The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will expire in 2015. Global discussions are taking place at the United Nations General Assembly to determine the new goals to guide future sustainable development. To contribute to this process, in the Netherlands, companies and civil society initiated a “Charter on the role of business, civil society and cross-sector partnerships in the Post-2015 Development Agenda”. Yesterday, Monday September 29th, NewForesight was one of the parties to sign this charter and commit to joint action that contributes to achieving the new development goals.

Nearly 60 Dutch companies and civil society organizations, including SCOPEinsight, DSM, Unilever, Akzo Nobel, ABN AMRO, Interface, MVO Nederland, True Price and Oxfam Novib, gathered in The Hague for a high-level roundtable and official Charter signing event. It was the first time that such a diverse group of organizations came together to achieve a common understanding on roles in global development. Laure Heilbron, consultant at NewForesight and a member of WorldConnectors, was one of the initiators of the meeting.

Also present at the event was Lilianne Ploumen, Dutch Minister of Trade and Development. She will communicate the content of the Charter in upcoming UN General Assembly discussions. With this charter, the Netherlands is taking a leading role and is sending a powerful message that cooperation between different sectors is possible. NewForesight strongly believes that successfully addressing global challenges and achieving lasting change requires the cooperation of governments, businesses and civil society at a local, national and international level.