The United Nations Global Compact will organize the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum: Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want from 15-18 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. The Forum is held in cooperation with the Rio+20 Secretariat, the UN System and the Global Compact Local Network Brazil.
World leaders will convene on 20-22 June 2012 at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – known as Rio+20 – to build consensus on a more sustainable course for our world. Today, over one billion people lack access to food, electricity or safe drinking water. Most of the world’s ecosystems are in decline. Climate change and global population growth are predicted to exacerbate these challenges. There has never been greater urgency to secure a better environmental, economic and social future for all.The private sector has a critical role to play in this endeavour, and is increasingly putting sustainability – defined as a company’s delivery of long-term value in financial, social, environmental and ethical terms – on its agenda. Through the UN Global Compact alone, over 6,000 companies have committed to conduct business in line with human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption principles.Progressive and promising work is underway. Already, innovative business solutions are having an impact on issues such as energy access, water security and carbon emissions. But to have a truly transformative effect, a quantum leap is needed. With the right incentives and enabling environments, the private sector can make significant and lasting contributions to the sustainable development agenda – in Rio and beyond.
With over 2,000 expected participants, the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum will give business and investors an opportunity to meet with governments, local authorities, civil society and UN entities in dozens of highly focused workshops and thematic sessions linked to the Rio+20 agenda.The Forum’s objective is to bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability practices. As a showcase for innovation and collaboration, the Forum is designed to be a launching ground for widespread action. Held over four days at the Windsor Barra Hotel, the Forum will consist of over 100 focused sessions held in parallel on themes related to the Rio+20 agenda:
Sessions will have a common purpose and design: to spur action and stimulate greater uptake. Innovative public-private partnerships, business contributions and new commitments will be showcased for each theme. Events will be organized by a wide range of organizations, including the UN Global Compact; UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes; Global Compact Local Networks; and other selected partners.
On the afternoon of 15 June, an opening plenary will kick off the Forum – outlining sustainable development challenges and the role of the private sector. On 18 June, a closing plenary – Compact for Rio – will convene chief executives and Forum participants to distil leading sustainability practices, innovations and collaborations, and announce new commitments across all themes. The closing session will also put forward recommendations for government actions that would help bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability globally.
Forum invitations will be sent by the UN Global Compact and partners beginning in January 2012. Invited guests are encouraged to register as soon as possible to take advantage of early registration rates and secure hotel accommodations that have been pre-reserved for a limited number of Forum participants.The UN Global Compact is offering a limited number of sponsorships to cover the cost of the Forum. Forum sponsorship provides the unique opportunity for an organization to demonstrate commitment to corporate sustainability on a global stage. Sponsorship opportunities will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
As the world faces enormous challenges, Rio+20 is our best hope to change course and move from the status quo toward a more sustainable future. Help us shape the future we want. Meet us in Rio!
