(Rio de Janeiro, 21 June 2012) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today accepted the full set of outcomes from the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, including a listing of more than 200 business commitments and 250 HEI commitments.

The Forum, organized by the UN Global Compact, in cooperation with the Rio+20 Secretariat, the UN System and the Global Compact Network Brazil, brought together 2,700 business leaders, investors, academics, Government officials, environmentalists and grassroots activists earlier this week.

"The Corporate Sustainability Forum outcome document shows the solid commitment to sustainable development among the business community, and the creativity of their new approaches to low-carbon solutions, reducing poverty, empowering women and restoring fresh water resources," said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

Among the decisions taken at the 15-18 June Forum:

• An offer by business leaders to be a part of the creation and promotion of new Sustainable Development Goals.
• A communiqué signed by 45 CEOs of major corporations outlined ways that Governments can do better on water management and can set frameworks that will help business to scale up its own role in reducing usage and restoring natural sources.
• Nearly 300 institutions of higher learning endorsed a plan to place sustainable development at the heart of college and university curricula.

The final text of the outcome document was presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon following his participation in a Global Compact Board meeting today at Rio Centro, during the Rio+20 summit.

• Read the Summary of Voluntary Commitments
• Read OVERVIEW AND OUTCOMES: Innovation & Collaboration, Public Policy Recommendations, Commitments to Action

 

About the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum:
Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want

Hosted by the UN Global Compact, in cooperation with the Rio+20 Secretariat, the UN System and the Global Compact Local Network Brazil, the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum (15-18 June 2012) seeks to bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability practices, as a critical contribution to sustainable development. As a showcase for innovation and collaboration, the Forum is designed to be a launching ground for widespread action. With more than 2,500 participants in attendance, the Forum features over 100 sessions focused on six themes central to the Rio+20 agenda: Energy & Climate, Water & Ecosystems, Agriculture & Food, Social Development, Urbanization & Cities, and Economics & Finance. www.compact4rio.org

 

About the 3rd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education: The Future We Want

The Forum, held on 14-15 June 2012, was the official platform for management-related Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, organized by the UN Global Compact, and provided a space to discuss and mobilise action around the questions: What is the role of management education in society for the future we want? Further, how can the Principles for Responsible Management Education facilitate individual and systemic change within higher education as the community mobilises action toward achieving the Rio+20 vision on sustainable development? www.unprme.org/global-forum

 

For more information, please contact:
Mr. Jonas Haertle
Head, PRME Secretariat
Global Compact Office
haertle@un.org
+1 917 515 9979