ICC Exclusive Interview with UN Special Envoy, Luis Alfonso de Alba – Part Two

  • 28 June 2019
ICC De Alba And John Denton

In part two of ICC's exclusive interview, United Nations Special Envoy, Luis Alfonso de Alba, discusses the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit and his provides his key takeaways from the 11th World Chambers Congress.

What are the main objectives for the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit? How do you believe ICC can assist in the achievement of these goals?

UN Special Envoy de Alba: 

  • The UN Secretary-General António Guterres is convening the UN Climate Action Summit on 23 September 2019 and has called for the world’s political and business leaders to come with bold actions and much greater ambition to tackle climate change. The Summit will mobilize leaders from all sectors to accelerate ambition and demonstrate concrete progress towards global climate action. It will also challenge all stakeholders to boost national climate and development implementation.
  • The summit is an opportunity to come forward with real actions in the real economy to address the impacts of climate change. The goal for the Summit is to showcase a leap in national and collective political ambition. I want governments and key civil society players and businesses to demonstrate that they have credible plans for a resilient net zero-emission economy by mid-century. The Summit is an opportunity for leaders across the global business community to show what real leadership looks like.
  • The private sector has a key role at the Summit. We are calling on business leaders to send strong market signals, massively scale innovative solutions, and present concrete, realistic plans towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. We need to accelerate this transformation and we count on business leaders to play their part in curbing emissions as the now firmly established climate science demands. We count on the ICC and its members worldwide to raise awareness and mobilize your members, as you are with the Chambers Climate Coalition.
  • Together with the UN Global Compact, I helped launch a flagship campaign: Business Ambition for 1.5°C – Our Only Future. Together with ICC, UN partners, leading civil society and business organizations, we are asking businesses to set science-based targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction that are aligned with the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the urgent need to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. We are urging Chambers of Commerce to call on their members to be bold and commit their companies to a 1.5°C targets. I welcome them to join and play their part in the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September.

What inspired you to participate at the 11th ICC World Chambers Congress?

UN Special Envoy de Alba:

  • I have been inspired by the actions the ICC is taking on climate change. Together, we are in the fight of our lifetime and all sectors must rise to this historic challenge.
  • The role of the business leaders and Chamber members in delivering on the SDGs and the Paris Agreement couldn’t be greater. It is in the hands of business organizations like the ICC and your members to foster alliances and use your voice to set us on a sustainable course, and seize the huge opportunities ahead. Where climate policies are lagging, we will need bold leadership from the private sector.

Preparation for the UN Climate Action Summit continues with ICC support

UN Special Envoy de Alba will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting on 30 June – 1 July. The meeting will gather leaders from the public and private sector to evaluate intiatives and commitments in preparation for the UN Climate Action Summit.

In celebration of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Day on 27 June, ICC Permanent Observer to the UN, Andrew Wilson, joined International Trade Centre Representative to the UN, Riefqah Jappie, to discuss how financing MSMEs can help implement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, the Chambers Climate Coalition, which was launched at the World Chambers Congress, is still attracting signatures from chambers around the world. By signing the pledge, chamber leaders around the world commit to take bold climate action.

ICC was on the ground this past week at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany to advocate for higher climate ambition and bring a business perspective to the negotiations on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Learn more about ICC’s commitment to making climate change everyone’s business.