UN High-Level Political Forum 2018 Countdown: SDG 6 & 7

Ensure Water, Sanitation and Energy for All

This year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) on sustainable development will be held from July 9-18 in New York under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The theme for the forum will be “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies” focusing in part on Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and Sustainable Development Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

As part of USCIB’s countdown to the UN HLPF, USCIB is highlighting select initiatives by its member companies. In particular, USCIB is selecting some company initiatives that are working to transform toward sustainable and resilient societies, while subsequently meeting the SDG targets set by the UN. A more comprehensive list of examples can be found on USCIB’s Business for 2030 website.

SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

One impactful project to note is an initiative by Monsanto that led to the development of a well for clean drinking water in Malawi. A team from Monsanto Malawi discovered that students at Kaphulika Primary School near Lilongwe had a commute of two miles to the closest water source, and therefore limiting drinking water and hygiene water at the school. The team subsequently constructed a water pump on school grounds to provide clean and reliable drinking water for over 950 children and the village of 3,000 people. The children were also gifted with reusable water bottles to take water home every day after school. The development of the well is another step forward for Monsanto to help achieve SDG 6 for Malawi and the world.

SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

In order to achieve SDG 7 to ensure renewable energy around the world, Mars has added solar panels to factories in California and aims to create renewable infrastructure in the U.S. and the UK. By the end of 2018, Mars will be using or purchasing renewable electricity to cover 100% of its operations in 11 countries. The use of renewable energy will help Mars reach its goal in reducing GHG emissions 100% by 2040 from direct operations and will help drive action for global climate change.

Tune in for next week when we will highlight company initiatives on Goal 11: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, and Goal 12: ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

USCIB Gathered for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum

Breakfast Roundtable to Discuss Business Innovation for the SDGs

US Ambassador to ECOSOC Kelley Currie gives remarks at breakfast roundtable on business innovation for the SDGs

As governments and stakeholders gathered for the third annual United Nations Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the SDGs in New York on June 5-6, USCIB organized a timely breakfast roundtable on the margins of the forum titled, “Together for Impact: Business Innovation for the SDGs” on June 6. USCIB partnered with the U.S. Department of State and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to launch a practical and productive dialogue between USCIB member companies and UN missions and agencies.

The roundtable – held at Pfizer’s Headquarters in New York – brought together UN Missions, UN Agencies, and USCIB Member companies to discuss opportunities to partner and scale up the deployment of business innovation in order to deliver progress on the SDGs.  Representatives of companies, governments and the UN system began a practical dialogue on operationalizing private sector innovations through conducive enabling regulatory frameworks and inclusive international cooperation.

Monsanto, Ferrero, Pfizer, Novozymes, LexisNexis and CropLife International presented examples of how the private sector is working with other stakeholders to advance innovative technologies and knowledge-sharing.  Japanese Ambassador and Co-Chair of the STI Forum Toshiya Hoshino gave a government and UN perspective, as did Judith Arrieta, on behalf of Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea of Mexico, co-chair of STI Forum.  Also attending the meeting were the co-chairs and several members of the UN “10 Member Advisory Group” to the STI Forum, including Dr. Vaughan Turekian of the National Academy of Sciences.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Kelley Currie opened the meeting, highlighting the importance of bringing the private sector, that is increasingly embracing and operationalizing SDG-related innovations – in terms of products, services, ways of producing, and the means of cooperation itself – into partnership with the UN system.  In her keynote speech, she stated that, “there are such good intentions on all sides, and a great deal of achievement and potential to offer.  Three years after 2015, Addis and New York and Paris, those who understand the imperative of stepped up deployment of solutions do need to find ways to advance those opportunities, to bridge what appear to be missed opportunities and take them forward for shared impact and benefit.  Business too has to do more to encourage such a “skin in the game” working relationships, including through public-private partnerships.”

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson remarked, “dissemination and deployment of technologies and know-how for the widest possible societal benefits are imperatives that can only be advanced by working together with the US business community.  That is why USCIB called this meeting, for systems thinking and more importantly systems doing,  and to cultivate systemic collaboration and knowledge-sharing.”

In concluding the meeting, Andrew Wilson, ICC’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, brought the discussion back to the fundamental question of where governments and the multilateral system need private sector involvement most.  “Clearly we need more interactions like this one to determine solutions from business that can be widely deployed to help advance the SDGs.”

USCIB and its members will continue to work with governments to ensure that business views and contributions to innovation for the SDGs in the form of products, initiatives and implementation are heard, welcomed, and taken into account at important meetings like the UN High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) as well as at future UN STI sessions.

The Third Annual SDG Business Forum July 17, 2018

Register Now

The third annual SDG Business Forum will be held at the United Nations Headquarters on July 17, 2018 during the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The SDG Business Forum is hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), and the UN Global Compact. Leaders from business, government, UN agencies, key international organizations, and civil society groups will attend the Forum to explore and foster business engagement in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.

The UN 2030 Agenda is a platform for the private sector to demonstrate the central role of business in sustainable development from the standpoints of investment, innovation and implementation. The HLPF will be convened under the Economic and Social Council as the central UN forum to review the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s theme for the HLPF is “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.” The meetings will focus on six of the 17 SDGs; including Goal 6 – Ensure Water & Sanitation, Goal 7 – Ensure Energy for All, Goal 11 – Make Cities Sustainable, Goal 12 – Ensure Sustainable Consumption & Production, Goal 15 – Protect Ecosystems, and Goal 17 – Strengthen Means of Implementation. The SDG Business Forum will showcase and report on how businesses of all sectors and nationalities are engaged in supporting those six SDGs.

The SDG Business Forum is a unique multi-stakeholder platform for business action and partnerships to achieve the SDGs by fostering public-private dialogues, catalyzing new partnerships and alliances, and exploring innovative business solutions to accelerate sustainable development. From SMEs to multi-national companies, businesses are realizing the necessity of incorporating the SDGs into their business plans and practices and the Business Forum provides the opportunity to review and strengthen their engagement in the SDGS.

The SDG Business Forum will be held from 9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on July 17, 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Register for the SDG Business Forum here.

Read more about the HLPF here.