11 July 2018

With reference to our 13 June "Save the Date" for the upcoming Global Business Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals in Madrid, please be advised that this will now take place one week earlier, on 1-2 October, and not 8-9 October as previously announced.  This change has arisen as a result of circumstances beyond our control and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

You will recall that the purpose of the Global Business Forum is to support the IOE, its member organisations and their company affiliates to engage in the discussion on, and the implementation of, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Specifically, the forum aims to

• Raise awareness of the SDGs and the contribution business can make to their achievement
• Exchange experiences on the involvement of Employers’ Organisations (EO) and discuss the role they can play
• Understand better the expectations and needs of companies with regard to support from Employers’ Organisations, with a focus on MNEs and SMEs
• Learn about challenges and opportunities in SDG reporting
• See the SDGs in the larger context of UN reform
• Define the key messages of business in the high-level review of SDG 8 in 2019
• Identify key follow-up actions for IOE and participants

Working arrangements

• The conference will be held in English under Chatham House rules.
• All participants are requested to actively engage in the discussion.
• The IOE will produce a meeting report which will also inform the employer representatives that have not been able to join the workshop.
• Funding is available to cover the travel and subsistence expenses of a limited number of participants.
• There will also be a limited number of participants.

A revised draft agenda may be downloaded via the link in the side panel. Please continue to register your interest in participating with Ms Caroline Balikungeri by 1 September 2018 (balikungeri@ioe-emp.com).

If you would like to apply for support to cover travel and subsistence expenses, please contact Caroline as soon as possible and by 31 July 2018 at the latest.