Advancing the living wage agenda requires all stakeholders - including Governments, businesses, employers’ and workers’ organizations, investors, multilateral organizations and NGOs - to take up their responsibility and work collaboratively to eliminate the barriers to raising low wages at country and sector levels.
This two-hour collaborative session will explore the challenges and opportunities for businesses to work with relevant stakeholders to advance the living wage agenda in different contexts and sectors. We will also discuss how companies can support government action to ensure an environment conducive to living wages for all workers.
The primary purpose at the end will be to inspire you and arm you with practical next steps to enhance your collaboration with other stakeholders to advance living wages and ultimately take action towards a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive economy.
This session will focus on the UN Secretary-General Report on financial innovation. The report, created by the UN Global Compact (UNGC) in collaboration with the UN Department of Economic Affairs (UN DESA), describes how the UN can support the emergence of practical and well-oriented innovation in financial markets.
During the first part of this two-hour session, UN-affiliated sustainable finance organizations will present the key findings from this report. The second part will be organized as a roundtable discussion, during which guests will expand on the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General Report and highlight the different focuses that emerge from the actors in the financial value chain (institutional investments, financial intermediation, market infrastructure, and corporate investments) and various geographic markets.
Join us for an insightful session exploring the imperative of corporate policy engagement to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Companies are already taking action by setting ambitious net-zero emissions reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative and Forward Faster, which are essential to drive progress and raise the bar for actions across the board.
Government and business have the potential to reinforce one another to increase climate investments toward a net-zero future. The private sector needs to advocate for the specific policies and regulations enabling companies to reduce emissions in line with a 1.5°C scenario and have them reflected in the next cycle of national climate plans or nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
Over two hours, we will delve into this crucial nexus with a dynamic keynote. Then, concluding with a 30-minute panel discussion, experts will share their insights into leveraging policy advocacy to drive meaningful progress toward a just and sustainable future.
This session provides a platform to discuss the crucial role of the private sector in promoting responsible AI development, investment, and use while advancing human rights in an AI age.
As AI governance evolves, AI applications expand, redefining business activities, disrupting established processes, and opening up new frontiers for humanity. This session will explore the implications and opportunities of AI on human rights while investigating adherence to norms of responsible business conduct.
Join this multi-stakeholder discussion to hear insights about recent developments, share experiences, and explore how businesses can take ambitious action and support policy development to protect and promote internationally proclaimed human rights.
How can we ensure supply chains remain resilient and sustainable in the face of disruptions ranging from natural disasters and conflict to climate change and pandemics? For manufacturers and sellers, the sustainability dilemma is creating products responsibly without harming the environment or exploiting labor. Out of sight cannot be out of mind, which is the challenge of sustainable supply chains.
We will hear a keynote on Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Sustainability and dive into market trends, the transformative impact and opportunities of AI and Blockchain on supply chains, and the critical ESG reporting barriers for SMEs. Speakers representing every step of the supply chain, from logistics service provider to customer, will share practical challenges in meeting sustainability targets and successful strategies and discuss the role of critical partnerships.
Come to this dynamic session with industry leaders, small businesses, and government representatives. Let's dive deep into cutting-edge technologies and sustainable procurement best practices to explore what's working in building future-proof and inclusive supply chains.
Water resilience stands at the forefront of sustainable development and is pivotal at the nexus of nature, business, and society. In this interactive session, participants will be guided through an interactive tour of how water impacts your business and how your corporate water stewardship positively impacts communities and nature.
A dynamic keynote speaker will set the stage for a panel of companies sharing their business cases in water stewardship. Participants will be led through a workshop and invited to share their firsthand experiences and insights. They will then engage with prompts to more profound reflection on water's multifaceted significance. In the end, attendees will emerge equipped with tangible examples showcasing how proactive water stewardship initiatives address sustainability challenges, offering actionable pathways for progress. Join us as we illuminate the critical nexus between water resilience and sustainable development, empowering leaders to drive positive change within their organizations and beyond. Let's unlock the potential of water action for a more sustainable future.
As it currently stands, it will take 169 years to close the economic gender gap. We don’t believe in waiting almost two centuries to achieve gender equality. The private sector has a critical role to play, and studies show that having more women in leadership positions – from national parliaments to boardrooms to C-suites – results in more inclusive and sustainable companies and more peaceful, equitable communities.
Join us for a thought-provoking 2-hour session where you can hear from and interact with C-suite panelists working on the frontlines of actively advancing gender equality in their organizations, particularly from underrepresented departments at different companies.
