UN Global Compact Statement on US Decision to Withdraw from Paris Agreement

Posted by Lise Kingo, CEO & Executive Director, UN Global Compact.

We are disappointed by the decision of the United States to leave the Paris Agreement, a historic global accord to combat climate change and protect our planet for future generations. Despite this setback, there is also cause for optimism. The Paris Agreement has activated an unstoppable momentum for climate action, with an essential role spelled out for responsible business.

At the United Nations Global Compact, we have built a coalition of businesses taking action on climate. We are seeing private sector engagement on climate change grow exponentially across the board, with businesses everywhere committing to a suite of effective policies including pricing carbon and setting science-based targets.

At the same time, investors are increasingly demanding climate information, while consumers are demonstrating a willingness to pay a premium for environmentally-friendly products. There is a clear and growing market opportunity for climate compatible products, services and investments.

In the case of an absence by a Member State to take climate action, sub-national governments can continue to support the shift to a green, resilient economy. Individual states and cities can lead the charge and advance the goals of the Paris Agreement in the service of the health and economic prosperity of their constituents.  

We believe the Paris Agreement sends the right market signals to provide predictability, unlock capital, drive innovation and reward responsible companies. The UN Global Compact is committed to working with businesses large and small to mainstream today’s leadership standards on climate. We will continue to challenge companies to go further in transforming their business models and adopting policies that reduce their emissions and transition to a sustainable future.

Though setbacks may try to impede climate progress, we will push onwards in the spirit of solidarity and unity that first brought the world together in support of the Paris Agreement. The business community can and must rise to meet the climate change challenge. Together with Governments and civil society, the UN Global Compact stands ready to mobilize a global movement of responsible companies and stakeholders to create the world we want.

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• Become a Carbon Pricing Champion
• Join our Pathways to Low-Carbon & Resilient Development Action Platform
• Set Science-Based Emission Reduction Targets
• Commit to Responsible Corporate Climate Adaptation
• Learn about the UN Global Compact Mission and Ten Principles

About the United Nations Global Compact
The United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals and issues embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN Global Compact is a leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible corporate practices. Launched in 2000, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 9,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and more than 70 Local Networks. www.unglobalcompact.org