Global Partnerships, Transparency Critical to Effective Sustainable Development, Delegates Say, as Second Committee Takes Up Global Partnerships
The United Nations must perform due diligence when engaging with corporations and avoid those with dubious records, said the representative of Brazil, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up global partnerships today.
Noting that lack of transparency could undermine even legitimate partnerships, he cautioned against corporations that were not scrupulous about human rights, labour and environmental standards. Further, public policies and Government regulations were necessary to ensure paid maternal leave and other tools for gender equality.
Expressing a similar sentiment, the representative of Cameroon said the United Nations system should not become a subcontractor of the private sector. The Organization was responsible for mitigating the risk of “excessive corporate influence”, and transparency and accountability through the disclosure of contributions was critical in that regard.
The representative of Singapore, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), stressed that development partnerships with the private sector should comply with the development priorities of countries. She called on the United Nations and international organizations to ensure an enabling global economic framework for such partnerships.
The European Union’s delegate struck an optimistic note by welcoming the private sector’s efforts to fight climate change. The United Nations must foster a dynamic business sector while protecting labour rights and environmental and health standards in accordance with international standards, he said.
The representative of the Russian Federation called for a systemic approach to business participation, and highlighted the international response to the Ebola crisis and the Nepal earthquake as perfect examples of innovative partnerships.
Several delegations today also emphasized the role of official development assistance (ODA) with the representative of Thailand noting that North-South cooperation and ODA would remain at the core of the global partnership.
Also speaking today were representatives of Belize, (speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Maldives (speaking on behalf of Alliance of Small Island States), Zambia (speaking on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries), Paraguay, China, Republic of Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Albania and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Introducing a report on global partnerships was Lise Kingo, Executive Director for the United Nations Global Compact Office.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 5 November, for the introduction of draft resolutions.
Introduction of Report
LISE KINGO, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Office, introduced the Secretary-General’s report titled “Enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector” (document A/68/326). The report reflected the progress made by the United Nations in achieving organizational and development goals through collaboration with the private sector. Overall, the United Nations was becoming more adept at managing the risks of partnering with the private sector, both by improving due diligence and integrity measures, and by leveraging the Organization’s reputation and power to set standards.
A baseline for agencies, funds and programmes to develop more effective partnerships while ensuring integrity was provided in a document titled “Guidelines on a Principled-based Approach to the Cooperation between the United Nations and the Business Sector”, she said. The United Nations should pursue stronger disclosure of partnership activity to better monitor results, and continued efforts were needed to enhance transparency and accountability in all private sector engagement by the United Nations.
Statements
JANINE COYE FELSON (Belize), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the international community needed to look no further than the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda to understand a revitalized partnership for sustainable development. At the core, that global partnership was Government–led and would be complemented by the contributions of other stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society and academia. The two initiatives constituted the basis for a framework to foster the focused and integrated approach.
It was also necessary, she added, to encourage public-private collaborations in order to secure a balanced and positive outcome. The Community had taken note of the Global Compact’s initiative for a centralized online platform, a “Sustainable Development Goals compass”, a revamped United Nations/business website, and its “communication on progress” model, all of which were geared towards providing tools for monitoring private sector commitments. “The United Nations itself is learning from its partnerships with the private sector,” she said, noting that the Organization had conducted a review of the disclosure practices of its entities, including specialized agencies, funds and programmes.
AHMED SAREER (Maldives), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said that partnerships were instrumental to the mobilization of human and financial resources, expertise, technology and knowledge. Above all, partnerships were powerful drivers of change. The processes of 2015, namely the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighted the importance of public-private and multi-stakeholder partnerships as key instruments for sustainable development and resilience, as well as for mobilizing resources, expertise, technology and knowledge.
Public-private and multi-stakeholder partnerships with the United Nations and its agencies, funds and programmes had to be based on the principles of national ownership, mutual trust, transparency and accountability, he continued. While the Alliance encouraged the United Nations system to continue its work to encourage public-private and multi-stakeholder partnerships, those could not replace or offset ODA commitments. The 2030 Agenda was the international community’s collective commitment and only by working together could the mandate to leave no-one behind be achieved.
