UN Global Compact Convenes Member States to Advance Business Action on the Pact for the Future

The United Nations Global Compact today convened Member States, UN entities, business leaders and international organizations for a high-level dialogue on advancing Action 55(c) of the Pact for the Future, exploring how governments and the private sector can work together to accelerate progress on global challenges while strengthening business accountability in support of United Nations frameworks.

The dialogue follows the launch at the SDG Business Forum of the Action 55(c) Task Team's new Insights Brief Accelerating Impact: Business and the United Nations Delivering on the Pact for the Future, which identifies barriers to stronger collaboration between business and the UN and provides practical recommendations for Member States, the UN system and the private sector.

Established by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and coordinated by the UN Global Compact, the Action 55(c) Task Team brings together leading business organizations, employer groups, standards bodies, accountability organizations and UN entities to support implementation of Action 55(c), adopted by Member States at the Summit of the Future in September 2024. The Action commits governments to encourage greater private sector contributions to solving global challenges while strengthening accountability for delivering on United Nations frameworks.

"The challenges facing our world cannot be solved by Governments alone. Action 55(c) recognizes that business has an essential role to play in delivering sustainable development, provided that engagement is grounded in accountability, transparency and shared purpose. This dialogue represents an important opportunity for Member States and the private sector to work together to strengthen partnerships that can accelerate implementation of the Pact for the Future and the Sustainable Development Goals," noted Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

The closed-door dialogue, held on the margins of the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), provided an opportunity for Member States to engage directly with members of the Action 55(c) Task Team, reflect on the findings of the Insights Brief and exchange experiences on strengthening private sector engagement across different national and regional contexts.

Discussions focused on practical ways Governments can promote greater coherence in approaches to business engagement across UN frameworks and identify near-term opportunities to advance implementation of Action 55(c). Participants also explored how Member States, the UN system, business and other stakeholders can work together to ensure the recommendations inform future multilateral processes.

The Insights Brief draws on structured consultations with Task Team members and their stakeholders and offers practical recommendations designed to strengthen collaboration between business and the United Nations in addressing today's interconnected global challenges. It identifies opportunities to make partnerships more effective, coherent and accountable while supporting implementation of the Pact for the Future.

The UN Global Compact remains committed to supporting Governments, business and the wider UN system in translating the ambitions of the Pact for the Future into meaningful action that accelerates progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Notes to Editors

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Global Compact is a call to companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our vision is clear: to mobilize business to transform sustainability ambition into action at the scale the world demands. With more than 25,000 participants and a presence in over 100 countries through 5 Regional Hubs and more than 70 Country Networks and expansion territories, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org