On the margins of this year’s annual United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at UN headquarters in New York, USCIB convened a dinner for business, UN organizations and governments to highlight private sector action and impact towards sustainable development, using the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a blueprint.  The Businessfor2030 Dinner was co-organized with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and its Swiss and UK National Committees, as well as with the International Organization of Employers (IOE).

In addition to announcing the expansion and globalization of the Businessfor2030 web platform, the dinner and its speakers also set the stage for the SDG Business Forum, organized by ICC and held at UN HQ on July 17.  Recently appointed Secretary General of the ICC John Denton addressed the Businessfor2030 dinner, issuing a challenge to the international community to unleash the power and potential of business in order to attain the 2030 objectives across economic, social and environmental areas.  “We need to help people understand the power of working with the private sector,” emphasized Denton.  Kris DeMeester, representing the International Organization of Employers, underscored the broad commitment of employers all over the world to advance sustainable development through employment, in the workplace and working closely with other social partners.

“Three years after the launch of the SDGs, we continue to take seriously that all companies, all sectors must engage to deliver on economic, environmental and social progress,” stated USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson in his opening remarks. “No company can sit this out.  We commend our own members for having embraced the SDGs and moved forward to embed them not only in corporate responsibility programs, but increasingly across aspects of their planning and investment.”

The Businessfor2030 webplatform is a unique resource for business, governments and others in the UN community who are seeking to understand and pursue the SDGs.  It presents business examples of SDG action, and provides information on public-private partnerships. Established by USCIB in 2015, it now features over 250 examples of business action, covering more than half of the 169 specific SDG targets.