Dubai: Scores of decision makers in the public and private sectors in different organisations and institutions are meeting in Dubai on Thursday, October 27, to discuss the role of the private sector in achieving the UN sustainable Development goals agreed to in early 2016.

The forum, “Sustainability in Action: Business and the sustainable development goals,” is expected to also engage the youth of today, who will be “future leaders” in the discussions, said Carla Koffel, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative, one of the organisers of the forum with the UN Global Compact.

“A key objective of the forum is to inspire business leaders within the Gulf to take action,” she told Gulf News in an interview on the evening of the forum.

“And at the top of that we have a call to action where business leaders will make a commitment to sustainability and this enables the forum to be a platform to take action not only inspired by topics, but inspire action beyond the forum,” Koffel added.

The forum is going to discuss a wide range of topics related to growth and sustainability.

Discussion on future leaders are also on the agenda.

“We [at Pearl Initiative] invest in future business leaders through engaging with universities and students,” where the young business generation is introduced to business ethics and good corporate practices, she added.

Sustainable economic growth

The forum will engage “youth in creating jobs for future generations” and university students will be among the forum delegates, she explained.

The Pearl Initiative is a Gulf business-led organisation promoting a corporate culture of accountability and transparency as a driver of competitiveness and sustainable economic growth across the Arabian Gulf region of the Middle East. Pearl Initiative signed a strategic partnership with the United Nations Global Compact to cooperate in several programmes in countries across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

“We are in a good position to be able to look externally and see what are the practices and what are the trends, initiative, which is being adopted globally and then to be able to apply them specifically within the Gulf context,” she said.

“The time is really now for the businesses to take action and that the action the business can take be good for their business, as well as good for the wider community,” she said.

Here, the private sector can play a major role in creating jobs and achieving economic sustainability.

Prosperity

Asked about obstacles facing Gulf private sectors and whether they need motivation or regulations, Koffel replied that “motivation of the business is not because of regulations, it is because it is good for business,” since the private sector is working with both governments and civil societies within the Gulf region and the world.

The private sector can achieve prosperity in business and the societies as whole, she continued.

Commenting on differences between the Gulf region and other regions, Koffel said, “There is no one size fits all. No two companies are the same. No two countries are the same”.

All are looking for inspirations an interesting approaches and actions and how [they] can really relate to business within the Gulf and the wider region.”