CEO SDG Forum launched
UN Sustainable Development Goals 2017 Pioneer, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, shared the journey of Ayala on sustainability in an informal chat with an exclusive group of CEOs and high-level executives held recently at the Shangri-la Hotel at the Fort.
The CEO SDG Circle Forum is one of the major initiatives of the Global Compact Network Philippines (GCNP) this year.
The GCNP is the local entity of the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary initiative whose primary goal is to inspire and promote collaboration primarily among business corporations by encouraging the alignment of strategies and operations with ten universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals through the SDG goals and develop a sustainable community.
With more than 9,500 companies and 3,000 organizations, based in over 160 countries and more than 70 Local Networks, it is spreading the word that companies everywhere can play a role in improving the world.
In the Forum, De Ayala shared that he started with 15 to 20% of his time in the late 80’s to the non-profit sector.
“I tried in my own way to start making a difference in non-business issues, issues that perhaps help the country in a broad way. I lead a number of initiatives such as chaired Children’s Hour initiative, and brought a consortium with the help of Ayala Foundation and brought computers in public schools,” he said.
De Ayala added, “My thinking continued to evolve: using the concept of shared value from Harvard School… about beginning to align the goals of the company with the development goals of the country.”