Secretary-General Annan has been championing the importance of economic, social and environmental sustainability throughout his career at the United Nations. He is President/Founder of the Global Humanitarian Forum, an international humanitarian arena to foster dialogue and broker partnerships that strengthen the international community’s ability to effectively address current and emerging humanitarian challenges, including sustainability and the effects of global warming on people of the world, especially the poor.
A report released by the Forum in May of 2009 estimated that climate change is responsible for the deaths of 300,000 people every year, with 325 million of the poorest suffering most. All its work ultimately aims to be of benefit to the most vulnerable, particularly those living in least developed countries. In an address to the World Economic Forum in 1999, he challenged business leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, as well as labor and civil society, to promote and respect universal environmental and social principles.
In this speech, the Secretary-General reiterates the responsibility of businesses and individuals to address environmental challenges; undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; protect human rights; and encourage the development and transfer of environmentally-sustainable technologies.
