Flagship Event: Business Call to Action's Sixth Annual Forum -- September 24th

Location:
730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10178

(map)

On September 24, the Business Call to Action's Sixth Annual Forum will take place in conjunction with the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for the private sector, development institutions and governments to renew and re-define their commitments to the new development agenda. At a time of increased awareness of the power of business to drive both growth and development, the Forum will explore how inclusive businesses provide goods, services and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis to people at the base of the economic pyramid whose combined purchasing power exceeds US$5 trillion, while delivering benefits to all people, communities and markets. This invitation-only event will bring together leaders from prominent BCtA member companies as well as senior representatives from governments, bilateral donors, civil society and the United Nations. The Forum will showcase the potential for and evidence of inclusive businesses aligning their core business activities with the SDGs, thus making a substantial contribution to the ambitious new development agenda, both globally and at the country level.The half day-long event will offer opportunities to showcase innovative work, engage in peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, network and establish links with other leaders in the field.

THIS EVENT IS BY-INVITE ONLY. SPACE IS LIMITED.

For further information on the Forum, please contact Tatiana Bessarabova, tatiana.bessarabova@undp.org.

8:00 - 8:30AM | BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION
	8:30 - 8:45AM | KEYNOTE REMARKS: Magdy Martínez-Solimán, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UN Development Programme (UNDP)
	8:45 - 9:45AM | BREAKFAST SESSION: HARNESSING DOMESTIC INCLUSIVE BUSINESS FOR SOCIAL IMPACT The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize working with business to carry out an ambitious agenda for people, prosperity, peace and the planet. Some of the most innovative approaches to harnessing business for social impact have come from domestic companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. An interactive breakfast panel discussion will explore the role of domestic inclusive businesses in delivering on the SDGs. *This session is organized in collaboration with the Business Fights Poverty and The Partnering Initiative. Speakers: Juan Sebastian Pardo Lanzetta, CEO, Credifamilia David Croft, Global Sustainable Development Director, Diageo Piyush Jaju, CEO and Co-Founder, ONergy Tafsir Awal, Director, Multomode Group & Lal Teer Seed Ltd. Vimal Shah, CEO, Bidco Africa Ltd. Moderator: Bhaskar Chakravorti, Executive Director of Fletcher's Institute for Business in the Global Context (IBGC) and Council on Emerging Market Enterprises (CEME)
9:45 - 10:00AM | BREAK
	10:00 - 10:15AM | OPENING PRESENTATION: Sahba Sobhani, Officer in Charge, Business Call to Action & Global Programme Advisor, Private Sector, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UN Development Programme (UNDP)
	10:15 - 11:30AM | PLENARY SESSION: INCLUSIVE BUSINESS AS KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO NEW DEVELOPMENT AGENDA This session will introduce new Business Call to Action member initiatives, showcase their innovative work and share evidence and knowledge of how these businesses are contributing to achieving the SDGs. It will serve as a platform for sharing both best practices on embedding inclusive business practices into company value chains and lessons learned on working with low-income communities. The session will also feature public-sector leaders who have made support for inclusive business central to their private-sector engagement strategies creating opportunities to harness the potential of inclusive business in the new global development agenda. Keynote Welcome Remarks: Lise Kingo, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Speakers: Lena Ingelstam, Director of Partnerships and Innovations, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) Luiz Ros, Manager for the Opportunities for the Majority (OM) Sector Office, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Nicolas Chevrollier, Senior Programme Manager, BoPInc Nicole Voillat, Sustainability Director, Bata Stefan Maard, Head of Sustainable Business Development, Novozymes Terri Bresenham, CEO and VP, Sustainable Healthcare Solutions, GE Healthcare Moderator: Nik Sekhran, Director for Sustainable Development, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UN Development Programme (UNDP)
11:30 - 11:45AM | BREAK
(Concurrent Sessions)	11:45AM - 1:00PM | THEMATIC SESSION: TOWARD A HEALTHIER FUTURE: CATALYZING PARTNERSHIPS TO DRIVE BETTER HEALTH Addressing the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries requires innovative cross-sector partnerships that drive improvements in health. Both the private sector and policymakers have a role in determining how to address the newly established Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. This session seeks to highlight successes, challenges and lessons learned from cross-sector partnerships aimed at achieving health impact, from the perspectives of the private, public and non-profit sectors. *This session is organized in collaboration with the Accenture Development Partnerships. Speakers: Soraya Ramoul, Director, Access to Health, Novo Nordisk Daniel Grossman, Senior Director, Global Health Innovation, Medtronic, Inc. Camilo Gonzalez Ruiz, Director of Access, Diabetes, Sanofi Colombia Takeo Hojo, General Manager, BOP Business Unit, Global Operations Division, Saraya Moderator: Natasha Sunderji, Global Health Lead, Accenture Development Partnerships Closing Remarks: Dr. Joseph Kibachio, Head of NCD Department, Ministry of Health, Kenya
	11:45AM - 1:00PM |THEMATIC SESSION: MAKING SDGs YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH REVOLUTIONIZING DATA COLLECTION This year marks the beginning of a new and much more ambitious global development agenda the SDGs in which measuring and reporting progress will be critical. Capturing operational performance and social impact can help companies to fuel product and service innovation, maintain their operating licenses, strengthen their value chains and improve their business environments. Understanding how these data are effectively measured is crucial for aligning corporate reporting frameworks with the SDGs. This session will share examples of lean data collection initiatives undertaken by inclusive businesses to demonstrate how companies can actively contribute to achieving the SDGs. Speakers: Jeremy Hockenstein, CEO, Digital Divide Data (DDD) Eriko Ishikawa, Global Head, Inclusive Business, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Word Bank Group Serge Kapto, Policy Specialist, Data for Development, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Anuj Mehra, Managing Director, Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Ltd. Mitesh Thakkar, Founder, Arthify Inc. Moderator: Marcos Neto, Director, Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
	1:00 - 2:30PM | NETWORKING LUNCH & MEMBER EXPO By delivering innovative, technology-based solutions to the low-income communities, innovative enterprises enhance the quality of life at the BoP. Often, this means bringing low-cost, life-saving, environmentally-friendly technologies and practices to the developing world. BCtA Expo offers a space for interaction and promotion of how these innovations aligns with the core business activities of the companies while making a difference in the lives of the poor. The growing list of participating companies includes innovators such as AccuHealth, aWhere, Basic Water Needs, Centurion Systems, Contigo, Envirofit, Iluméxico, MUrgency, Sevamob, Sanergy, and Shubham Housing. Facilitator: Priya Dasgupta, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Enterprise for a Sustainable World (ESW)