The
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) represents more than 20 of the world’s
leading businesses. We are writing at the initiative of the ICC in advance of
the formal adoption this week of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — the
UN’s new agenda for people, planet and prosperity.
The SDGs
represent, without doubt, the most ambitious development agenda ever forged at
the international level. They set out an essential road map to address some of
the world’s most pressing and intractable problems, from extreme poverty
through to climate change. Simply put, we all — as global citizens — have an
interest in making the SDGs an unprecedented and unmitigated success.
The
international development agenda is sometimes narrowly construed as a matter
for governments alone, but it is clear that effective implementation of the
SDGs will require widespread business support. To take one angle: official
estimates place the annual investment gap in sustainable development in
developing markets at up to $2.5tn annually. It is anticipated that much of
this shortfall will need to be filled by private capital. In other areas,
business expertise and innovation will be key if we are to limit greenhouse gas
emissions, create new jobs and promote sustainable consumption cycles.
That’s why
we are calling on world leaders gathering in New York this week to commit to
working actively and constructively with the private sector to deliver on the
promise of the new “Global Goals”. Many businesses are already playing a leading
role in promoting sustainable development, but with the right support and
incentives from government we can do much more. A collaborative effort is also
required to enable the transformation of business practices towards
sustainability more broadly — including within the small business sector.
While the
SDGs address many complex issues, our message is simple: let us work together
to seize this once in a generation opportunity to deliver a brighter and more
prosperous future for all.
Harold
McGraw III
Chairman
Emeritus, McGraw Hill Financial
Chairman,
International Chamber of Commerce
John
Danilovich
Secretary-general,
International
Chamber of Commerce
Jack Ma
Founder and
Executive Chairman,
Alibaba
Peder
Tuborgh
CEO, Arla
Foods
Mark Wilson
Group CEO,
Aviva
Sunil Bharti
Mittal
Founder and
Chairman, Bharti Enterprises
Bernard
Charles
President
and CEO, Dassault Systèmes
Andrew N
Liveris
Chairman and
CEO, Dow Chemical Company
Frederico
Curado
CEO and
President, Embraer
Sheryl
Sandberg
COO,
Facebook
Cherie
Nursalim
Vice-Chairman,
Giti Group
Pablo Isla
Chairman and
CEO, Inditex
Dominic
Barton
Managing
Director, McKinsey Company
Kim Sung-joo
Chairperson
and CEO, MCM Holdings
Peder Holk
Nielsen
President
and CEO, Novozymes
Denis Nally
Chairman,
PwC
Jean-Pascal
Tricoire
Chairman and
CEO, Schneider Electric
Bill Winters
CEO,
Standard Chartered Bank
Michel Liès
Group CEO,
Swiss Re
Paul Polman
CEO,
Unilever
Anders
Runevad
Group
President and CEO, Vestas
Sir Richard
Branson
Founder,
Virgin Group
Sir Martin
Sorrell
CEO, WPP