Global Compact International Yearbook 2012

Agenda Rio + 20
/Expectations///Expectations///Expectations///Expectations///Expectations///Expectations///
Andrei Galaev
Achim Steiner
Decisions made at global conferences have great effects on CSR and
sustainable development progress and concept advancement. I believe
that the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
will be the next milestone in international efforts to accelerate progress
toward achieving sustainable development globally. It is an opportunity for
participants to honestly and openly discuss what has been achieved in the
last 20 years since Agenda 21 at the Earth Summit in Rio; what the biggest
challenges and issues have been; and whether governments, business, the UN
system, and other parties have managed to address them effectively.
Rio+20 – as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
has come to be known – provides an unprecedented opportunity for
the world to transform the current economic paradigm into one that
enhances human well-being while respecting planetary boundaries
and environmental limits. This will require changes in the way we perceive
progress, make financial decisions, and do business in order to ensure that
social and environmental considerations are fully integrated into decisionmaking.
As the driving forces of economic growth, business and industry will
have a leading role to play.
Many in the private sector understand this, and they are placing increasing
importance on environmental, social, and governance issues. As a founding
member of the Global Reporting Initiative, UNEP promotes sustainability
reporting for private and public institutions along globally applicable guidelines.
UNEP works in tandem with the United Nations Global Compact, the
International Integrated Reporting Council, and others to help companies better
understand and address their integrated environmental and social impacts.
UNEP supports lifecycle-based methodologies such as resource foot-printing,
science-based information on critical resource flows, and capacity enhancement
in developing and emerging economies.
A recent survey of sustainability experts notes that systematic pressure for
financial short-termism and the lack of regulatory incentives highlight the
importance of developing more enabling frameworks, which will be an item
of discussion at the Rio+20 conference this year. UNEP’s Green Economy
research provides ample evidence that business as usual cannot
continue.
Achim Steiner,
Executive Director, United Nations
Environmental Programme (UNEP)
Andrei Galaev,
CEO, Sakhalin Energy Investment
Company Ltd.
UN Global Compact Board Member
I hope that at the Rio+20 conference, and in particular the Rio+20 Corporate
Sustainability Forum, the business community will demonstrate a proactive
stance and desire to move forward regarding sustainable development, sustainability
leadership, and contributions to the Millennium Development Goals.
The Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, under the umbrella of the UN
Global Compact, is a great platform to meet business leaders, international
institutions, CSR experts, as well as public and other stakeholders. As CEO of
Sakhalin Energy and Chairperson of the Global Compact Network in Russia,
I am proud to have the opportunity to participate in Rio+20 and contribute
toward its goals: to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener,
and more prosperous world for all.
For our part, we are open to learning opportunities and ready to share experiences.
Sakhalin Energy participated in the pilot project of the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights that were developed by Professor John
Ruggie and endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council last year. I sincerely
share Professor Ruggie’s opinion that “the era of declaratory CSR is over; we
have moved into ‘prove it.’” This can certainly be one of the key challenges.
I think it is important to discuss lessons learned at Rio+20, to share best practices
and proven sustainability models – especially partnership ones – and to
pay special attention to practical global commitments on human rights and
accountability. As a business representative and newly appointed UN Global
Compact board member, I see that it is critical to take new, practical, and
measurable commitments on sustainability goals with clear targets, institutional
frameworks, and responsibilities for sustainable development.
I trust that human rights will be a core approach and core principle
to these new commitments.
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Global Compact International Yearbook 2012
Global Compact International Yearbook 2012
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