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