USCIB Launches Business Pact for the Future to Support UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda
New York, NY, September 20, 2024 — The US Council for International Business (USCIB) has launched the Business Pact for the Future, a business initiative to accelerate implementation of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, a centerpiece of the UN Summit of the Future (SOTF). The Business Pact is a joint project of USCIB’s Moving the Needle initiative and The USCIB Foundation.
The Business Pact calls for an all-of-society approach to achieve the UN’s global goals and to promote public-private partnerships. It highlights support for the multilateral system and the importance of engaging business in decision making processes.
“Our vision for the Business Pact for the Future reflects our long-time engagement and steadfast collaboration with the UN,” said USCIB President and CEO and USCIB Foundation President Whitney Baird. “The private sector fuels economic growth and shared prosperity, and without it, the pursuit of sustainability is not possible. USCIB members are united in seizing this opportunity to offer business solutions and know-how as resources for the multilateral system.”
The objective of the Business Pact is to support the UN Pact for the Future by highlighting key areas where private sector participation can improve outcomes. This project will build on existing initiatives and explore new opportunities for UN-business collaboration, focusing on innovation in new and emerging technologies, investment in infrastructure, and tackling climate change. The Business Pact includes four key pathways for collective impact:
- Building Trust in Innovation and Sharing Knowhow: Private sector expert groups on new and emerging technologies
- Breaking Down Silos: Safe spaces for accessing and sharing information, data, and solutions for impact
- Enlisting and Building Trust in Private Sector Science and R&D Through Multi-Stakeholder Knowledge Communities
- Incentivizing Multi-Dimensional People Centered Infrastructure Investment
The release of the Business Pact coincides with the 79th UN General Assembly. A launch event today in New York features high level UN, government, and private sector speakers, including Ambassador Robert Rae, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Canada’s Permanent Representative to the UN; Ambassador Chris Lu, US Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform; Elizabeth M. Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation; Ester Baiget, President and CEO of Novonesis and Trustee of USCIB; and Sahba Sobhani, Director, UNDP Istanbul International Centre for the Private Sector in Development. Speakers and participants presented practical business recommendations to advance outcomes of the SOTF and to strengthen the UN’s effectiveness to respond to current and future challenges.
About USCIB
The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) powers the success of US business across the globe. Our members include US-based companies and professional services firms from every sector of the economy, with operations in every region of the world. As the US affiliate of leading international business organizations including Business at OECD (BIAC), The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and The International Organization of Employers (IOE), USCIB advances the US business perspective to policymakers and regulatory authorities worldwide and works to facilitate commerce, support sustainable development, and build trust in multilateral systems. USCIB is also the national guaranteeing and issuing association for ATA Carnets, a unified international customs document that allows for the temporary import and export of various types of goods into a foreign country without paying duties or taxes. Learn more at www.uscib.org.
About The USCIB Foundation
The USCIB Foundation is the research and educational arm of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB). The principal purpose of the Foundation is to carry out research and educational activities designed to promote and advance the benefits of a free-market economy and to demonstrate and document the role of the corporate private sector in economic growth and social development.