Ban Urges Private Sector To Invest In Sustainable Development Initiatives

kristyGreen Prosperity, SRI/ESG News

BAN URGES PRIVATE SECTOR TO INVEST IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
New York, Jan 12 2012 5:05PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged investors today to lend their support to
sustainable development initiatives to deal with climate change and provide
efficient energy solutions around the world.

?In these times of austerity and economic uncertainty, public sector efforts
alone will not be sufficient,? Mr. Ban said in his
message to participants at
the Investor Summit in New York. ?Limited public sector resources will need
to leverage much larger pools of private sector financing and know-how.?

In his remarks, delivered on his behalf by Assistant Secretary-General for
Strategic Planning Robert Orr, Mr. Ban stressed that partnerships with the
private sector can make a ?crucial difference? in development projects, and
encouraged investors to take part in the UN Sustainable Development
Conference (Rio+20), which will be held in the Brazilian city of Rio de
Janeiro in June.

?Rio offers a tremendous chance to expand economic opportunity, strengthen
equity and protect the environment ? the three ?E?s?. But to make the most
of this moment, we need global investors who take the long view and invest
for sustainable prosperity.?

Mr. Ban also invited investors to take part in the high-level group he set
up in November for his Sustainable Energy for All initiative, which seeks to
ensure universal access to modern energy services, double the rate of
improvement in energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in
the global energy mix, all by 2030.

?We need everyone at the table ? investors, CEOs [Chief Executive Officers],
governments, civil society groups, technical experts and practitioners ?
working in common cause,? Mr. Ban said.

?We need investors who can provide seed money for clean technologies or
invest in other solutions in untapped new markets. Already, solar power
stations are providing clean, safe and reliable electricity to impoverished
rural communities across Africa and Asia,? he added.

Mr. Ban said he was pleased to note that investors are increasingly
evaluating companies on their climate and energy footprint and are urging
corporations to advance energy efficiency in their operations and supply
chains.

?Such scrutiny reflects a growing and very welcome embrace of the UN-backed
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The efforts of PRI and other
such projects are helping to sensitize capital markets to the importance of
sustainability, and are becoming a major force in driving a green economy
and carbon reduction,? he said.
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