Unprecedented, unprecedented, rare, global, affecting everyone on the planet and changing the future - the crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic has become the main challenge for everyone, without exception. And one way or another, everyone responds to it: every person, all governments, the world private sector. The UN Global Compact accumulates opportunities to support responsible corporate action in response to a pandemic, offering businesses different tools to help collectively reflect on the magnitude of change and its consequences.
What will the world look like after COVID-19?
Liz Kingo, director of the UN GC, in an interview for the GreenBiz website on April 10, 2020, offers his observations and forecasts on this subject, calling COVID-19 a fire drill for future global challenges, which very sharply showed how much we are all interconnected and how defenseless - without solidarity, understanding of the real danger and collective actions - in the face of global problems. Will this experience be a lesson that will teach us to look differently at other challenges (climatic, humanitarian, etc.) and be prepared for an emergency response to them? But there is no other way out - otherwise everyone will lose.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already brought us important knowledge about the human community: the health and well-being of one person in the modern world often (or more often) does not depend on him, but on another person, on the health of society, states and their economies. Encouraging examples of mutual assistance (neighborly, corporate, interstate). The private sector has allocated record funds to meet the humanitarian needs of the pandemic, businesses are coordinating with local and national officials to support government initiatives and find ways to support society even when governments do not fulfill basic responsibilities to their citizens.
But COVID-19 also showed how vulnerable the weakest groups are, which are often forgotten and cannot stand up for. The ILO estimates that as a result of the crisis, up to 25 million jobs worldwide could be lost. Women carry additional risks and suffer much more from domestic violence.
The COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in the year of the 75th anniversary of the UN, which was founded after two devastating world wars with the understanding that to save the future generations from the atrocities of war, to protect the dignity and worth of every person, countries must unite in multilateral cooperation. This symbolically reminds us that we, the human community, can together create a new and better world based on shared values and principles.
#UnitingBusiness
The UN Global Compact addresses all companies with a special appeal #UnitingBusiness to respond to COVID-19. This is a call to take collective action to stop the outbreak of coronavirus, and team up to facilitate rapid recovery through the implementation of the ten principles of the UNGC.
CEOs Taking Action
The Global Compact invites top executives of companies to share their experiences, share tips with the global business community on how to deal with the pandemic, by recording their own video message via UN GC website.
Engage Online via the Academy
Get involved online through the UN GC Academy, which offers a new series of high-level webinars. Top management from both the private and public sectors is participating to discuss urgent and upcoming challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global webinars explore topics such as human rights, labor relations, the financial implications of a pandemic, and others. Watch Academy special webinars and register for upcoming sessions.
Join in and explore other recent DG posts and news in the April issue of his newsletter.