Mobilizing Business Ambition and Investments towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Hosted by the UN Secretary-General, the annual Private Sector Forum brings the voice of business to the UN for an interactive luncheon, featuring roundtables and high-level networking opportunities. Organized by the UN Global Compact, the International Chamber of Commerce, and UN DESA in collaboration with a number of other supporting partners, the Forum will take place on the first day of the High-Level UN General Assembly week in conjunction with the SDG Summit 2023.

This year’s UN Private Sector Forum will focus on ways the private sector can work together with other stakeholders to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and will showcase how direct, real economy investments in critical areas of sustainable development can unlock scalable private sector contributions to the SDGs.

At this pivotal halfway mark, businesses will be challenged to raise their level of ambition by taking tangible, accountable actions in five systemic areas – living wage, gender equality, climate action, water action, and sustainable finance – where the private sector can have the greatest impact towards the 2030 Agenda. The Forward Faster initiative and the early movers, or companies that have committed to ambitious targets before the launch will be recognized.

The Forum will be a global moment for early movers of the Forward Faster initiative to demonstrate (1) measurable and credible business targets aligned with the ambition of the 2030 Agenda and the actions on how these targets will be achieved and (2) the partnerships that will get us to deliver on our collective goals.