Expo 2020 Dubai and the United Nations Global Compact are joining forces to hold a Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum during Expo’s Global Goals Week (16-22 January 2022), to unite businesses and spur further action towards a sustainable and inclusive future.
Announced today at this year’s UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, the collaboration reflects a shared and urgent commitment to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and drive meaningful change.
Economic prosperity for all
As well as highlighting the work of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, the Business Forum will examine how the global community can promote economic prosperity for all, while ensuring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by the 2030 deadline.
Dubai Chamber
Dubai Chamber, the official business integration partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, will co-organize this forum and all other business forums over the course of the six-month international event.
This cooperation with the United Nations Global Compact will enhance the benefit of the presence of more than 200 international participants in Expo 2020 to encourage a new wave of UN Global Compact membership participation, and drive progress towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth, in line with the Global Compact’s mission of accelerating the collective impact of business on a global scale, by upholding ten principles and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through responsible companies and systems that enable change.
United Nations
Nadia Verjee, Chief of Staff, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Our collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact is another milestone in Expo’s wider relationship with the UN. It builds on our shared commitment to strategic action, collaboration and innovation to advance the SDGs and exemplifies Expo 2020’s mission to bring the world together to create a better future for people and for our planet”.
She added that sustainable growth is at the heart of the UAE’s strategic vision and underpins Expo 2020’s entire philosophy, before, during and after the event. It cuts across Expo in all ways, from highlighting how countries are placing sustainable development at the core of their strategies, exhibitions and programming, to actively engaging, enhancing their knowledge and inspiring millions of visitors to make a conscious difference in how they live their lives.”
Sustainable Development
In pursuit of one of the most sustainable and inclusive World Expos ever, Expo 2020 Dubai has aligned its sustainability strategy with the Sustainable Development Goals, working with international participants, trading partners, stakeholders and the entire supply chain to establish sustainability and inclusion across its site, the pavilion designs, and event operations.
Expo’s workers welfare strategy
In addition to the environmental aspects of sustainability, Expo’s “Better Together” worker welfare strategy will leave a lasting legacy of change in construction industry across the Middle East. Expo 2020 Dubai’s policy, that each country will have its own independent pavilion, ensures that all countries, big or small, have equal opportunities to participate and benefit from the opportunities associated with the international event.
This commitment includes stimulating long-term, sustainable and equitable growth for the Greater Expo family, as many of Expo 2020’s trading partners are already involved in the United Nations Global Compact.
Meaningful Partnerships
Cooperation with the United Nations Global Compact also highlights the impact of the combined power of the World Expo and the close relationship between the UAE, Expo 2020 and the United Nations. Just as the United Nations Global Compact brings together more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-commercial stakeholders, Expo 2020 will unite more than 200 participating parties, including more than 190 countries, along with a range of companies, multilateral organizations and educational institutions, to create meaningful partnerships that can influence on global change in an unprecedented way.
Dan Thomas, Head of Communications and Strategic Events for the UN Global Compact, said: “We are proud to partner with Expo 2020, to engage more companies in the drive towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We will take this opportunity to encourage more entrepreneurs to set ambitious sustainable goals. Concrete progress is necessary in order to achieve a just, inclusive and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to avoid climate-related crises and inequalities that, if left unaddressed, could prevent human progress.
The United Nations announced its participation in Expo 2020 Dubai in October 2019, and has already collaborated with the international event to offer a number of inclusive thought leadership platforms. The organization’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, with the theme “We the Peoples: Shaping Our Future Together”, provides an opportunity to engage millions of visitors from all over the world and inspire action towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Expo 2020 will be held from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, in conjunction with the golden jubilee of the UAE, and the international event will bring the world together, creating an open global dialogue that looks forward to the future. Expo 2020 invites visitors from all over the world to participate in shaping a new world, by exploring innovations that change reality and make a positive and meaningful impact on people and our planet.
