Key opportunities take center stage at Dutch Ministry event with the Business Call to Action (BCtA)

New York, Hague 24 December 2013 - Leading companies and government officials came together during a special session on the role the public and private sectors can play in fostering more inclusive business models. The meeting was hosted by representatives from the Dutch Foreign Ministry, the Business Call to Action (BCtA) and the United Nations Development Program.

BCtA member companies have devised business strategies to build more inclusive business models that include the poor as consumers, producers and suppliers as part of their core business. As part of this effort, leading firms, including Dutch based, global health and nutrition company, DSM have committed to promoting childhood nutrition and creating employment opportunities with its healthy food cart program.

The roundtable discussion in which participants included the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, UK Department for International Development, US Agency for International Development and the Dutch Foreign Ministry, explored how emerging markets offer a valuable opportunity for public and private sector entities to develop business models that include low-income communities in their business operations.

Recognizing that effective cooperation and greater understanding at the country level is critical in enabling more sustainable business practices, the event featured diverse perspectives from the public and private sector, the latter represented by companies such as Taze&Kuru, Mueller bv, Larive International, Rabobank, and IDH Sustainable Trade.

We've seen how large domestic and multinational companies are eager to create innovative business solutions that are both profitable and sustainable, and the need for improving the national conditions to support such markets continues to grow. Today's program demonstrates the value of such activities that can facilitate the local growth of inclusive businesses, said Marcos Neto, Cluster Leader, Innovations and Development Alliances, UNDP

DSM's and other Dutch companies efforts in working to combat malnutrition in Indonesia, show that firms can increasingly find success in serving developing and rural markets. Turkish company, Taze&Kuru, a leading food company, used this session to announce its commitment to the Business Call to Action, with a new model to expand retail operations and integrate small scale farmers in their value chain. Increasingly, both large and small companies can benefit from inclusive business strategies that provide people with greater access to products, services, and technology while serving a largely undeveloped market.

The Dutch government is eager to help companies and other stakeholders develop their full potential and provide scalable business solutions that can also bring about development in new markets. At the heart of any discussion is the link to strong partnerships between the public and private sector, which are critical to ensure a substantial impact on improving incomes, creating jobs and improving the lives of those who live in poverty, said Anno Galema, Coordinator, Public-Private Partnerships, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To learn more, contact:

BCtA: Karen Newman, karen.newman@undp.org +1.212.906-5194

About the Business Call to Action (BCtA):

Business Call to Action is a global initiative that challenges companies to develop inclusive business models that offer the potential for development impact along with commercial success. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, UK Department for International Development, US Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Clinton Global Initiative to meet the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Companies report on progress toward commitments on an annual basis. To learn more, please visit www.businesscalltoaction.org or join the conversation on Twitter at @BCtAInitiative.