UNDP Business Call to Action

The 2030 Agenda with its 17 SDGs is the overarching agreement of UN Member States for sustainable development and represents its legitimate guiding framework, globally and nationally, for the next 14 years. Without the involvement of the private sector to bring its resources and capacity to innovate to the forefront, the SDGs cannot be achieved. This has been recognized both domestically and internationally. Domestically, the Dispatch on International Collaboration 2017-2020 concludes that the private sector is essential to achieve development results. Similarly, the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development have clear calls to the business community to be an active driver for change towards the achievements of the SDGs.

The overall goal is for inclusive businesses to make a significant contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by beneffiting the most vulnerable (i.e. people at the “Bottom of the Pyramid”) through inclusion in their value chains as producers, consumers and employees.

Directly: Multinational corporations, small- and medium sized enterprises and social businesses impelementing inclusive business practices.

Indirectly (through the companies’s activites): Employees, customers and contractors of companies i.e. base of the pyramid.

Outcome 1: Inclusive Business (IB) is recognized as an effective approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by benefiting the most vulnerable.

Outcome 2: The credibility of IB’s results and integrity are improved though, among others, the development of a rigorous impact measurement methodology.

Outcome 3: Inclusive Businesses increase their effectiveness and scale.

Expected results:  

Output 1: Increased number of high-performing commitments of BCtA member companies

Output 2: Increased impact measurement and reporting of BCtA commitments

Output 3: Documented evidence and analysis on how IB can be leveraged for the SDGs

Output 4: Country level mobilization and policy inputs towards SDG contribution.

Results from previous phases:  

Since 2008, over 170 companies in 65 countries have joined BCtA by making commitments to improving the lives and livelihoods of millions through commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, supplies and distributors of goods and services. BCtA has also developed and tested its own impact measurement technology which has been testet with 20 companies; and created and disseminated a signficant amount of robust inclusive business evidence.

Through its position within UNDP, BCtA is well-positioned to influence the international system. BCtA is working closely with the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in the private sector advocacy space. For SDC, the fact that over 32 BCtA members operate in SDC priority countries or regions, BCtA provides access to build partnerships at local level, as well as engaging with BCtA thematically, in particular on the impact measurement tool. SDC GI is also financing a JPO in the Istanbul Center, further enhancing the “Swiss footprint” on UNDP’s private sector work.

Phase 1 01.06.2017 - 30.06.2021   (Completed)