Home / News & Events
The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 brought together leaders from all sectors to elevate the role of responsible business and investment in bringing about the needed transformation to more sustainable and inclusive markets. The event occurred on 24-25 June, 2010 in New York.
Future advances in global integration, poverty reduction, protection of our planet and, ultimately, peace critically depend on our ability to collectively address the most pressing global challenges. Accelerating the practice of corporate sustainability and responsibility is an urgent task in these complex times, when crises – from financial market break downs to environmental degradation – are increasingly global and connected. The stakes could not be higher, given that climate change threatens the security of food, water and energy – the interlocking resource pillars which underpin prosperity and the productivity of the economy. Putting long-term sustainability, comprehensive risk management and ethics at the top of the corporate agenda must be a priority for business everywhere.
The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 provided a platform for business to convene, collaborate and commit to building a new era of sustainability. At the Summit, business leaders tackled priority areas that are central to corporate leadership today and essential for the transformation to sustainable markets – and ultimately the protection of our planet and the livelihoods of future generations:
Marking the 10th anniversary of the UN Global Compact’s launch, the Leaders Summit 2010 highlighted milestones, champions and best practices which have helped to advance the corporate responsibility agenda and contributed to UN goals – making the UN Global Compact the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative with 8,000 signatories in 135 countries.
While the global context and rationale for corporate responsibility has shifted since launching the UN Global Compact in 2000, the vision remains the same: for companies everywhere to integrate universal principles into their strategies, operations and culture, thereby having a profound effect on United Nations goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals.
At the Leaders Summit, a wide range of new resources and thinking were launched. Provided in a variety of formats – including traditional publications and multimedia – these resources cover all Global Compact principles and issue areas. The resources include assessments that take stock of progress made and key trends related to corporate sustainability and development; sets of principles meant to inspire greater commitment on key dimensions of corporate sustainability; tools and guidance which are materials that offer practical guidance on how to implement elements of corporate sustainability; and best practices that highlight existing and emerging best practices by sustainability front-runners. View full list of resources launched at the Leaders Summit.
Nessa Whelan
whelan@un.org
Jonas Haertle
haertle@un.org
