Global Policy Forum

By Sacha Shivdasani

Business leaders from across the world are gathering in Paris to discuss the role of business at the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting is being organized by the Business Action for Sustainable Development, a joint initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

"This initiative was essentially born out of a desire to make sure that when business goes to Johannesburg next year for the Summit that business is adequately represented and that we are part of the process and recognized as part of the solution," said Bryce Corbett, Director of Comunications for the ICC.

The initiative is a coordinated effort by business to ensure that the 2002 Summit's agenda is not dominated by governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), said Corbett. He added that the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, was widely perceived to have been influenced by these elements. BASD will ensure that the efforts of businesses to be included in Summit activities are coordinated.

Chairman of BASD is Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, who took the reins four months ago, as he was stepping down as Chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group. "He has been a really effective advocate of BASD," Corbett said. "He has been attending all of the UN preparatory meetings to make sure that we are apart of the process leading up to Johannesburg."

Sir Mark says the aim of BASD is simple. "It is not to create yet another business organization but rather to create a network to ensure the world business community is assigned its proper place at the Summit and that we are seen at the event as itself to be playing a constructive role," he said.

For business to have a seat at the negotiating table and to have the opportunity to interact with representatives of governments and NGOs is important to the eventual effectiveness of the Summit itself. "The UN recognizes that you can get governments to agree to something and you can listen to NGOs but," said Corbett, "at the end of the day business is very much the fabric of society. And when it comes to creating the technologies that are going to help create sustainable futures, it is going to be business that invents it."

Part of being included at the Summit will involve the creation of an exhibition space for businesses next to the Summit convention center. There, businesses will have the opportunity to showcase some of their environmental initiatives and the latest technological developments in the field of sustainable development.

"The point of this would be to show off the different advances that business made in the last 10 years in the area of sustainable development," said Corbett. "It would also be to look at the kinds of technologies they have developed and the programs that they have put in place or the advances that they have made in the interest of sustainable development."

But these huge technology investments are not made by businesses out of the goodness of their hearts--there is a definitive bottom line involved in the decision to go green. Environmentally friendly and sustainable business practices are well recieved by shareholders, are high profile activities, and, said Corbett, help to ensure the future of the business. In other words, doing good business makes good business sense.

"Business is saying that it is in our interest as much as anyone else's to look after the environment because we need to create a situation where the industries that we practice are sustainable because we want to continue to do business and to make profits," said Corbett. "It is saying that this is a business that is going to have a longer future than any kind of short term, unsustainable practices."

Being part of the solution will not involve sponsoring parts of the Summit. Corbett said that at the strategy meeting on October 9, Sir Mark will advise businesses of the possible negative repercussions of sponsorship. "Business funding of the Johannesburg Summit would inevitably lead to fears that business was exerting undue influence," said Sir Mark. "Businesses were approached for support of the World Trade Organization meeting in Seatle--those who did so were not surprisingly accused of trying to buy influence and access." Corbett said that Sir Mark had been meeting with conference organizers, and that during these meetings some overtures had been made by some of the UN representatives that they were looking for sponsorship from businesses that they consider to have a good sustainable development track record for some parts of the Summit. "To be buying into a process like this would not be in the interest of the Summit and certainly not in the interest of business to be doing that," said Corbett. He quoted Sir Mark as saying that he would discourage this among businesses because business is already perceived by the public at large to have too much influence.

Rather than be seen as trying to buy influence, BASD wants businesses to be recognized as part of the solution and as equal partners with governments and NGOs. "It is so often that business is painted as the problem and the evil and the wrong doers," said Corbett. "But governments and NGOs can talk all they like about solutions, and what should be done, but unless they include business as one of the solution deliverers than it is a whole lot of hot air really."

The Business Strategy Meeting is scheduled to take place at ICC headquarters in Paris October 9 and 10. Sir Mark will chair the meeting, which 140 people are expected to attend, including UN Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai of India and President of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development Emil Salim of Indonesia.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.