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Articles by Lise Kingo
In a world upside down, boards must drive stakeholder capitalism
2022 will go down in history as one of the years when the world was turned upside down. With COVID-19 still lurking in the background, fundamental agreements and values were violated and sent the world into a downward spiral of inflation, increasing food and energy prices, while the climate clearly demonstrated what happens when global temperatures approach a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase. Today, we face a deeply fragmented world that is becoming more divided.
It’s time to rethink human rights in the boardroom
By Lise Kingo May 30, 2022 As the impacts of climate change are felt by more people, human rights are taking center stage in a new and evolving climate agenda. With the blurring of lines between environmental, social and governance concerns, this ushers in a new era for companies’ ESG work. At the core of this agenda is social justice, and the right to health and well-being.
3 simple climate questions for your board going into 2022
COP26 came and went: Some progress, many disappointments, few surprises. This has been much covered and discussed already. But despite the lack of ambitions and absence of key players, the commitment from progressive businesses and governments has the potential to unleash an unprecedented wave of investments in the global energy transition.
What it really means to integrate ESG across the business
Everywhere I go there, seems to be unanimous consensus that the answer to how to anchor ESG is integration: Fully integrating ESG in the business model of the company and ensuring that environmental, social and governance issues are considered across the board. But the devil is always in the detail, so the question is what it really means to integrate ESG across the business.
In need of a new renaissance
I was educated in the classics — in Greek and Roman culture and philosophy. That’s likely why the Renaissance always has fascinated me.
Leading in a fundamentally changing world
What is responsible leadership? That’s the big question that takes center stage at the recent annual conference hosted by Imperial College Business School. It is the first time I have spoken in my capacity as chair of the advisory board of Imperial’s new Leonardo Centre, a research facility for sustainable business, which will formally launch in June.
‘Young activists are calling for ambitious action. We must all be
The UN Global Compact’s Lise Kingo urges business leaders to stop the slide backwards on climate and the SDGs and urgently course-correct None of us is immune to the rapidly shifting environment we all find ourselves in, and that includes the business sector. With the planet facing unprecedented climate change, wider social inequalities and human rights violations, the time for action is here and the time for talking is over.
‘Women must be at the heart of our recovery from the pandemic’
Comment: Our inability to address growing inequalities, not least for women, has worsened the Covid-19 crisis, but there may be a silver lining, argues Lise Kingo of UN Global Compact Before Covid-19, the United Nations warned that inequality is growing for more than 70% of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. Worst impacted are women.
It’s time to put people first
Editor's note: Lise Kingo is stepping down as CEO and executive director effective June 16. The organization's new leader, Sanda Ojiambo, begins June 17. Seventy-five years ago, the United Nations set out to put the world on a path to recovery, pledging "never again" to allow the horrors of two devastating world wars. The premise was that a peaceful and just world had to be built on the equal worth, rights and freedoms for every human being.
Why business needs to address the social impacts of COVID-19: an interview with Lise Kingo, UN Global Compact chief
As businesses struggle to cope with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, they need to remain aware of their responsibilities as partners in efforts to build a sustainable future, says the outgoing head of the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Lise Kingo has run the Global Compact for the last five years.
In a time of global uncertainty, now is the time to invest in a 1.5C future
With the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are facing a global pandemic that is devastating people and their livelihoods, disrupting supply chains, profoundly deepening inequalities and undoing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, we continue to face a global climate emergency with irreversible impacts for people and all the natural systems that sustain us. In the face of these interconnected crises, we cannot afford to tackle one or the other.
‘Women must be at the heart of our recovery from the pandemic’
Comment: Our inability to address growing inequalities, not least for women, has worsened the Covid-19 crisis, but there may be a silver lining, argues Lise Kingo of UN Global Compact Before Covid-19, the United Nations warned that inequality is growing for more than 70% of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. Worst impacted are women.
What the world could look like after COVID-19
Living through these unusual and difficult times invites serious reflection on important and existential questions. We are all asking the same core questions: How will we get through this, and what will the world look like after COVID-19? I can’t help but think of COVID-19 as a fire drill for future global challenges. Will we be better prepared to respond to the climate emergency and other urgent sustainability challenges as a result of this experience?
Uniting business to tackle COVID-19
A view of the Visitors Plaza at the entrance of the United Nations headquarters during lunchtime in mid-March, an area that under normal circumstances is bustling with people. As the world wakes up to the full global threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has declared war on this virus. His message is clear: As a human family, we are in this together and we will get through it together. The spread of the virus will peak and our economies will recover.
Gender equality at a snail’s pace
Over the past year, I have joined conversations with business leaders across the globe about what it will take to close the economic gender gap. From our Trailblazing Women’s Reception during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, to a panel discussion at the Female Quotient House in Davos, Switzerland, to Making Global Goals Local Business Iberia, the message is clear and consistent: We need to stop making excuses and settling for incremental change.
