Microsoft Bolsters Efforts to Expand Decent Work Opportunities

Microsoft has doubled-down on their commitment to helping the world achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The company is specifically working toward Target 8.2, which focuses on using technological innovation to achieve higher levels of economic productivity. Microsoft emphasizes in their 2021 SDG Report that promoting decent work is not only critical for SDG 8, but is also key in alleviating poverty and promoting good health. As an organization that employs over 150,000 people globally, Microsoft views itself as being in a prime position to bolster equitable and inclusive growth.

Microsoft believes that a key part of expanding decent work opportunities is increasing human capital. In line with this idea, the company launched Microsoft Career Connector to help job seekers enter the tech industry. This program followed the company’s 2020 Global Skills Initiative, which set a goal of helping 25 million people across the globe gain digital skills. Microsoft developed game-based learning for younger students and has partnered with LinkedIn in developing Career Coach, an app for students in higher education to discover their career path and build the necessary skills for that career. Microsoft is also working to expand human capital in developing regions, particularly through their 4Afrika Initiative that they launched in 2013. Through the initiative, Microsoft is investing in African areas to increase internet access and bolster startups. Ultimately, the company aims to help African communities expand their existing markets and find technological solutions to locally relevant issues.

To advance economic opportunities, Microsoft has formed several strategic partnerships in the past few years. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Microsoft partnered with the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other technology companies, like IBM, to create the Global Skills Academy. The academy focuses on increasing opportunities for digital upskilling and helps people gain access to training materials that will benefit their employability. Part of the Global Skills Academy curriculum comes from Microsoft Learn for Students and Educators, which provides entry-level technology courses and works on building professional skills, targeting the Middle East and Africa.

To read more about how Microsoft is working to ensure every person can succeed in the digital economy, click here.

"Digital Services and Green Transition"

Acting as a side event for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum (September 28 – October 1), the panel on “Digital Services and Green Transition” took place in Geneva on September 29 at 7PM CET. This event brought together leaders in the private sector with representatives from the WTO to discuss how digital services can help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what policies are needed to usher in this transition. Panelists explained how digitization is already expanding the possibilities for a green future and suggested steps the WTO can take to help multilateral efforts in the digital/green transition.

This event, which was organized by the Association of French Large Companies (AFEP), ICC France, and the U. S. Council for International Business (USCIB), stimulated powerful discussions about data protection, energy efficiency, and the role of the WTO. ICC France’s Emmanuelle Butaud-Stubbs moderated a productive panel that included Ambassador Manuel Teehankee (the permanent representative of the Philippines to the WTO and chairperson for the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment), Ambassador Tan Hung Seng (the permanent representative of Singapore to the WTO and co-chair of the Joint Statement Initiative on the e-commerce negotiating committee), USCIB’s Brian Lowry, Deputy Director-General of the WTO Jean-Marie Paugam, Sonepar’s Tanguy Griffon, and Representative Director for ICC in Geneva Crispin Conroy. This accomplished panel emphasized that there is hope for the future, but that “the road is still long.”

Based on the panel’s discussion, the private sector has made significant strides in increasing digital efforts to promote more sustainable progress in individual industries. Examples were provided on how the agricultural and energy sectors have used innovations in technology to reduce waste and increase efficiency, such as data collection and analysis on crop yields and estimates of carbon production in construction.

Alternatively, the public sector has been slow in responding to technological developments. The WTO still follows the UN classification system for businesses and technology that was established in the 1990s, making some policies vague and outdated. One suggested solution was to take a more holistic approach to the regulation of goods in order to simplify the process and make it more business friendly.

The panel enabled an open dialogue between the public and private sectors which produced constructive ideas for future development. This multilateral discussion revealed hope for sustainable development and clearly defined a path for achieving a greener globe.

To watch the panel, click here.

“Reinvigorating Inclusive Multilateralism: Business Town Hall”

The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76): “Reinvigorating Inclusive Multilateralism: Business Town Hall” took place on September 20th from 1 - 2:30 pm EST. This event brought together industry leaders to discuss routes to achieve the global sustainability agenda, including international cooperation and encouraging the private sector to align with global business and provide solutions using inclusive multilateralism. Speakers also raised questions about the resilience of the United Nations and values of democracy, rule of law, inclusive societies, and the treatment of workers. 

This event, which was organized by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), Business at OECD (BIAC) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE), was extremely successful in stimulating innovative and productive conversations about the future of government and policy changes surrounding climate change, Covid-19, and multilateralism. USCIB’s Norine Kennedy moderated a thoughtful conversation with Robin Oglivy, the Special Representative and Permanent Observer of OECD to the UN, and Ester Baiget, the CEO of Novozymes and USCIB Trustee Sustainability Champion, who pointed out an unsettling and rather large gap between words and actions regarding policy targeted toward environmental justice. 

The event also highlighted the responsibility companies, citizens, and the government hold, not only to shareholders, but to our communities, future generations, and the planet we live on. Government, businesses, and citizens all have key parts to play in reaching global net-zero goals, reducing mental health related to climate change, achieving and incentivising sustainability, and working toward a cleaner future.

This session included a series of “Fireside Chats,” which featured three priority topics, determined by the General Assembly. USCIB’s Brian Lowry moderated a discussion of climate change which featured Michele Parmelee, the president of the IOE and Deputy CEO and Chief People & Purpose Officer of Deloitte. 

This interdisciplinary discussion also included the topics of human rights and pandemic response and recovery, featuring guest speakers such as USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, Microsoft Vice President of UN Affairs John Frank, and Dr. Scott Ratzan, the Executive Director of Business Partners for Sustainable Development. These moderated discussions, including esteemed industry leaders and scholars, facilitated conversations about business engagement and innovation in conjunction with this overarching theme of multilateralism and how to promote it.