UN lauds business sector's move to realize dev't goals
BusinessWorld, 5 January 2005 - The United Nations lauded the Philippine business sector for launching its road map for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
The launching of "Responding to the Millennium Development Challenge: A Road map for Philippine Business" was the highlight of the recent celebration of the 34th founding anniversary of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), which is spearheading the MDG's campaign in the business sector at present.
PBSP is a nonprofit consortium of more than 180 industries and corporations focused on social development and corporate responsibility.
UN resident coordinator in the Philippines Deborah Landey emphasized the crucial role of the business sector as a social advocate for the MDGs to help the country achieve the goals by 2015.
Ms. Landey added that achieving the MDGs is extremely important for business because the goals contribute to the three crucial pillars of successful enterprises, namely, a sound environment, management of direct costs, and risk and harnessing of new business opportunities.
The commitment of the business sector to the MDGs was re-echoed in the theme of the PBSP anniversary, "Business Empowering the Poor."
The road map recognizes that poverty is one of the biggest of challenges of the MDG.
The business sector recognizes its key role in poverty alleviation as a provider of opportunities for employment and livelihood, as a producer of goods and services for the poor, and as an advocate of greater participation of the poor in the formal economy. The road map defined the role of business in poverty reduction, education, health, and the environment.
UN special ambassador for the MDGs in the Asia-Pacific Erna Witoelar delivered the keynote address during the launching of the road map. Ms. Witoelar called on the business sector to work closely with government and civil society for the MDGs and stressed the relevance of business to the eight MDGs.
PBSP officials, led by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) top executive Manuel Pangilinan and Ma. Luisa Perez Rubio, presented copies of the business road map for the MDGs to the UN.
The Philippines is a signatory to the 2000 Millennium Declaration that rolled out the time-bound MDGs as a global agenda for development by 2015.
The eight MDGs are halving extreme poverty and hunger, creating a universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving women's health, stopping and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, creating environmental sustainability, and forming global partnerships for aid, trade and debt relief.
5 January 2005, Copyright 2005 BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation
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