This publication provides an overview of the five key topics discussed at the ABLC roundtables in July and August 2022. Each section focuses on one of the five most pressing climate issues facing the African continent, along with insights from the CEOs and executives in attendance. The concluding section lays out a series of 14 questions that leaders must consider as they look at Climate Action both within their own organizations and externally.

This addition to the Decent Work for Sustainable Procurement Toolkit is an overview for buyers on why it is important to include a gender lens to procurement strategies and practices. It provides a practical step-by-step guide on how buyers can advance gender equality and promote non-discrimination through procurement decisions and explains the business benefits of sourcing from women-owned or gender-responsive businesses.  

This publication showcases examples of good practices from a growing number of businesses in the Arab States that are taking gender-responsive action to ensure the economic inclusion and social well-being of their employees, customers and suppliers, as well as local communities. As a regional companion piece to the global publication of UN Women and IFC ‘Bridging the Gap - Emerging Private Sector Response and Recovery Measures for Gender Equality amid COVID-19 (2020)’, this regional report aims to inform companies in the Arab region and around the world on emerging practices and initiatives for supporting women leaders, employees, entrepreneurs and those in value chains amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles developed jointly by UNICEF, UN Global Compact and Save the Children in consultation with children, businesses, investors, governments, civil society, trade unions, national human rights institutions and United Nations entities. The joint report “Charting the Course: Embedding children’s rights in responsible business conduct” elaborates key achievements and main gaps that need to be addressed to accelerate impact for children through business action and policy decisions. The report lays the foundation for raising the bar towards making business fit for children.  

Anchored in the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, the African Business Leaders' Climate Statement brings the voice of the African private sector into the global conversation on sustainable development and bold climate action. The Statement includes commitments each signatory company will make in the areas of adaptation, just transition and mitigation, as well as a call to the global community to support the continent of Africa in climate action.

A just transition according to the ILO means greening the economy by simultaneously addressing the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind. The objective of this brief is to highlight the important role of adaptation action for large multinational corporations that aim to achieve a just transition. Its focus is on how businesses can adapt to minimise climate change risks and impacts in a just and equitable manner. The brief outlines seven recommendations for businesses to advance a just transition for climate adaptation. The business brief is available in English and Spanish.

  The Maritime Just Transition Task Force was formed to ensure that shipping’s response to the climate emergency puts seafarers and communities at the heart of the solution. This Position Paper puts forward a 10-point action to achieve a Just Transition for seafarers.

Building long-term water resilience is essential for a company aiming to mitigate or adapt to current and future shocks and stresses. This guidance is designed to encourage companies to engage with the water systems critical to ensuring sustained business operations over time, and to plan for future trends, possibilities, and risks. It provides a standard, step-wise approach to measuring and enhancing resilience across different industries and provides a set of ‘Water Resilience Indicators’ and a ‘Resilience Scoring Tool’ for corporates. Practical examples are provided throughout the guidance document to showcase how each step could be implemented in practice. Applicable to small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) as well as large multinational corporations with supply chains across different geographies, this detailed guidance on WRAF for corporates is a step forward for businesses to start embedding resilience into their policy and practices. ISBN: 978-1-893790-95-7

This Business Brief addresses the roles of finance in advancing a just transition. It draws from recent developments to illustrate what is possible, while calling on key financial actors to develop and realize this potential, including financial institutions, the Chief Financial Officers and finance functions of corporations, investors, Chief Investment Officers, Chief Risk Officers and policymakers. The business brief is available in English and Spanish.

On 27 June 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal, the United Nations Global Compact, the High-Level Climate Champions, the Ocean and Climate Platform, UNFCCC and the Governments of Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, convened chief executives from businesses, financial institutions, NGOs, UN organizations and government representatives for a high-level meeting on the ocean and climate. This meeting focused on the implementation of solutions at the ocean-climate nexus.  The following document provides background on the ocean-climate nexus, highlights recent developments in ocean-based climate action and outlines the main takeaways from the meeting. This document also lays the foundation for a set of short and mid-term targets, referred to here as Blue Breakthroughs, being developed with the ambition to be presented at COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Limiting average global warming to 1.5°C requires an enormous transformation of our economy and energy systems. The movement of companies, countries, cities, and investors setting ambitious net zero targets and leading this transformation is building momentum faster than ever. Though progress is being made, climate action must continue to be accelerated and accompanied by efforts to address the various environmental and societal challenges we face. In the UN Global Compact Network UK’s latest Briefing, we explain how businesses can be at the forefront of this growing movement and why it is important to continue raising ambition and take immediate action.

A new strategy that spells out our ambition to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change.