The private sector is expected to play a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The private sector has enormous potential to make changes in societies. Companies are becoming more and more interested in social corporate responsibility and collaboration with non-governmental organizations, academia and governments in this regard.

Having that in mind, the Czech Presidency of ECOSOC hosted, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN, the third out of four breakfast discussions on ‘participation of all’ with the private sector.

The Czech Republic brought to the UN Headquarters as speakers: Mr. Martin Tlapa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for relations with non-European countries, economic diplomacy and development cooperation, as well as Mr. Alan Rassaby from Avast Software, the world’s leading anti-virus company, founded and based in the Czech Republic.

Member States’ and private companies’ representatives also benefitted from a presentation, on behalf of Colombia, by Ms. Mónica de Greiff, President of Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.

The event is the third in a series of four roundtables with an overarching theme “Towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all”, a special initiative of the Czech ECOSOC Presidency. The last upcoming discussion will take place on 9 March with Academia.

The series of breakfast discussions is intended to support the lead up to a Preparatory Meeting (26 – 27 March 2018, Prague, Czech Republic) and an ECOSOC Special Meeting (23 May 2018, UN HQ, New York). For more information, please see the special initiative webpage.