Business gears up for Earth Summit with launch of new initiative
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| Sir Mark Moody Stuart: rallying the forces |
New York, 18 April, 2001 - The chairman of Shell, Sir Mark Moody Stuart has launched a new environmental initiative aimed at rallying the collective forces of world business in the lead up to next year's Earth Summit.
At a press conference in the United Nations, Sir Mark unveiled "Business Action for Sustainable Development" - a new initiative he said would provide a focal point for business preparations ahead of next year's Second Earth Summit in Johannesburg.
"Our aim is simple," said Sir Mark. "It is not to create yet another business organisation but rather create a network to ensure the world business community is assigned its proper place for the Summit and that we are seen at the event itself to be playing a constructive role."
"Many of us in business believe we have come a long way since (the First Earth Summit in) Rio. We want to now take a seat at the table, listen to what other members of society have to say and discover what role we have to play in the development and delivery of a sustainable future."
Sir Mark said business would eventually be charged with the responsibility of delivering new, environmentally friendly technologies and should therefore be included in any discussion on the subject.
He added that rather than being created for philanthropic reasons, the Business Action for Sustainable Development was a product of unabashed self-interest.
"Even the smallest businessman in the tiniest village understands that he has a role to play in his community," Sir Mark said. "Unless his business is seen as a useful and constructive member of society, it will suffer.
"If we were to say we are in this for purely philanthropic reasons, it would simply not be credible. By acknowledging that a future built on sustainable development is very much in the interests of business, then people will realise that there's an element of self-interest and hopefully a lot of the suspicion will flow away."
The Business Action for Sustainable Development is a joint initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
It will draw its support from the thousands of companies and business organizations around the world that are members of these two institutions.
"It is not a new organisation but simply an initiative which has the life span of the period leading up to the Second Earth Summit next September in Johannesburg," said Sir Mark.
The Business Action for Sustainable Development initiative will hold its first strategy meeting in Paris in October.