23 September 2014: The 2014 UN Private Sector Forum, held as part of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit, brought together approximately 400 global business, government and civil society leaders. During the event, a list of 31 ‘Carbon Pricing Champions’ was announced and 11 ‘Corporate Commitments to Climate and Energy’ were presented.

The Forum, which took place on 23 September 2014, in New York, US, was organized by the UN Global Compact, in cooperation with the World Bank Group and UN partners. The event aimed to: provide a platform for businesses and investors to demonstrate their contribution to climate action; and inspire new public policy measures, action commitments and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

The event featured two programme segments: a business and civil society special session focusing on leadership actions by the private sector and enabling measures by governments; and a high-level luncheon on the topic of carbon pricing, co-chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

Opening the Forum, Ban urged participants to achieve carbon neutrality before the end of the century, and stressed carbon pricing as “one of the most powerful and necessary instruments for reducing emissions and generating innovation and finance for low-carbon, resilient growth.”

The announcement on the Carbon Pricing Champions celebrated companies that had, as of 22 September, aligned with the ‘Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing’ of the Secretary-General’s ‘Caring for Climate’ initiative. Companies aligning themselves with the Criteria include major oil and gas, utility, consumer goods, chemical and energy companies from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Corporate Commitments announced during the Forum include: support for advanced weather forecasting and alert systems; renewable energy projects, including a wave energy power plant; a total supply chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction plan; GHG reduction commitments; and provision of affordable drip irrigation technologies.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has convened the UN Private Sector Forum annually since 2008, coinciding with the opening session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The aim of the Forum is to bring the private sector’s voice to intergovernmental debates on key topics. [UNGC Press Release] [UN Private Sector Forum 2014 Agenda] [UN Private Sector Forum 2014 Webpage] [Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing Brochure] [UN Private Sector Forum 2014 Corporate Commitments] [IISD Story on UNGC Carbon Pricing Criteria] [IISD RS Coverage of the UN Climate Summit] [IISD RS Story on the Statement on Putting a Price on Carbon]