Roli Asthana, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, emphasized the important role of the private sector in the transition to sustainable business practices and their promotion at the forum organized in Tashkent. Asthana stated that it is possible to achieve national and global sustainable development goals through this.
She said that Uzbekistan has been taking progressive steps towards a more stable future in recent years. At the same time, UN Resident Coordinator emphasized that sustainable development cannot be achieved only through cooperation with government bodies, because the private sector is also an integral part of inclusive and sustainable growth. As the UN Secretary-General noted, "there is no single global goal that does not require the efforts of the private sector.
The forum, which was attended by representatives of more than 70 companies, became the first platform in Uzbekistan for discussing environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and integrating UN principles of sustainable development into the private sector.
Sanda Ojiambo, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations Global Compact, made a video address to the participants of the forum and spoke about the importance of the Global Compact.
According to Ojiambo, more than 16,000 companies and more than 3,000 non-profit organizations have committed to sustainable, responsible business policies and practices in accordance with the UN Global Compact. Through this strong commitment, they support the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The program is expanding exponentially reaching and building new local and multi-country networks.
“With your support, we hope to create a multi-country network in Central Asia, starting with Uzbekistan and then Kazakhstan. The United Nations Global Compact works alongside you and brings businesses together to improve the world.
UN Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director of the Global Compact,” Sanda Ojiambo said.
"We started our activity with the creation of a modern retail network in Uzbekistan, and the transition from short-term goals to long-term sustainable goals of companies puts many tasks in front of him. But in general, we have seen that long-term strategies are more profitable and cost-effective. We put a lot of effort and energy into this, and I think it's a very good economic investment. The practice carried out in our company greatly helped us to attract the funds of YTTB and OTB. "I would like to tell any company that is on the path to growth and success that implementing ESG and sustainability standards is not a tax, it is an investment and should be treated as such, " Zafar Khoshimov, Korzinka chain owner, noted.
Tatyana Bystrushkina, executive director of AmCham International Business Association of Uzbekistan, also supported the opinions of the forum participants: "Business is pragmatic. Every dollar invested should be worthwhile. ESG is an investment, as the private sector says today. The Global Compact plays a special role in educating businesses, sharing knowledge and best practices, and encouraging businesses to use ESG as a profitable investment in the near future.”
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