Apply or nominate by October 23, 2020!
As part of the 2020 UN Global Compact SDG Pioneers program, the Global Compact Network USA (GCNUSA) is searching for professionals who are committed to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Through their own company or by mobilizing other businesses, SDG Pioneers help advance one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals while also contributing to business success.
The GCNUSA will award the 2020 Global Compact Network USA SDG Pioneer at the local level. The selected individual will then have the opportunity to participate in the final search of global SDG Pioneers to be recognized during the 2020 UN General Assembly in September in New York.
Professionals who are working at any level of a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company are eligible to apply or be nominated. To check whether an organization is a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company, please search the participant list online. If your company has yet to select its engagement tier, please see here for more information and to select your engagement tier.
For the 2020 SDG Pioneers, we only consider companies who were participants of the UN Global Compact on 30 September 2019 and have submitted at least 1 Communication on Progress (CoP). If your company joined after the date, please consider applying for the 2021 SDG Pioneers programme.
The UN Global Compact reserves the right to remove the SDG Pioneer recognition if the company and/or individual is later deemed to be a reputational risk to the SDG Pioneer campaign and/or the UN Global Compact initiative.
Professionals who are working at any level of a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company are eligible to apply or be nominated. To check whether an organization is a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company, please search the participant list online. If your company has yet to select its engagement tier, please see here for more information and to select your engagement tier.
For the 2020 SDG Pioneers, we only consider companies who were participants of the UN Global Compact on 30 September 2019 and have submitted at least 1 Communication on Progress (CoP). If your company joined after the date, please consider applying for the 2021 SDG Pioneers programme.
The UN Global Compact reserves the right to remove the SDG Pioneer recognition if the company and/or individual is later deemed to be a reputational risk to the SDG Pioneer campaign and/or the UN Global Compact initiative.
Are you a business leader advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a principles-based approach, or do you know someone who is? Please use the following forms to nominate yourself or someone else.
As part of the UN Global Compact’s Making Global Goals Local Business campaign, each year the UN Global Compact recognizes a class of SDG Pioneers — business leaders working at any level of their company who are using business as a force for good to advance the 17 SDGs.
Through their own company or by mobilizing other businesses, they are helping to reach one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while also contributing to business success.
In 2020 Local Networks including, spanning all continents will be hosting country-level SDG Pioneers campaign to identify business leaders who will then be contenders for the global round to be recognized at the UN General Assembly in September 2020.
In September 2015, all 193 Member states of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better future for all – laying out a path over the next 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. At the heart of the “Agenda 2030” are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 related targets that address the most important economic, social, environmental and governance challenges of our time. To learn more about how companies are taking steps to contribute to achieving the SDGs visit the UN Global Compact website.
Professionals who are working at any level of a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company are eligible to apply or be nominated. To check whether an organization is a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company, please search the participant list online. If your company has yet to select its engagement tier, please see here for more information and to select your engagement tier.
For the 2020 SDG Pioneers, we only consider companies who were participants of the UN Global Compact on 30 September 2019 and have submitted at least 1 Communication on Progress (CoP). If your company joined after the date, please consider applying for the 2021 SDG Pioneers programme.
The UN Global Compact reserves the right to remove the SDG Pioneer recognition if the company and/or individual is later deemed to be a reputational risk to the SDG Pioneer campaign and/or the UN Global Compact initiative.
You are only eligible to apply or be nominated if you are either employed by the company (or its subsidiary).
Only individuals from a UN Global Compact Participant or Signatory company will be eligible to apply or be nominated. If your company is not yet participating in the UN Global Compact, please visit the UN Global Compact website to learn more about how to join.
No, the SDG Pioneers campaign highlights the work of individuals, not organizations.
Nationality does not matter as long as the nominee or applicant works for a U.S. company with headquarters in U.S. or a U.S. subsidiary of a global company.
Please complete the online application form, which is available here. To nominate someone, click here. The online application link will be emailed to them as they must still fill out an application to be considered.
You can nominate yourself or a colleague at your company, or someone you know from another UN Global Compact participating company. That individual will then be contacted to ensure their willingness to be considered and the accuracy of the submitted information.
SDG Pioneers will be informed of their selection by early August. Due to the volume of nominations received, we may be unable to contact nominees who are not selected.
The SDG Pioneers will receive visibility and be recognized for the great work that they have done to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. 2020 SDG Pioneers selected in August will be recognized at the UN General Assembly.
Please email adam@globalcompactusa.org with any additional questions.
SDG Ambition is an accelerator initiative that aims to challenge and support participating companies of the UN Global Compact in setting ambitious corporate targets and accelerating integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into core business management. SDG Ambition enables companies to move beyond incremental progress and step-up transformative change – unlocking business value, building business resilience, and enabling long-term growth.
