UNU-ESD Partnership Initiative and Corporate Governance for Sustainable Development
Overview
The mission of the United Nations University (UNU) is to contribute through
research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve pressing global problems
that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States.
The University focuses its work within two thematic areas - Environment
and Sustainable Development (ESD) and Peace and Governance. The UNU-ESD
Public-Private Partnership Initiative (UPI) was founded in September 2006
under ESD in order to support and advance the University’s mission by facilitating
partnerships with the private sector in a variety of research and capacity
building projects. One important aim of the UPI’s is to make ESD research
findings accessible to other sectors and the general public. In order to
achieve this goal the UPI keeps up-to-date with the latest Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) issues and actively explores the circumstances under
which companies might successfully involve in socially responsible behavior.
The UPI thus strives to be a cutting-edge endeavour under ESD through which
capacity building, research and training efforts are leveraged in cooperation
with the private sector.
The UPI supports public-private partnerships because although corporate
organizations are first and foremost economic instruments, there is today
an increasingly important role for business to play in creating solutions
to social, environmental and economic challenges. In order to seek out sustainable
answers to some of the world’s most pressing needs, it is vital to understand
and align the priorities of developing and developed nations, private and
public organizations, and development and environment advocates. The UPI
is founded on the conviction that one way to achieve such an alignment is
to create open and durable partnerships across sectors and nations.
Please visit the UPI website at http://archive.unu.edu/esd/pi
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