Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon participates in a Global Compact event on UN-Business Collaboration in Davos, Switzerland. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas
20 January 2016 – Speaking at the Global Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the world’s business community to play its full role in helping to achieve the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to eliminate poverty, hunger and a raft of social ills, all within 15 years.
“I ask all the CEOs here today to help us. Your advocacy and example can drive action to achieve a life of dignity for all people,” he told business leaders at an event on the Global Compact, a 15-year-old UN initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies.
“You recognize that responsible businesses have enormous power to create decent jobs, open access to education and basic services, unlock energy solutions and end discrimination. I count on you to drive global progress,” said the Secretary-General.
Mr. Ban stressed that the UN has shown that multilateralism works when it comes to setting ambitious plans, citing Agenda 2030 and December’s Paris Agreement on climate change as “visionary and planetary,” with no time to lose.
“Our planet and its people are suffering too much. This year has to be the moment for turning global promises into reality. Governments must take the lead with decisive steps. At the same time, businesses can provide essential solutions and resources that put our world on a more sustainable path,” he said.
“I call Agenda 2030 our ‘declaration of interdependence.’ The world is coming to recognize more and more that problems in one country reverberate in another. A crash in one market can drive a crisis around the world. That is why it is so important to make the most of our collective strengths.”
To view the full article from the UN News Centre, please click here.
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