UN GC | UNFCCC | UN DESA | Side Event on Accelerating Business Action for Decarbonizing Shipping and Social Responsibility (13 October 2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed working conditions into the spotlight, as many seafarers have been trapped on board ships, prevented from disembarking due to travel restrictions. Companies relying on the shipping value chain have been urged to conduct human rights due diligence to assess their impacts on seafarers' rights and ensure responsible business conduct.
Driving decarbonization and upholding human rights in global supply chains: accelerating action in the shipping industry
Almost 90% of global trade is transported by ships, making it the backbone of global trade and a key component of most companies’ logistic supply chains.
Although it is one of the most energy efficient modes of transport, shipping accounts for approximately 3 per cent of global GHG emissions. To meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C target, it is essential that the international shipping industry aims to decarbonize by 2050. The business community is calling for urgent and ambitious policy action – including the wider value chain looking to reduce their scope 3 emissions.
The transition to a zero-emission maritime industry by 2050 must also be safe, just and equitable, in a way that maximises job opportunities – particularly in developing countries – and minimizes and protects job losses in declining industries. Health, safety, and decent livelihoods must be protected – as underlined in the recently released UN Global Compact brief ‘Charting a 1.5 C Trajectory for Maritime Transport‘.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed working conditions into the spotlight, as many seafarers have been trapped on board ships, prevented from disembarking due to travel restrictions. Companies relying on the shipping value chain have been urged to conduct human rights due diligence to assess their impacts on seafarers’ rights and ensure responsible business conduct.
Join the UN Global Compact, UN DESA and the UNFCCC at this session on the margins of the UN Sustainable Transport Conference on 13 October at 14:00 CEST to discuss how companies can secure a green and decent shipping industry, and hear from:
Mr. Stephen Cotton, General Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation
Ms. Michelle Grose, Vice President Global Logistics, Unilever
Ms. Katharine Palmer, High Level Climate Champion Lead, Shipping
Mr. Peter Jonathan Jameson, Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Mr. Sturla Henriksen, Special Advisor, Ocean, UN Global Compact
Ms. Ingrid Irigoyen, Director, Aspen Institute
Standard Chartered representative
Synergy Group*
You can register for the meeting here.