Business & UN
John Denton, ICC Secretary General joins UN Global compact board
The United Nations (UN) Global Compact has announced that John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), has joined its Board as a new Member. The UN Global Compact Board plays an important role in shaping the strategy and policy of the initiative, which acts as the UN flagship for responsible business action.
Today the UN @globalcompact welcomed @ICCSecGen and @PaulPolman to their Board as the private sector works to support the UN’s Agenda 2030 and adopt the #SDGs. Share on XMr Denton said: “I’m honoured to join the Board of the United Nations Global Compact. The UN’s 2030 Agenda rightly places a clear onus on the private sector to drive sustainable development and I look forward to contributing to the Compact’s important work over the coming years. It’s clear to me that we will only solve the problems at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals if business works for everyone, every day and everywhere. Working together we can meet that challenge.”
On the announcement, Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, said: “We are delighted to announce the new Board of the United Nations Global Compact, chaired by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with Bola Adesola and Paul Polman serving as Vice-Chairs. This new Board is the most diverse and streamlined Board the UN Global Compact has ever had, with members representing business from all over the world alongside civil society and other stakeholders. Together, they will help guide the strategic direction of the UN Global Compact as we work to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want. I look forward to working with each of our Board Members over the coming years.”
Designed as a multistakeholder body, the Board provides on-going strategic and policy advice for the initiative. Board members are considered champions who are willing and able to advance the mission of the UN Global Compact. They act in a personal, honorary and unpaid capacity.
As the world approaches the third anniversary of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Global Compact Board will be instrumental in helping to bring business to the table in support of Agenda 2030.
Mr Denton was unanimously elected as ICC’s Secretary General in March 2018, having previously served as CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth – Australia’s leading independent law firm. He is a former diplomat and an Alumnus of Harvard Business School and the University of Melbourne. In 2015, Mr Denton was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to the business community, the arts and the rights of refugees.
ICC is a longstanding advocate and standard-setter in the fields of corporate responsibility and sustainability. In 2017, ICC became the first private sector entity to be granted Observer Status at the United Nations General Assembly – recognising the organisation’s almost century-long contribution to global development.
