Global Compact+15: Business as a Force for Good
Corporate sustainability is changing the way the world works. A CEO summit last month in Paris marked a transition from businesses as core causes of climate change to champions of serious and scientifically-gauged responses. A draft UN document calls on business and investors to help bridge a $1 trillion-a-year infrastructure gap in developing countries, and annual investment needs as much as $2.5 trillion to achieve world development that is sustainable. Corporations are spearheading a trend in foreign direct investment from a “race to the bottom” to a means of raising quality of life and environmental standards in poor countries.
Marking the 15th anniversary of the UN Global Compact -- the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative -- Global Compact+15 will bring business, government and civil society to the UN General Assembly Hall to review the private sector role in advancing global priorities. The event will include the release of a report on the growth of corporate sustainability, and the part played by the UN Global Compact since 2000, and on likely future directions.