Be more ambitious with the SDGs - for the world and business
From left: Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture; Jennifer Morgan, co-CEO, SAP; Lise Kingo, CEO and executive director, U.N. Global Compact; Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General; Ann Rosenberg, senior vice president for U.N. Partnerships at SAP and global head of SAP Next-Gen; and Peter Lacy, senior managing director, European Strategy Lead and global sustainability lead, Accenture.
SDG Action Manager
Although important progress has been made by the business community, we have a lot more work to do to achieve our vision of a better and more sustainable future for all. Not only do the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identify where we should be in 2030 to create the sustainable world we seek, but they also provide a unique chance for all sectors to rally around a common global agenda – one that unites us to take responsibility to improve people’s lives and save our planet.
‘Young activists are calling for ambitious action. We must all be
The UN Global Compact’s Lise Kingo urges business leaders to stop the slide backwards on climate and the SDGs and urgently course-correct None of us is immune to the rapidly shifting environment we all find ourselves in, and that includes the business sector. With the planet facing unprecedented climate change, wider social inequalities and human rights violations, the time for action is here and the time for talking is over.
Temperatures are rising - your voice should too
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaking at the High-level Meeting of Caring for Climate at COP 25. As negotiations at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) wrapped up last weekend, much of the world was left frustrated by the stark realization that we are still not remotely where we need to be given the urgency of the climate crisis.
Let's raise the bar on human rights
In a rapidly-shifting world, human rights have proven to be a grounding force for leaders of all kinds. In the face of political instability, rising inequalities and the climate crisis, no sector of society, including business, is immune to the turbulent environment we find ourselves in now. But concern about human rights violations should not just be seen as a response to places making headlines like Bolivia, Chile, Hong Kong SAR or Lebanon.
Clear targets for a clean ocean
By the time the 2020 UN Ocean Conference takes place in June, we will be well underway to record another 8 million tons of plastic litter entering our ocean. Another marine species will become extinct threatening the fragile ecosystem. And more glacier melt will raise sea levels even further to threaten our coastal fishing regions. This is what we know. So it’s time to evolve the current conversation. From these risks, what now is the opportunity — what is the new playbook?
Let’s all become activists
The United Nations General Assembly in New York this September was the most important milestone since the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015. Four years in, heads of state, business leaders, civil society and more convened for a major stocktaking exercise to agree on shared priorities ahead of the Decade of Action for delivering the 2030 Agenda. And although progress is happening in some areas, the world is not on track to meet the 17 Global Goals by 2030.
Business climate action for our only future
Climate change finally has become a topic no one can ignore. Never before have so many citizens across the world been affected by climate change, and never before have so many people been raising their voices for action — including many young people across the world. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.
Ocean health is good business: An urgent call to ocean action
There are few domains where the risks of failure and rewards of success are more pronounced than the ocean. Covering nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is connected to all life upon it — on both land and sea. At once merciless and generous, the ocean embodies our dilemmas, challenges and opportunities. Businesses that operate on the ocean already are intimately familiar with its particular challenges.
Opening Keynote (Day 1)
Apr 16, 2019 The opening keynote of the Responsible Business Summit 2019. Lise Kingo discusses how well we are acting on the movements, agreements and the millenium development goals to see if things are improving or not.
Todayâs nationalism is bad for business
Wed, Apr 10, 2019 - Page 9ã By Lise Kingo and Scott Mather The system of international cooperation that emerged from the ashes of World War II is at risk. Multilateralism and the institutions that support it â including the WTO, the UN and the EU â are being called into question as more nations embrace inward-looking nationalism, leading in some cases to political instability and conflict. So why are business and finance leaders not doing much more to combat these troubling trends?
Businesses must champion the multilateral approach
Businesses must champion the multilateral approach By Lise Kingo and Scott Mather Business and finance have arguably benefited the most from the open, rules-based international political and economic order. Yet CEOs and chairpersons rarely use their influential voices to defend multilateralism and global cooperation.
Can globalisation become more sustainable and inclusive?
Postwar history shows that global economic integration—including freer trade and higher cross-border investment—helps markets and societies to prosper, with health, education, and life expectancy improving significantly in many parts of the world. True, globalisation has also produced major societal imbalances, which are fueling popular discontent.
Today’s Nationalism is Bad for Business | by Lise Kingo & Scott Mather
Multilateralism and global cooperation are under increasing threat, posing a serious risk to future prosperity. Business and finance leaders should care deeply about this state of affairs, so why aren't they doing much more to help counter it? NEW YORK – The system of international cooperation that emerged from the ashes of World War II is at risk.
Sustainable business is good business: Creating financial tipping points for the Global Goals
Almost four years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is clear that the actions we are taking are not transformational enough, nor at the scale and pace needed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In some critical areas, we actually are moving backward. Take women’s empowerment as an example. We are 202 years away from achieving gender equality, and the gap is widening. This sorry situation is a lost opportunity.
Sustainable business is good business: Creating financial tipping points for the Sustainable Development Goals
Almost four years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is clear that the actions we are taking are not transformational enough, nor at the scale and pace needed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In some critical areas, we actually are moving backward. Take women’s empowerment as an example. We are 202 years away from achieving gender equality, and the gap is widening. This sorry situation is a lost opportunity.
