Objectives of UNEA-6 vis-a-vis Private Sector, Expectations and What actually Happened?
The theme convening the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) was Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, while it was not directly referring to the role of the private sector in addressing the triple planetary crisis, the message is clear - that the journey for systematic change is contingent on strategic, impactful and consistent engagement with the key economic actors. “With a diversity of perspectives come strength,” said Leila Benali, the President of UNEA-6 and Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development for the Kingdom of Morocco.
The Private Sector Unit (PSU) based in the Partnerships & Resource Mobilization Branch of the Corporate Services Division is responsible for better coordinating, and standardizing engagement with business, and has leveraged calls to action at UNEA to facilitate pathways for meaningful contributions from the private sector. For example, PSU ensured that private sector engagement was embedded into a session at the UN Science-Business Policy and hosted the Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the UN Global Compact, Ms. Sanda Ojiambo.
Thematically, efforts zeroed-in on two big ticket items of plastic pollution and sustainable food systems with such milestones as the Workshop for Unlocking Private Sector Agri-Food Systems Transformation, and the One Planet Network Board and the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Partners Meeting which discussed business commitments toward a circular economy including the Global Circularity Protocol for Business, featuring Ms. Alison Gray Cairns, Head of the Private Sector Unit as a speaker.
Highlights: interview with Ms. Sanda Ojiambo
As one of its high-profile guests, UNEA welcomed Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the UN Global Compact. As part of her engagement, Ms. Ojiambo was interviewed by PSU. With opportunity areas growing in joint work, it is crucial to look at business independent of other stakeholders, such as the government, highlighting the role of UNGC as the liaison between the business, the UN and the Member States.
