BALI "“ December 10, 2007 "“ More than 90 representatives from business, United Nations agencies and governments gathered in Bali today for a business dinner hosted by the UN Global Compact, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The event took place in the context of a business day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held from 3-14 December.

The purpose of the dinner was to present an update on Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform, an initiative launched by the Global Compact in July. More than 200 corporate signatories of the Global Compact have joined the new platform, which calls on both business and governments to take immediate action on climate change. The dinner highlighted several examples of business engagement and leadership related to the climate challenge, showcasing pragmatic solutions for a low-carbon future from all sectors and regions.

The dinner's keynote address was delivered by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Climate Change. In her speech, Dr. Brundtland encouraged business to share experiences, stimulate each other and make their voices heard and actions seen. Said Dr. Brundtland: "One way to do this is Caring for Climate, the Platform that the Global Compact, together with the WBCSD and UNEP, has created. By subscribing to it, on paper and in practice, you can demonstrate leadership and action and give recognition to the idea that it is in the best interest of business to play its part in increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions."

Other speakers included UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, WBCSD President Björn Stigson, A.J. Devanesan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Indonesia’s APRIL Group and Global Compact Board Member Toshio Arima of Japan.

The dinner was hosted by WBCSD, UNEP and the Global Compact, with the support of Asia Pacific Resources Holdings International Holdings Ltd.

About the United Nations Global Compact:

Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact brings business together with UN agencies, labour, civil society and governments to advance ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to mainstream these ten principles in business activities around the world and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 3,600 participating companies and hundreds of other stakeholders from more than120 countries, it is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. For more information, please visit www.unglobalcompact.org.

United Nations Global Compact

United Nations Global Compact

As the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With the UN Global Compact, committed companies achieve sustainable value by delivering measurable impact to the world’s most pressing challenges. 

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