|
It’s a tall order, and some might question the commitment of UN member states, given the relatively slow pace they’ve set over the past five years. But let’s put aside the 2015 target for the moment, and admit that these are goals that all of us can endorse. So, the business community asks, what can we do to help?
We’re already doing a lot. While big mega-summits get most of the media attention, companies are already working with the United Nations, day-in and day-out, in support of fundamental UN goals of peace, security and development. Through organizations like the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), we in the private sector have been cooperating closely with the UN system and member governments, turning out in force for high-level meetings to combat poverty (Monterrey, Mexico, 2002), promote trade (Doha, Qatar, 2001) and protect the environment (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002).
Under Secretary General Kofi Annan, there has been a welcome change from the days when the UN routinely bashed business. Mr. Annan himself has observed that “it is the absence of broad-based business activity, not its presence, that condemns much of humanity to suffering.” He calls it “utopian” to believe that poverty can be overcome without the active engagement of business.
So as leaders gather in New York, they should know that business is deeply committed to collaborating with the UN, its members and other sectors of society in building a sustainable future. The private sector must serve as the engine of the “global partnership” envisaged in the MDGs. Why? Well, partly because executives of global companies appreciate – perhaps more than most people – that we are all part of the same human family. But it’s also because when people become richer, healthier and freer, it’s good for business.
What can companies bring to the table? Plenty. While governments must put the proper legal and institutional frameworks in place, only the private sector has the necessary tools to deliver real results in curbing poverty, promoting sustainable development and achieving the other Millennium Development Goals.
It all comes down to three things: innovation, investment and partnership. Business can generate the ideas and technology needed to improve people’s lives and address long-term environmental challenges. Business can also leverage the power of the marketplace to provide private-sector funding for development and environmental improvement. And business can show the way in creating effective partnerships with governments, research institutions and non-governmental organizations in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.
Governments and the UN need to focus on creating the legal and institutional environment for enterprises of all sizes and sectors to invest, innovate and create jobs. They must commit themselves to reducing barriers to international trade and investment, the growth of which provide a time-tested route out of poverty. Government action is needed to combat bribery and corruption, promote access to energy resources, and protect intellectual property rights – all of which are critical to drive economic growth, human development and environmental protection.
Healthy, growing societies create new business opportunities and new markets. We in the business community view the MDG process as integral to our interests and to our global citizenship. We look forward to bringing the vast resources, and real-world experience, of the private sector to this effort.
Peter M. Robinson is president of the United States Council for International Business, an industry group representing 300 top U.S. multinationals and related private-sector organizations.
ICC statement: Implementation of the UN millennium process – business priorities and engagement
ICC website
UN website
|
