Expert Preparatory Roundtable: Business, Philanthropists, and Cities – Climate and Ecological Challenges

Our Common Agenda stresses that “many more actors,” including cities, the private sector, and philanthropists, in addition to the UN and member states/governmental bodies, are required to “tackle increasingly complex and interconnected problems.” The report underlines the need for collaboration between civil society, the private sector, and cities in order to encourage accountability and a collective approach in attaining the actions and goals of the report.

United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), in cooperation with the Climate Governance Commission, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, NOW Partners, NOW Foundation, and the Future Economy Forum, is convening a roundtable discussion to connect with thought leaders from cities, philanthropic organizations and the private sector, to provide insights and recommendations for consideration by HLAB.

This roundtable will focus on the role of – and vision for – Cities, Business, and Philanthropists in the context of the next generation of the “inclusive” and “networked” multilateralism needed to tackle the triple planetary crisis. It will be guided by the following questions:

• What new ways of thinking and working among the stakeholders of business, cities, and philanthropists, in collaboration with the international community, are needed to realize the “renewed social contract” suggested by the Secretary-General, to rebuild societal trust and social solidarity to tackle the triple planetary crises at the global level, while meeting economic and employment needs of populations?
• How can the United Nations system and multilateral partners be strengthened by and better engage/serve as a focal point for the inclusion of all key actors in society, including business, philanthropists, and cities/regions?
• In relation to business, what new models, insights, and ways of working are needed to support enhanced global governance – and governance for the common good at all levels of society – to tackle the triple planetary crisis?
• How can philanthropic institutions contribute to enhanced global governance and be more prominent actors in effective multilateralism to address the triple planetary crisis?
• In relation to cities and regions, what improved models, insights, and working methods are needed to consolidate and accelerate trends of dynamic “multilevel governance,” where cities and regions are key actors in addressing the triple planetary crisis at the global level?