Inclusive Business and the Millennium Development Goals: Summary of the New York MDG Summit Dialogue
Geneva, October 27, 2010 - The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), along with a number of the world's leading business networks and initiatives, have issued a summary report (
4.6 MB) on the dialogue they convened during the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals on 21 September 2010 in New York City.
The dialogue gathered some 200 specially selected leaders from companies, governments, international organizations, aid agencies and NGOs from around the world to highlight concrete examples of how companies are "walking the talk" in developing inclusive business, i.e., sustainable business solutions that expand access to goods, services, and livelihood opportunities for low-income communities.
The report, titled Delivering Results: Moving Towards Scale, captures the key ideas, suggestions and comments that were articulated during the dialogue. It highlights the progress that has been made towards achieving the MDGs through inclusive business approaches; the potential inclusive business has to deliver new opportunities for low-income people and commercial returns for companies; the diverse ways in which businesses can become involved in inclusive business opportunities; the challenges that remain to integrating these models into core operations; and, most importantly, a roadmap for overcoming such challenges and realizing the many exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
The report identifies eight main focus areas that will prove essential in advancing the future development of Inclusive Business, including the need for experimentation and room to innovate; the imperative for understanding low-income consumers; the necessity for collaboration; the importance of the right government policies and regulations to incentivize companies to further invest; the need for practical tools and resources to support inclusive business development; the importance of leadership; the necessity for striking a balance between short and long-term business goals, and overcoming infrastructure challenges through innovative partnerships.
The report is a joint effort between the by Business Action for Africa, Business Call to Action, International Business Leaders Forum, International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations Development Programme, The Global Compact, United Nations Office for Partnerships, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government�s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative.
Additional resources on the 21 September dialogue (videos, presentations, joint statement by the organizers, etc.) as well as on the UN Private Sector Forum, held the following day, can be accessed via this special section on the WBCSD website.
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