The Platform Action 2020 was the guiding theme of the annual meeting of the members of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), held from April 7 to 10 in Montreux, Switzerland. The network's main project was shared, as well as the experiences of other BCSDs.

Peter Bakker, President of the WBCSD, reinforced the importance of companies' engagement at this stage of the Action 2020, which is the identification of the business solutions needed to achieve the 2020 goals, also known as “must haves”.

“We need to bring scale and speed and companies are big players in this process,” explained Bakker about the Platform. Action 2020 – which consists of developing a set of company actions to combine the private sector's agenda with that of society and propose business solutions and public policies.

During the meeting in Montreux, 34 proposed business solutions were presented and discussed, such as promoting responsible employment strategies, boosting the resilience of the energy sector and restoring the productivity of degraded areas. There was also an opportunity for members to identify and suggest new solutions and share their individual experiences of project implementation.

Highlights: valuation, climate agenda and new organization

In addition to working hard on the Action 2020, other important topics were discussed throughout the four days of the meeting. The new line of action of the WBCSD was presented, which will unite the themes of measurement, valuation and reporting. The project Redefining Value will aim to discuss and seek solutions so that corporate measurement, valuation and reporting efforts reflect integrated performance management, looking not only at short-term financial gain, but also at natural capital and social capital.

International negotiations on climate change were also a focus of discussion. For the WBCSD, the path to COP 21 in Paris in 2015 requires decisive action by companies. “Climate change is a global problem that requires local solutions supported by public-private partnerships,” argued Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS. Companies should maximize their involvement in these discussions to better implement their innovations and technologies in solutions for climate change, playing an important role in the upcoming negotiations.

Finally, the new governance rules for the WBCSD Global Network, of which CEBDS is a member, were discussed. To better promote the flow of information and encourage joint actions among Global Partners, the creation of a group of 7 Regional Coordinators was approved, to be elected every two years. In this scenario, Brazil plays an important role, having been appointed as the first country to exercise coordination for Latin America, managing the network of 17 regional partners and promoting greater dialogue with all these actors.

Marina Grossi, CEBDS president talks about the LD Meeting

Ana Carolina, manager of Action 2020, talks about the construction of Action 2020