This will be followed by an engaging workshop exploring the various dimensions of moving Forward Faster to advance equal representation across all levels of management, with a particular closeup on advancing gender equality through gender responsive design processes. Participants will leave with new ideas and concrete steps they can take within their companies toward their gender equality journeys.
A handpicked selection of innovative projects from the SDG Innovation Accelerator will take center stage in this dynamic segment. Each team of young professionals will seize the spotlight to pitch their visionary ideas, strategies, and sustainable solutions, which they've dedicated the past nine months to developing.
Teams of innovators will present their SDG Business Solutions to a panel of SDG Innovation and Intrapreneurship experts to receive feedback, questions, and insights to refine their solutions, particularly from the perspective of their ideas' breakthrough potential (ambition) and, equally important, the business case and likelihood of their solution being implemented (feasibility).
From pioneering technologies to redefined business models and innovative customer-centric strategies, young innovators will showcase disruptive concepts that have the potential to reshape their businesses and the sustainability landscape. The audience will actively participate in this showcase through live voting, casting their vote for the projects that resonate most deeply with them!
Advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in male-dominated industries, requires the commitment and participation of men as male allies. The transformative power of male allyship is of the utmost importance when empowering women and taking concrete steps toward advancing gender equality.
Join us for an interactive two-hour session, where you will hear from and engage with C-suite male allies actively committed to advancing gender equality in their companies. This will be followed by a workshop, during which participants will engage in a facilitated simulation to highlight practical approaches to allyship.
Participants will explore the benefits of fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace culture through immersive scenarios and guided breakout discussions. They will leave with practical strategies and a deeper understanding of how allyship can create lasting positive change in the workplace, ultimately driving organizational success and innovation.
To meet net-zero transition commitments, ample corporate investments are required, prompting companies to seek funds in the financial market. This session will discuss the importance of corporate investments in achieving climate ambition and where companies from different sectors are investing in transitioning to net-zero businesses.
The first part of the session will be organized as a panel discussion where climate champions will expand on the financial implications of their net-zero commitments. The second part of the session will be a roundtable discussion around the challenges that critical economic sectors are facing in their effort to transition to net-zero companies, as well as the benefits that this shift is bringing, expanding on the role of investors and lenders and the opportunity to raise blended finance as a solution
Integrating DEI in business operations, business strategy, and organizational culture is essential in tackling inequality and eliminating discrimination worldwide. This session will spotlight businesses' need for swift action to improve DEI in the workplace as a critical aspect of respecting human and labor rights.
By promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive business practices, businesses can create workplaces that enhance creativity and innovation, broaden talent attraction and retention, and increase employee engagement and reputation. Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a strategic move for future-proofing your business.
This two-hour session will kick off with a dynamic keynote speaker, followed by an interactive workshop, and conclude with a panel discussion. Participants will leave this session with a clear understanding of how to set targets to improve DEI in the workplace and, ultimately, contribute to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promise to "leave no one behind."
Join us for a session delving into holistic approaches for business to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
You will have a chance to hear from and discuss with corporate sustainability experts about the latest innovations and policies that are being developed to combat issues such as plastic pollution, biodiversity loss and deteriorating ecosystems, all while ensuring that just transition considerations and human rights are not only taken into account but put front and center.
After a dynamic keynote address, a collaborative workshop will bring together experts and practitioners to discuss opportunities and challenges before concluding with a panel discussion on the way forward to a world where we practice more sustainable consumption and production that leaves no one behind.
This session is a call to action for leaders to champion transformational governance (TG), fostering ethical, inclusive, and transparent business practices for a sustainable future. Over two hours, this interactive session will explore how transformational governance can drive positive change in the corporate world and beyond, anchoring discussions around the TG Self-Assessment Tool as a pivotal resource.
We will begin with a grounding keynote on the Transformational Governance approach and the TG Self-Assessment Tool, followed by interactive discussions on crucial TG topics. You will then hear from panelists on ethical leadership and a culture of integrity, incorporation of ESG factors in Business relations, advocacy & influence, and the rule of law. Join us in promoting ethical leadership, building trust between public and private institutions, and fostering a culture of integrity, fairness, and inclusion beyond legal formality—asking what is legal and right.
This session showcases ‘the how’ of water resilience, explicitly highlighting the actions and tools companies have used in their corporate water stewardship journey. Participants will delve deeply into examples of successful water action and what approaches enabled that success.
They will engage in small group discussions to share their experiences and ask questions. After this session, participants should understand specific steps their company can take to build water resilience and what resources to leverage.