Business leaders join UN chief to step up action for sustainability

Business leaders join UN chief to step up action for sustainability

NEW YORK — Business leaders joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday, to step up delivery of critical investment, for a ‘sustainable, net zero, resilient and equitable world’. The Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance, which brings together 30 business giants worth an estimated $16 trillion, met Guterres in New York, and outlined concrete actions for the future. Since October 2019, when the Secretary-General convened the GISD Alliance, its CEOs and other top executives have been working with the UN and other partners to develop guidelines and products that align the existing finance and investment ecosystem, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Acknowledging the “great responsibility” facing private sector leaders, Guterres said that the goals were clear: to “build a sustainable, net zero, resilient, and equitable world, to better align investment with sustainable development, and to act on their commitments, with credible timelines, targets and plans”. Since its creation, the GISD Alliance has developed standards and tools aimed at moving trillions of dollars to bridge the gap in financing, to realize the UN’s 2030 Agenda. The group works through increasing the available supply of long-term investment for sustainable development, realizing SDG investment opportunities in developing countries, and enhancing the