translating the SDGs for business. At Davos, we will focus on highlighting the exciting new market and innovation opportunities that the SDGs present for companies.
Among these opportunities is partnering with the UN. More and more companies that are serious about sustainability are turning to the UN as a partner for our unique global convening power, expertise and universal values. CEOs understand that by doing good their companies can be more successful in the long-run.
There are already many examples of successful UN-business partnerships. Our meeting at the World Economic Forum will look at how we can make these even more effective and how we can strengthen partnership integrity and due diligence across the UN system. The ambition is for more and better partnerships.
While we will see many examples of cutting-edge leadership at WEF, the Global Compact is also working to put the spotlight on the unseen innovators, entrepreneurs and thought leaders working hard in their countries. Together with Local Networks, we will identify the local SDG champions who will be recognized at our upcoming UN Global Compact Leaders Summit (22-23 June, New York). It is time to let the world know that business leaders in all parts of the world are taking steps to produce positive change for society, and inspire many others to act.
I look forward to these busy days ahead, and charting what must be an ambitious action agenda to deliver a better, more sustainable future for all.