Global Hand has helped the United Nations launch a new service, helping companies to make commitments to action in support of its goals and issues.

It’s no secret that the world is experiencing environmental, social and economic disasters of crisis proportions. No one player in the global economy can solve these issues alone.

Companies have great strengths to bring to the effort, like human resources, expert knowledge, useful products and the motivation to use these resources for good. It can be difficult, though, for them to focus and clarify their role in solving the big issues facing our world. There aren’t always clear avenues that allow companies to put their name to an effort that will best match their strengths, and have maximum impact.

When Global Hand built business.un.org, we helped the United Nations pave some of these avenues by giving companies a website from which to offer their resources and seek out programmes in need of their help.

Now, the avenues are expanding further. The United Nations is inviting businesses, associations, academic institutions, philanthropic organisations, UN entities and others to make voluntary commitments to deliver concrete results for sustainable development. As a hub for corporate engagement with the UN system, business.un.org is being extended to facilitate such commitments. Global Hand is pleased to be adding these capabilities to the website as part of our ongoing commitment to harnessing corporate resources for good.

The Corporate Commitments platform is a place where the private sector can make a formal commitment to action in support of United Nations goals and issues.

These commitments to action can take many forms, leveraging the unique strengths and characteristics of each actor. All the commitments are promises to take action, alone or in partnership, including:

• new projects or partnerships;
• existing activities that are scaled up or accelerated;
• adding additional partners to existing projects; or
• renewal of commitments, if activities to realise these commitments are still ongoing.

Companies and private sector organisations can complete an online form, outlining their commitment to action, and these will then be reviewed by the UN before being made publicly available.

Visit http://business.un.org/commitments for more information about the new Corporate Commitments platform, or to fill out a form for your organisation, or email commitments@business.un.org with any questions regarding commitments.