Deputy-Secretary-General, Calling Global Compact’s Philosophy of Shared Actions ‘An Inspiration’, Urges International Community to Look beyond Own Interests

Following are Deputy-Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the United Nations Global Compact Board Luncheon, in New York, 9 January:

It is a pleasure to be here.  I thank Ambassadors Momen, Sauer and Manongi for hosting us today.  I am grateful for your initiative to bring together the United Nations Global Compact Board with heads of Missions to the United Nations.

I thank the members of the Global Compact Board for your dedication to advancing this initiative.  Collaboration between business, civil society and trade union leaders, Governments and the United Nations is critical.  The United Nations deeply appreciates your efforts.

In his meeting with the Global Compact Board earlier today, the Secretary-General talked about the momentous year we face.  Three milestones are ahead of us:  the Financing for Development Conference in July; the adoption of a post-2015 global development agenda by the General Assembly in September; and final global climate change negotiations in Paris in December.

I would like to go into a little more detail about how business can support these processes and agreements.  First, the private sector is a key stakeholder in each of these areas, and I thank you for mobilizing business, through the Global Compact, behind these important issues.

Our goals are transformational:  putting an end to poverty once and for all; improving the lives of hundreds of millions of people; and protecting our planet.  In order to achieve them we need the help of responsible business and investment.

On financing for development, I am especially encouraged that private sustainability finance is gaining momentum.  Institutional investors, companies and foundations offer a large source of private capital for investment.  They need to be integral parts of the strategy to finance the post-2015 sustainability agenda.

We hope that one result of the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa will be to make environmental, social and governance factors part of private investment decisions and reporting practices.  The participation of Global Compact stakeholders in the conference would be an important sign of your commitment.

On the sustainable development agenda, I am particularly pleased that the Global Compact has mobilized business through its 86 country networks to support and implement the sustainable development goals.

Global Compact Local Networks are identifying and prioritizing the issues where they can contribute most, from gender equality and anti-corruption to water and sanitation projects.  This bottom-up approach will be vital, if we are to deliver this transformative agenda.  The Global Compact Post-2015 Business Engagement Architecture shows how supporting sustainability can increase the contribution of business, to everyone’s benefit.

On climate change, in the lead-up to the Paris conference in December, the Global Compact and Caring for Climate are pioneering the concept of carbon pricing as an effective way of taking concrete action.  The Principles for Responsible Investment initiative is also mobilizing investors to measure and disclose their carbon footprint.  I applaud and encourage this important work.

Finally, the Global Compact can play an important role in strengthening trust between stakeholders as we move through the negotiating process, reach agreements and start to implement new measures.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships will be essential, if we are to deliver on this agenda.  The Secretary-General has stressed to the General Assembly the importance of establishing a dedicated partnerships facility, which would work closely with the Global Compact in a mutually reinforcing way to build links and foster collaboration between the United Nations, business and others.

We will also need your expertise on accountability and transparency.  We already have a good start, thanks to the Global Compact annual disclosure requirement.  More work is under way to deliver a measurement system to guide business in its work towards the sustainable development goals.  I welcome these efforts and encourage you to expand your work in this area.

There is an urgent need for joint action in support of global goals.  In today’s world, where power is fragmenting and wealth is unevenly distributed, we need to collaborate and join together to find solutions to our common problems.

The Global Compact’s philosophy of shared responsibility and action towards a better world is an inspiration.  We must look beyond our own interests in a growingly dangerous world.  Our interdependent world will prosper or perish as one.

Strong societies and strong markets go hand in hand.  I urge everyone here to play a part in creating a sustainable future.  Thank you and I wish you a productive discussion.