¡°Business as usual approaches?won¡¯t work,¡± said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the 2018 ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council)?Partnership Forum, an annual event promoting inclusive societies, including through innovative business models and mobilizing big data for public good.
¡°We need action ¨C and bold action ¨C to build an inclusive, resilient and sustainable future that leaves no one behind,¡± she continued.
Ms. Mohammed shared a snapshot of today¡¯s world, pointing out that more than eight per cent of the population lives in poverty; 192 million are unemployed; and young people are three times more likely to be jobless.
¡°Their voices in many places are stifled and leading to a greater sense of disenfranchisement and disillusionment,¡± she underscored.
Calling the private sector ¡°an indispensable partner,¡± Ms. Mohammed stressed the need to work together ¡°to reduce inequalities, end discrimination, empower people and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all.¡±
Partnering with the private sector is essential to pursue common goals and to align their business models with the 2030 Agenda.
¡°Sustainable business makes business sense,¡± she continued. ¡°Better engagement with the private sector requires an enabling policy environment and dialogue mechanisms that encourage firms to do business in a way that works for global good, and for the bottom line.¡±
She said that both the Organization and the private sector need to step up efforts and scale up partnerships to generate results that would ¡°reach the furthest communities and villages.¡±
¡°Our ambition is nothing less than ensuring that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment,¡±?she underscored.
A win-win partnership
Opening the annual forum, Marie Chatardov¨¢,?ECOSOC?President, pointed out that inclusive development models and combatting inequality was critical to achieving the SDGs, which aim to wipe out poverty and boost equality by putting the world on a more sustainable economic, social and environmental path by 2030.¡°It also requires building the resilience of societies, communities and people to cope with shocks ¨C be it natural disasters, economic shocks, conflicts or others,¡± she said. ¡°To do so, we must reach out to ¡®those furthest behind first,¡¯ including women, youth, indigenous peoples and persons living with disabilities.¡±
Citing research by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, she argued that sustainable business models could unlock economic opportunities ¡°worth up to $12 trillion and increase employment by up to 380 million jobs by 2030.¡±
¡°The study also shows the majority of companies are already aware that investing in sustainable development goals is a ¡®win-win partnership,¡¯¡± she stressed.
Ms. Chatardov¨¢ said the private sector can contribute to more inclusive value chains, diversity policies ¨C including marginalized groups in decision-making processes.
¡°I would also like to take the opportunity to challenge the business leaders present here today to consider making bold commitments to act and invest towards co-designing a more inclusive future for all,¡± she concluded.
This forum will contribute important elements to a special ECOSOC meeting York in May, which will inform discussions at the??in July 2018.
During the forum, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DESA organized three Facebook live sessions, featuring expert panels, which explored different themes related to the power of partnerships. The sessions honed in on , , and .
Source: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ News Centre