Ms. CHANDA (Zambia), speaking on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, underscored the importance of partnerships in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the achievement of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024. As countries with special challenges and vulnerabilities, the Group required enhanced partnership to establish secure transport systems to reduce trade costs and increase competitiveness on the international market. Building the Group’s resilience to climate change and economic and social shocks also required international collaboration.
South-South cooperation was very important to landlocked developing countries, she said, particularly partnerships on technology transfer, capacity-building and infrastructure development. The private sector would be crucial to helping those States achieve sustainable development. The Group would work with the private sector through the recently launched Global Partnership on Sustainable Transport, which was an important business-led, multi-stakeholder collaboration. It would also work with the Private Sector Partnership of the Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
KAREN TAN (Singapore), speaking on behalf of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), stated that the private sector played an increasingly important role in the pursuit of sustainable development at the national, regional and international levels. It was necessary to strengthen partnership accountability and transparency, embrace holistic and integrated approaches, and advance system-wide collaboration to strengthen coherence and build capacity. Partnerships were of great importance to national development in his region and as a key stakeholder, the private sector was facilitating greater interdependence among Southeast Asian economies.
Noting that the ASEAN Corporate Social Responsibility Network had celebrated it fifth anniversary in 2015, he said that development partnerships with the private sector should be in full compliance with the development priorities of countries. A better enabling environment at all levels would help to facilitate and encourage greater private flows. While national Governments needed to focus on implementing clear, stable investment frameworks, the United Nations and international organizations must help to ensure that the global economic framework remained conducive for growth amidst ongoing economic uncertainties.
ANTONIO PARENTI, of the European Union, welcomed the private sector’s efforts to fight climate change. He urged strengthening their involvement in the lead-up to the Climate Change Conference in Paris. The 2030 Agenda called on all businesses to apply their creativity and innovation to solving sustainable development challenges. That plan committed to fostering a dynamic business sector while protecting labour rights and environmental and health standards in accordance with international standards. Member States must encourage all private sector actors to continue to respect and support agreed values.
He said that Member States of the European Union were today presenting their draft text “Towards global partnerships” based on the previous resolution, which had successfully strengthened partnerships with all stakeholders for the achievement of development goals. That resolution had also stressed that partnerships of the United Nations must support the implementation of United Nations values. He also highlighted the need to take into account ongoing discussions about the working methods and future agenda of the Second Committee. Also critical was the review and follow-up process of the 2030 Agenda.
FEDERICO GONZALEZ (Paraguay) highlighted the importance of international support in the area of sustainable development, particularly from the private sector, civil society and academia. All of those actors must participate in the implementation of the Second Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries and in the processes of adopting the subsequent Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. He encouraged Member States and other stakeholders to recognize the unique challenges faced by landlocked developing countries and engage in discussion on how global partnerships could help develop and strengthen local small- and middle-sized businesses. National capacity must be expanded to collect and analyse data to assist in implementation of development targets.
CARLOS DUARTE (Brazil) said it was critical to establish due diligence procedures to avoid United Nations engagement with corporations that had dubious records on human rights, labour and environmental standards. A lack of transparency could undermine efforts to improve effectiveness of legitimate partnerships. Additionally, the high volume of resources compared to the reduced level of regular budget and core funding to development activities was a source of concern in the context of the implementation of the Organization’s mandate. With regard to gender equality, he said that in the absence of public policies and Government regulation on paid maternal leave, private sector employers would most likely not be included to provide the benefit on a voluntary basis.
CAO ZHIYONG (China) said that the 2030 Agenda had formulated specific targets under Goal 17 regarding a revitalized global partnership. His delegation stressed that North-South cooperation must be maintained and ODA commitments must be fulfilled, with scaled-up support for African and least developed countries. Developing countries could help one another by sharing their experiences through South-South cooperation. Various stakeholders such as the private sector and academia should also be encouraged to participate fully in the global partnership. China would work with all parties to ensure that South-South cooperation could scale new heights.
