USCIB at the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly

Photo credit: United Nations

New York, NY, September 15, 2022—On occasion of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, taking place September 13-27 in New York, the United States Council for International Business (USCIB) has released the following statement by Ester Baiget, chief executive officer of Novozymes and USCIB Board of Trustees Sustainability Champion.

“The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) welcomes the return of the UN General Assembly to New York in-person.  This is a moment we have waited for since the pandemic suspended meetings and travel, impacting this essential governing body and its work.  Business depends on a strong, resilient and effective United Nations and multilateral system, and now more than ever, the private sector is an essential partner to the international community.

Ester Baiget

As a USCIB Trustee and Sustainability Champion, it is my firm conviction that the business community in all its diversity is key to tackling the numerous challenges to sustainable development that we face together: the triple environmental crisis, food and energy insecurity, threats to peace and weakening human rights.  USCIB has been a committed champion for business in the multilateral system and in particular here in New York at UN HQ, both in its own right with NGO Consultative Status to UN ECOSOC and together with those global business organizations for which it serves as U.S. affiliate: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Organization of Employers (IOE) and Business at OECD (BIAC).

We endorse the stated areas of priority announced by the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Amb. Csaba Korosi, and announce that USCIB and its membership of leading companies from every sector of the American economy will focus on advancing and partnering for Solutions for Sustainability, Science and Solidarity.  As innovators, employers, and members of society, business understands the need to mobilize governments, business and other stakeholders across the policy arena to get back on track for shared prosperity and sustainable development.

We are inspired by the UN Secretary General’s Report, Our Common Agenda, and embrace its objective to supercharge implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its innovative ideas for action.  We share the concern of lost progress towards the objectives of the SDGs, and see the urgency of pursuing systemwide change to tackle climate change, plastics pollution and threats to biodiversity.

In coming days, USCIB will announce the launch of the USCIB Moving the Needle project, designed to advance and share practical business tools, approaches and recommendations to strengthen partnerships, mobilize resources and improve interfaces for business into the UN, all with the aim of accelerating implementation and advancing inclusive, practical and networked multilateralism, as envisioned in Our Common Agenda.

As it has done since its founding, USCIB and its members will join the international community across the multilateral system to deliver for people and planet.  We look forward to lending our support to COP27, COP15 and INC1, and to engaging here in New York, to build next year’s Summit for SDGs and the 2024 Summit for the Future to result in impactful outcomes that catalyze governments, business and society for the future we want.”

About USCIB: USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development, and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and Business at OECD. More at www.uscib.org.

Staff Contact:   Kira Yevtukhova

Deputy Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel: 202.617.3160

Kira Yevtukhova manages USCIB’s print and online publications, including the website, e-newsletter and quarterly magazine, and serves as the organization’s digital media strategist. Prior to this role, Kira worked for over five years within USCIB’s Policy Department, focusing on climate change, environment, nutrition, health, and chemicals related policy issues. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and has an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
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