WORLD BUSINESS LEADERS TO BUILD HISTORIC NEW PARTNERSHIP AIMED

AT FIGHTING HUNGER, ADVANCING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

 

Chief executives representing leading corporations from all continents are meeting with Government leaders and senior United Nations officials in New York today for the first United Nations Private Sector Forum on Food Sustainability and the Millennium Development Goals.  The Forum has been organized by the United Nations Global Compact and a broad coalition of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in response to the global food crisis, which threatens to reverse critical gains made in reducing poverty and hunger worldwide.

Currently, 923 million people are suffering from hunger in the world.  In 2007, largely as a result of high food prices, some 75 million people were pushed into hunger and poverty.  By 2030, world agricultural production will have to increase by 50 per cent to feed an additional 1.6 billion people, and world food production will need to double to feed 9 billion people in 2050.  Private investment is crucial to boost agricultural production and rural development in a sustainable manner.

To be opened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Private Sector Forum will take place one day before world leaders gather to assess overall progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, and articulate a course of action that will seek a stronger role for the private sector in advancing sustainable development.  In this context, a new guide -- Food Sustainability and the Role of the Private Sector, compiled by the Global Compact Office, and to be presented at the Forum -- will highlight how companies from a broad range of industry sectors can have an impact on long-term food sustainability through their operations and activities.

As the primary platform for United Nations-business interaction on the Millennium Development Goals, the Forum will mobilize corporations to step up their efforts around critical areas that directly affect access to and availability of food:  water availability and management; agricultural inputs and infrastructure; financial mechanisms and risk management; nutrition; energy and biofuels; technological innovations; and job creation for low-income populations.  Key outcomes of the Forum will be taken forward in the three official round table sessions during the Summit on 25 September.

During the Forum, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Compact, the Government of the United Kingdom, the Clinton Global Initiative and the International Business Leaders Forum, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, will launch the Global Partnership for the Business Call to Action.  Companies that sign will be challenged to develop specific core business initiatives, and turn their signatures into concrete actions.  The Partnership will track commitments companies make, assess their contribution towards meeting the Millennium Goals, and learn lessons on what works well for both businesses and poor communities that can be replicated globally.

The Forum will also feature the launch of the Framework for Business Engagement with the United Nations, which was developed to more effectively mobilize the private sector in contributing to the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in the areas of greater public-private synergy, coordination, scale and impact.

The first United Nations Private Sector Forum is co-organized by the United Nations Global Compact Office, the United Nations Development Programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, with additional support from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Labour Organization.

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For information media • not an official record