YUTTALID BUNNAG (Thailand), aligning himself with ASEAN, said that North-South cooperation and ODA would remain at the core of the global partnership. Amidst the global economic crisis, South-South and triangular cooperation had gained momentum but were not a substitute for North-South cooperation. What the South could offer to partners was technical assistance, particularly in the areas of capacity-building and human resources development. Turning to the role of the private sector, he added that by aligning corporate social responsibility with national and international development priorities, public-private partnership could become a powerful instrument to achieve sustainable development.
YOUNHO KANG (Republic of Korea) said that Member States alone could not fulfil the important obligation of implementing the 2030 Agenda. To engage the participation of all stakeholders, the United Nations must “do all that it can” to create an inclusive international environment. The substantive strengthening of global partnerships would require increased cooperation in order to further ignite synergies. In addition, the basic principles of the United Nations must be upheld in all segments of cooperation between the private and public and sectors. His country stood ready to engage in a holistic and integrated approach to implement sustainable development through continued international dialogue.
BANKOLE ADEOYE (Nigeria) said that “without doubt”, private-public partnerships would enhance the flow of additional and predictable financial resources. The United Nations could play a fundamental role in developing practices in pursuit of the peace and development objectives of the international community. However, he urged that partnerships championed by the United Nations operate in conformity with the national development strategies. He welcomed the expanding role of the Global Compact Networks which served as a “catalyst”, expanding system-wide cooperation by the United Nations with the private sector. The Global Compact had actively promoted its 10 universal principles in the work of the United Nations.
ALAIN WILFRIED BIYA (Cameroon) said the contribution of the private sector was critical in empowering small- and middle-sized businesses. However, it was important not to exacerbate the imbalance of core and non-core resources, he said, recalling General Assembly resolutions stating that non-core resources could not replace core resources. It was important to make sure that the United Nations system did not become a subcontractor of the private sector. As an intergovernmental organization, the United Nations had a responsibility to mitigate the risk of “excessive corporate influence”. Transparency and accountability through the disclosure of contributions was critical, he said, expressing concern that the quality of information provided varied from one agency to another, and sometimes was “vague” and always felt incomplete. It seemed that no one within the United Nations had managed to put together a practice of complete and total disclosure. “This could make you wonder”, he said.
ARTHUR A ANDAMBI (Kenya) said that global partnerships were crucial to the international community as the focus shifted to implementing the new 2030 Agenda. That required developed countries and multilateral institutions to partner in a spirit of global solidarity to support all goals and targets. The overarching goal for all stakeholders must be ending extreme poverty and hunger. His country’s long-term development blueprint focused on creating jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protection to the most vulnerable, and promoting social dialogue. The national plan was implemented by Government ministries and departments in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other United Nations partners. He also highlighted the need to empower women by providing opportunities for them to learn business management and agricultural skills.
INGRIT PRIZRENI (Albania), associating herself with the European Union, said that her country had progressed to a middle-income position, and that external assistance had slowly declined while paving the way for European Union funding. With the era of Sustainable Development Goals having arrived, Albania was interested in global partnerships for development, which could assist middle-income countries by promoting good corporate governance and the flow of targeted long-term investments, including foreign direct investments (FDI) from the private sector.
IRINA MEDVEDEVA (Russian Federation) stated that the international community’s experience with the Millennium Development Goals had shown that strengthening partnerships with international organizations and the private sector was key. Calling for a systemic approach to business participation, she added that it was necessary to develop existing mechanisms such as the Global Compact and fully realize the potential through transparent participation. A shining example of innovative partnerships was the work done by the United Nations agencies, such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in the framework of the international reaction to the Ebola crisis and the Nepal earthquake. Her country had been involving non-governmental entities in development and international cooperation, and the number of Russian companies that were committed to social responsibility was growing.
MAYTHONG THAMMAVONGSA (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), associating himself with the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, the Group of Least Developed Countries and ASEAN, said implementing the 2030 Agenda would require a huge amount of resources which could not be mobilized without global partnerships. ODA would remain the central tool for partnerships in helping countries with particular needs such as landlocked developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States. South-South cooperation was not a substitute for North-South cooperation. Therefore developed countries who had not done so already should meet their ODA commitment of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income. Private sector involvement through private-public partnerships played an increasingly important role in development and Governments needed to identify priorities where the private sector could engage effectively.