Uncategorized Archives - Business for Peace Foundation

Introducing the UN Business Arena

15 June 2023

Business for Peace Foundation is proud to introduce the UN Business Arena, a groundbreaking platform launching in 2024 that harnesses the power of collaboration to drive positive change and create a more inclusive and sustainable future. With a steadfast commitment to advancing #businessworthy leadership, the UN Business Arena empowers business leaders to become catalysts for societal transformation.

At the Business for Peace Foundation, we believe that businesses have a crucial role to play in shaping a better world, and that this can be done better than it is currently done today. That’s why we established the UN Business Arena along with our Oslo Business for Peace Award nomination partners UNDP, ICC, UNGC and PRI. The UN Business Arena is an unprecedented initiative designed to bring together public and private actors from around the globe. By fostering a new form of multilateralism, the UN Business Arena leverages collective efforts to drive the Global Agenda and tackle pressing challenges across sectors and regions in low-, middle- and high-income countries.

On June 5th, we convened a high-level meeting of the UN Business Arena in Norway. Esteemed leaders from diverse backgrounds convened in Oslo to ignite collaborative action and define the thematic focus for the forthcoming flagship event in 2024, where the next Oslo Business for Peace Award Ceremony will be one of the key events. This landmark gathering emphasised the indispensable role of the private sector in effecting positive change and underscored the transformative potential of partnerships between businesses, governments, and civil society.

The UN Business Arena is driven by a collective ambition to accelerate the leadership of businesses that embody the values of responsibility and contribute to positive change on a global scale. By providing a unique platform for knowledge-sharing, dialogue, and collaboration, we enable business leaders to forge innovative solutions that address the world’s most pressing challenges. From sustainable energy solutions to responsible investment practices, food system transformation, and fostering peace through dialogue, the UN Business Arena strives to unleash the full potential of responsible business practices worldwide.

We extend our deepest appreciation to our highly appreciated partners who have played a pivotal role in shaping and supporting the UN Business Arena. Our heartfelt thanks go to the International Chamber of Commerce, Principles for Responsible Investment, United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Global Compact for their unwavering commitment to collaborative action and their shared vision of a more responsible and sustainable future. A huge thanks also goes out to our esteemed Oslo Business for Peace Award Honourees Connie Hasemann, Dr Agbor Ashumanyi Ako, Dr Harley Seyedin, Felicitas “Joji” Pantoja, Dr Vladas Lašas and Tore Lærdal who came to Norway to support.

We invite you to join us in our mission to create a more inclusive and sustainable world through the UN Business Arena. Feel free to get in touch, and stay tuned for updates on UN Business Arena’s LinkedIn page as we continue to chart our transformative journey, catalysing impactful initiatives and driving collective action towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Together, we can harness the power of business to shape a brighter future for generations to come.

A Holiday Message from Business for Peace

23 December 2022

Dear friend,

If you told me a year ago I would be writing these words in the midst of a full-scale territorial war on European soil, I would not have believed you. Yet, here we are at the end of 2022, a year that one could easily be forgiven for labelling an annus horribilis. This rings particularly true when the glaring violations on Ukraine’s sovereignty is coupled with the subsequent soaring prices on basic necessities, rising interest rates, and a lingering COVID-19 situation. We live in unprecedented times.

In addition to this, the climate change threat is more severe than ever, there are deep-seated trust issues, and broken supply chains between the global north and the global south. And the

lead-up to the Football World Cup in Qatar showed us that tens of millions of migrant workers worldwide are stuck in a precarious position, with grave human rights violations being committed.

Yet, all is far from hopeless. On December 19th, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of Earth’s lands, oceans, coastal areas, inland waters; Reduce by $500 billion annual harmful government subsidies; Cut food waste by 2030. The need to “foster the full and effective contributions of […] the private and financial sectors” are deemed critical throughout the framework’s four goals and 23 targets.

I am also relieved to see an ever-increasing focus on the global challenges at hand. New technology and a genuine willingness to build back better offer unimaginable opportunities for better lives and green growth. Now, more than ever before, the private sector has to be a fundamental part of global development, global solutions and global wealth distribution.

Private companies are rising to the challenge in record numbers. And, like the global network of Oslo Business for Peace Award Honourees, a growing amount of businessworthy leaders work tirelessly every day, all over the planet, to conduct business that does good, provide innovative solutions to global challenges, and which also inspires other business leaders to act businessworthy.

As 2022 draws to a close, I and everyone at Business for Peace are filled with renewed optimism and motivation to help re-imagine capitalism and make all businesses a force for good. After years of work, 2023 will see an immense opportunity come to fruition, where we together with our partners will lay the groundwork for a new form for multilateralism and transformative partnership as set out by the UN Secretary-General, to help build future systems of collaboration between business and society.

I hope you and your loved ones will have a peaceful holiday season. For all those that are not so fortunate; I promise that we will work tirelessly for a better tomorrow.

Warm wishes,

Marius Døcker

Managing Director