The need for SDG Ambition today is clear. The world is not delivering progress towards the SDGs at the pace and scale needed. While it is still possible to shift the world towards a 1.5°C trajectory and achieve the SDGs by 2030, it will take urgent, scalable and multi-stakeholder action to dramatically accelerate progress. Companies must take a clear stand and demonstrate bold leadership to transform business models and economies so they become more just and inclusive – leaving no one behind. This is our starting line as we launch SDG Ambition.
Led by the UN Global Compact in partnership with SAP and Accenture, SDG Ambition will empower and equip participating companies of the UN Global Compact to develop and implement innovative business strategies that significantly increase their positive impact on the SDGs. Through the Global Compact Local Networks in 60+ countries, participating companies will assess current performance, identify risk areas, discover new opportunities across business units and functions and take ambitious business action towards achieving the SDGs.
Join the Network USA accelerator to be amongst the US cohort contributing to global SDG Ambition. There is no charge to join the Network USA accelerator if your company is a participant of the Network. Onboarding starts in October 2020 and workshops begin in January 2021 and continue until July 2021. Apply on the main UN Global Compact website.
COMPANY APPLICATION FORM
The UN Global Compact invites companies to join SDG Ambition. In order to take part, companies are required to beparticipants of the UN Global Compact and to meet the following criteria:
The accelerator programme consists of up to six in-country capacity-building workshops with peers and experts to help companies set, manage and track ambitious targets to advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The workshops are informed by the research and deliverables published as part of the SDG Ambition programme and designed by Global Compact Local Networks to recognize and respond to different country contexts. They will be organized around the following themes:
1) Understanding Baseline Impact: What is SDG Ambition and what are the SDG business benchmarks?
Outcome: Understanding the essential actions and strategic prioritization required to support a comprehensive sustainability strategy
2) Prioritization & Goalsetting: How might a company increase its ambition?
Outcome: Establishing & identifying ambitious goals within organization
3) Integration & Enabling Technologies: How will the targets be built into the core business?
Outcome: Defining responsibilities of goals across organization & use of technology to track and manage progress
4) Beyond the six-month accelerator program:
Outcome: Committing and tracking progress over time aligned with theUN Global Compact’s Communication on Progress
Company registration will begin in July 2020. On-boarding activities will start in October 2020 and will be available on-demand. The workshops will start in January and will conclude in July 2021. A detailed schedule of activities in the USA will be released in the coming months.
All participating companies are asked to nominate two representatives to actively participate in the programme on behalf of the company. This includes attending SDG Ambition workshops/events and coordinating with colleagues across the organization to advance SDG Ambition objectives. In order to derive full value from our participation in the initiative each company is strongly encouraged to consider nominating two representatives to engage in the work on the initiative. One representative responsible for prioritization and goal setting (i.e. from Sustainability/Strategy Depts) and one representative with responsibility for overseeing systems to track and manage performance against organizational goals (Information Technology Dept, M&E etc). In addition to the SDG Ambition representatives, all participating companies are requested to nominate a top-level “Champion” to follow SDG Ambition developments, provide support to the company representatives as needed, and represent the company at high-level events that are part of or related to SDG Ambition. The SDG Ambition Ambassador should have a direct line of communication to the CEO (e.g., Member of the C-Suite or Board). The company’s CEO may also decide to take on the role of SDG Ambition Ambassador.
There is no extra cost for US-headquartered companies committed to and in good standing with the UN Global Compact. However, we do welcome sponsorship inquiries for the Network USA accelerator.
The SDG Ambition programme starts by helping companies to strategically prioritize based on an inclusive understanding of positive and negative impacts across the value chain and operations. A series of up to six in-country workshops will help participating companies set concrete sustainability targets aligned with the programme’s SDG business benchmarks but unique to their company context and performance status. While participating companies are encouraged to be ambitious, the programme emphasizes continuous progress.
No. The purpose of SDG Ambition is to help companies set and meet ambitious targets to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Companies need not have targets in place in order to participate. Through SDG Ambition, we aim to provide participating companies with the research and knowledge needed to confidently set corporate targets aligned with the SDG business benchmarks and integrate these targets within core business operations.
Yes. Companies that already have targets in place will benefit from engaging with experts and engaging in peer-to-peer learning. In addition to uncovering strategies to fast-track progress toward existing targets, companies may be inspired to raise the ambition of their targets to better align with the Global Goals and stakeholder expectations. Participating in SDG Ambition also provides a platform for leading companies to share their experiences and showcase progress made.
SDG Ambition is an initiative of the UN Global Compact developed in partnership with Accenture and SAP. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives.
SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software helping companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best:77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables our customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of440,000+ customers in 180+ countries, 21,000+ partners, 101,150+ employees, and thought leaders SAP helps the world run better and improves people’s lives.