Can the SDGs turn business risks into opportunities?
Whether driven by regulation, technology, consumer demand or resource availability, the transformation of the global economy currently underway will touch virtually every industry you can name. For companies, that means considering whether "business as usual" will cut it in the long term. However, figuring out which measures to use when planning for the future can be daunting.
The year when climate change became the new frontier for human rights
Lise Kingo of the UN Global Compact says the task for 2019 is to build a low-carbon future that works for everyone The Universal Declaration was crafted 70 years ago, when the man-made horrors of the Second World War were still fresh in the minds of world leaders. Today the rights set out in that document face a new man-made threat on a global scale: climate change.
Human rights as a driver of climate action and sustainable development
On Dec. 10, the world celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration was crafted at a time when the man-made horrors of World War II were still fresh in the minds of world leaders. Seventy years later, the rights set out in that document face a new man-made threat on a global scale: climate change.
The Key to Faster, Zero-Carbon Growth? Harness the Ambition Loop
When it comes to combating climate change, neither governments nor businesses can do it alone. To have any chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), we need bold climate action from both business leaders and governments, each of which can push the other forward toward a more prosperous, zero-carbon economy.
Getting our priorities right
Three years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, momentum is building — but not at the pace or scale we need. Responsible business leaders are ready to take the agenda to the next level, and they turn to the United Nations Global Compact with one resounding question: Where should we prioritize our action for change? In late September, hundreds of heads of state and government, business CEOs and civil society leaders gathered in New York for the U.N. General Assembly week.
Rest up, the biggest challenge yet awaits you
With a busy and fruitful first half of 2018 behind us, let us take a moment to stop and reflect on our triumphs and challenges thus far this year.
Lise Kingo opening keynote at #RBSEU 2018
Jul 18, 2018Lise Kingo gives the opening keynote and discusses the importance of meeting the SDGs Speaker: Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact
RBSEU 2018: Opening Keynote
Jul 6, 2018Lise Kingo gives the opening keynote and discusses the importance of meeting the SDGs Speaker: Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact
RBSEU 2018: Lise Kingo opening keynote
Jul 6, 2018Lise Kingo gives the opening keynote and discusses the importance of meeting the SDGs Speaker: Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact
We need a gender revolution, not an evolution
March saw the conclusion of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. This year, the commission put the spotlight on empowering women and girls living in rural areas who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization. Women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to resources and assets, public services such as education and healthcare, and infrastructure, including water and sanitation.
Commentary: Finance and society - forging a new pact
A decade after the global financial crisis, we have an opportunity to reshape the relationship between finance and society in ways that aspire to deliver long-lasting benefits to economies and people everywhere. In 2015, the United Nations and its 193 member states unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals cover global priorities as diverse as climate action, gender equality, and peace and security.
The sustainable development goals: mobilizing action at a global scale with Lise Kingo
The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with more than 13,500 signatories from 170 countries committed to aligning strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and taking actions that advance societal goals. Hear from CEO and Executive Director Lise Kingo on what it takes to mobilize action at a global scale.
Calling for a sea change in the business of oceans
In many ways, the public’s awareness about the importance of ocean health is where we were 15 years ago with climate change. But with serious action on climate arriving much later than needed, we must give ocean issues the attention — and urgency — they deserve.
United Nations Global Compact Annual Letter 2018
I am writing to thank you for your support of the United Nations Global Compact, and to ask you to embrace our next leadership phase - "Global Compact 3.0". Amid geopolitical and other worldwide uncertainties, the UN Global Compact represents one of the true beacons for a more sustainable and secure world. Our Ten Principles have never been more important - providing an ethical and business framework to help the private sector generate value while reinforcing essential human values.
What business can do to celebrate human rights
Throughout my travels this year, it often has struck me how 2017 has felt like a year in reverse, rather than a progression forward. In this "year of moving backwards," I have been most disturbed by threats to internationally proclaimed human rights.
Can the private sector misbehave its way to sustainability?
"I am asking you to misbehave…"This was U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ plea to business during his opening of the High-Level Meeting of Caring for Climate, held during COP23 — the annual U.N. climate conference — in Bonn earlier this month. Generally, when the words "misbehave" and "business" appear together, we expect to hear about business behaving badly.
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE: Taking up the challenge to report on the Sustainable Development Goals | Sustainability
In this exclusive interview, Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, speaks from the 2017 UN General Assembly on what she is most excited about and what she hopes leaders will take away from these events. Sherah Beckley for Thomson Reuters Sustainability: What type of data should the private sector be collecting to measure their impact against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and who should be helping to coordinate this?
International Women's Day is the time to end gender bias-commentary
Just one year ago, when surveying the representation of women in the global workplace, I asked whether we were amidst a "snowball" moment or a "Sisyphus" moment – meaning whether all the hard-won advancements in gender equality over the last few decades were building momentum towards break through, or taking two steps back with every step forward. This year, on International Women's Day 2017, I think many international business leaders are asking the same question.
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