"Global CEOs sign on to new UN goals at United Nations Private Sector Forum", 26 Sep 2015

More than 300 CEOs, Heads of State, UN and civil society leaders today attended the United Nations Private Sector Forum (PSF) to discuss the role of business in implementing the world's 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)...“First, companies need to do business responsibly and then pursue new opportunities, “said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “We would be closer to the world we want if companies everywhere took baseline actions like respecting employee rights … not polluting land, sea and air … and punishing corruption.”...As a keynote speaker, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the critical role of business – in collaboration with other stakeholders -- in advancing the new United Nations global agenda adopted yesterday...Emerging today from the PSF were announcements of more than 35 corporate commitments to benchmark sustainable development actions, including investment in low-carbon infrastructure, combatting corruption, gender equality in the workplace, access to and strengthening of healthcare services in the Least Developed Countries, and more...The event also saw the launch of the SDG Compass – developed jointly by GRI, the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – which is a guide for companies on how to take a strategic approach to the SDGs and enhance their contribution to sustainable development through core business activities...

• See compendium of corporate commitment here