Recently, Ms. Lily Zhang, President of CHINT Electric, was invited to participate in the “Forward Faster” CEO Closed-Door Meeting organized by the United Nations Global Compact.
The meeting featured representatives from various industries, including Mr. Li Guolin, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Midea Group, Ms. Wan Jiang, Vice Chair of the Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce, and President of Smith Group Greater China, and Mr. Ren Weiming, Chairman of Golden Reach Holdings Limited.
The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways to accelerate corporate efforts towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the meeting, Ms. Sanda Ojaabo, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Secretary-General of the United Nations Global Compact, provided an overview of the background of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She stated, “Corporate participation in the ‘Forward Faster’ initiative holds immense potential to accelerate the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and demonstrate the maximum and fastest impact that businesses can make by 2030. We are delighted to see the tremendous enthusiasm and efforts exhibited by Chinese businesses since the launch of the initiative, and we are honored to welcome 22 pioneering companies from China today.”
Subsequently, Ms. Liu Meng, Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Global Compact, moderated a roundtable forum, inviting corporate representatives to share their experiences and practices in sustainable development.
The “Forward Faster Initiative,” launched by the United Nations Global Compact on September 18, 2023, is currently the world’s largest corporate sustainable development initiative.
It calls on business leaders to make commitments in at least one of the five actions: gender equality, climate action, living wages, water resource recovery, and sustainable investment and financing. The goal is to expedite corporate efforts to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Ms. Lily Zhang, President of CHINT Electric, spoke at the forum, highlighting that as one of the first Chinese companies to join the “Forward Faster Initiative,” CHINT Electric has been dedicated to achieving gender equality and sustainable development goals.
She shared the challenges the company faced when integrating sustainable development goals into its business strategy, including economic pressures and management capabilities. She emphasized CHINT Electric’s efforts in practicing sustainable development by engaging with partners and the industry, reaching out to the public, and seeking potential cooperation opportunities.
Ms. Lily Zhang also revealed that CHINT Electric has joined the “Women’s Empowerment Principles,” committing to making efforts for gender equality and empowering women. She called for businesses from different industries and sectors to enhance communication and support global women’s development and sustainable development goals through initiatives such as establishing networks and sharing training opportunities.
She expressed her hope that the United Nations Global Compact would provide gender equality training and expert support for businesses to share experiences and best practices.
CHINT Electric is a globally renowned provider of smart energy system solutions committed to sustainable development goals and gender equality. Just recently, CHINT hosted the Global Development Conference and the 10th International Marketing Conference.
In the presence of stakeholders from over 60 countries, including more than 300 partners, company employees, government leaders, experts, scholars, industry associations, and media representatives, CHINT officially launched the “CHINT Electric Carbon Neutrality White Paper” and initiated the “Zero Carbon Declaration.”
The declaration commits CHINT Electric to achieve operational carbon neutrality (including carbon offsetting) by 2028, net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, establish a comprehensive value chain carbon emission management system, and attain net-zero carbon emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.
Furthermore, to promote employee development, CHINT Electric focuses on the career planning and welfare protection of its female employees through various means, including diverse recruitment, career development, and flexible working arrangements. Additionally, CHINT Electric has signed the “Women’s Empowerment Principles,” committing to making efforts for gender equality.
In the afternoon session, Ms. Hu Xuefang, Chief Financial Officer of CHINT Group Limited, represented the company’s female employees at the United Nations Global Compact Women Business Leaders’ Roundtable.
Ms. Hu Xuefang suggested that businesses from different industries and sectors should enhance communication and support global women’s development and sustainable development goals by establishing networks and sharing training opportunities.
She expressed her hope that the United Nations Global Compact would provide gender equality training and expert support for businesses to share experiences and best practices.
In the future, CHINT Electric will continue to adhere to the guidance of the United Nations Global Compact and integrate sustainable development into the entire group’s strategy. CHINT Electric will further drive the transformation and upgrade of the industrial chain and focus on sustainable development in key areas to accelerate progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
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