| 2015: A Historic Year for Business Leadership on Climate & Development |
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| Dear viewers,As the New Year begins, please accept my best wishes for a prosperous 2015. During this big year, business contributions will be central to climate action and sustainable development. We look forward to working together.The reason I call it a big year is that in 2015 we will see the merging of agendas on climate change, sustainable development and energy on a global scale. Through Action2020, the WBCSD is well positioned to insert the constructive contributions of its member companies, and this President’s Letter outlines the key collaborative processes in which the WBCSD is highly engaged in the year ahead.Most immediately, The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting will convene from 21-24 January in Davos. This year’s theme The New Global Context highlights the complex political, economic, social and technological transformations facing the world today with proposed frameworks for future decision-making. WBCSD will be hosting two high-level side events, along with our representation in the official program in several capacities. Please find herein an outline of the WBCSD engagement in Davos.
In addition, we have a meeting room (directly across from the Congress Center entrance) for bilateral discussions with members, prospects and public officials. |
| WBCSD side-events during the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos |
Wednesday, January 21st : Business Action on the SDGs; How will business measure and manage their impacts on sustainable development through the framework of the SDGs? (with GRI & UNGC)
19:00 – 21:00, PepsiCo Café (Schneider’s Café)In September 2014, the WBCSD joined forces with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to produce an implementation guide on impact assessment, KPI selection and goal setting, with the aim of supporting businesses in assessing their impacts, aligning their strategies with the SDGs and establishing company goals. The post-2015 development agenda presents a historic opportunity for businesses to engage as a strong and positive influence on society. This event will allow leaders to learn about this joint SDG project and discuss how business can best align strategies and practices with the SDGs once launched by the UN in September 2015. For more information please contact Mark Didden: didden@wbcsd.orgHighlights of Wednesday also include a number of events organised by our partner We Mean Business (WMB), together with whom we will continue to catalyse action and demonstrate business leadership on climate change. The day will start with a closed-door roundtable of Indian CEOs with a view to launch an energy efficiency initiative in India. From 12 to 13:30 pm, a high-level CEO panel on innovative climate action will be moderated by Christiana Figueres at the World Food Program tent. Fully endorsed by the WEF, this panel is part of the official program. Over dinner, WMB will gather a closed-door influencer recruitment event with the B-team, which will profile the key messages from business on the Road to Paris.
Finally, January 21st will also see the launch of Live Earth, which will take place at the end of Mr. Al Gore’s session from 10:20 to 10:30 am at the WEF plenary in the Congress Center. Live Earth will start a yearlong global campaign in partnership with many of the world’s leading brands, organizations and artists. The goal is to gather 1 Billion Voices for climate action leading up to COP21 and urge world leaders to adopt a new climate agreement for a sustainable future. Together with Former Vice President Al Gore, the United Nations and creative partner Pharrell Willliams, Executive Producer Kevin Wall and Live Earth will create a global series of events over 24 hours on six continents, broadcast across all major media platforms.
Friday, January 23rd : Developing a Social Capital Protocol for Business: A standardized framework for businesses to approach the measurement, management, and valuation of their social impacts.
07:00 – 08:30, Steigenberger Grand Hotel Belvedere, Romeo & Julia
WBCSD envisions a world where businesses use ‘True Costs’ and ‘True Profits’ in their internal and external reporting and are measured by their ‘True Value’. This involves a redefinition of profit and loss, performance and value creation to integrate longer-term environmental and social impacts. The development of standardized frameworks for business to integrate social and natural capital into decision-making are essential to achieving this aim. As part of the Natural Capital Coalition project, the WBCSD – working with many experts – is leading the development of the Natural Capital Protocol . We are now taking the lead on generating the same momentum with a Social Capital Protocol. For more information please contact Kitrhona Cerri: Cerri@wbcsd.org |
| WBCSD representation at the official WEF program |
Given the numerous WBCSD business solutions in the energy & climate space and our strong support of a circular economic model, the WBCSD will be represented at the following sessions which are part of the official WEF program.Thursday, January 22nd
Wasteless Supply
The Energy-Climate NexusFriday, January 23rd
Value Chain Climate Solutions: Transforming Industrial Production
Building Responsible Supply Chains for Tomorrow’s Consumers
CEO Climate Leadership Group: Coalitions for Concrete Action
2015: A Historic Year for Business Leadership – a Dinner with the UN Secretary General
Saturday, January 24th
Circular Economy: Toward Global Impact |
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| The Annual Meeting in Davos will be an important milestone in advancing the WBCSD’s work in several focus areas for 2015 as a number of key events approach. The UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development Goals/SDGs (September 2015, New York, USA) and the UN’s Third International Conference: Financing for Development (13-16 July 2015, Addis Abba, Ethiopia) are both related to a host of WBCSD work streams from water and forestry to Redefining Value and the Natural & Social Capital Protocols.The Government of Turkey will be an important actor in the year ahead, hosting both the G20 (November 2015, Istanbul, Turkey) and the UNCCD COP12 (October 2015, Ankara, Turkey). WBCSD has agreed to partner with UNCCD to lend business support for land degradation neutrality solutions and to engage stakeholders on the Road to Ankara in advance of the COP12.Finally, as part of WBCSD’s Road to Paris, in broad collaboration with the French Government who will host the COP21 (30 November – 11 December 2015, Paris, France) our Business Solution & Technology Roundtables will explore pathways to scale-up action, remove technological barriers, clarify financing needs and formulate clear policy asks for implementation of technologies at scale. As part of this effort, the WBCSD will partner with EPE to co-host a Business & Climate Summit on May 20-21. Other Roundtables will be set up throughout the world between now and COP21.With 2015 set out to be an instrumental year for sustainability, the WBCSD and its members will continue to stay at the forefront of important developments towards transformational change. Dominik Breitinger breitinger@wbcsd.org would be happy to assist you with additional information on our involvement in Davos or further engagement.
Warm Regards,
Peter Bakker
President & CEO, WBCSD |
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