USCIB's Ariel Meyerstein, VP for Labor Affairs, Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Governance offered a few thoughts on Devex for the three next critical steps for enhancing business engagement in the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
In the post, Meyerstein called for three steps at both the global and national levels:
- National governments should organize cross-ministry working groups and begin convening stakeholders — including business and civil society — to collaboratively assess and identify their priorities.
- Corporate reporting frameworks should be considered and integrated - or at the least acknowledged - by the official UN indicator processes. As Meyerstein notes,
[h]ow can we discuss achieving the targets on biodiversity, sustainable consumption and production patterns or financial inclusion without considering corporate reporting on these and other issues? How can we do it without some interaction between ‘official’ member state or U.N. agency statistics and other data? We would be missing the bulk of the story on a good number of targets and missing a chance to redirect both government and business resources to filling gaps as we identify them along this 15-year journey.
- Finally, Meyerstein observes that the "crucial question" member states need to answer for business is what the role of the private sector will be in the ongoing intergovernmental discussions about follow-up and review? He proposes that what is needed is a "more empowered business focal point" for both deliberations and ongoing coordination between sectors. Such a focal point would be helpful as a resource to both UN agencies and member states looking for the business community's views on pressing issues or seeking partners for projects. It could also serve a critical role as a liaison for companies looking for guidance through the labyrinth of UN agencies. Such enhanced coordination will be essential to catalyzing more robust and effective partnerships in the next 15 years.