Remarks by Ms Beate Trankmann at the 15th International Roundtable of Multinational Corporations’ Leaders

December 13, 2025

UNDP Resident Representative in China Beate Trankmann delivered remarks via video message at the 15th International Roundtable of Multinational Corporations’ Leaders

UNDP in China

尊敬的企业领导人、合作伙伴及同事们,

(Distinguished Corporate Leaders, Partners, and Excellencies)

我很荣幸代表联合国开发计划署驻华代表处，在第十五届国际跨国公司领袖圆桌会议上发言。

(On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, it is a great pleasure to speak at the 15th International Roundtable of Multinational Corporations’ Leaders.)

We meet at a pivotal moment for global development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—our shared blueprint for a better future—are progressing at a worrying pace. Currently, only 35% of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress for achievement by 2030.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global shocks and conflicts have severely depleted public finances, crowding out investments needed for sustainable development. We currently face an annual SDG funding gap of approximately $4 trillion. Public money alone cannot bridge this gap.

In this context, the role of the corporate sector is not just beneficial, but indispensable. Indeed, achieving the SDGs is not only an endeavour for governments and development organisations, but also makes business sense, with sustainable development creating the very conditions needed for continued economic growth, resilience, and innovation.

By promoting jobs, businesses not only help reduce poverty and inequality and boost overall economic growth. SDG aligned investments can also unlock immense business opportunities. For example, investing in sustainable food production, clean water, public health, and climate action could unlock $10 trillion in profitable opportunities and create 400 million jobs by 2030.

Clearly, pursuing sustainability should not be considered a cost or just an issue of compliance. Rather, it represents a strategic decision to invest in our collective future, mitigate against risks and seize valuable growth opportunities. As such, it should be embedded at the heart of business models and strategies, instead of being treated as a CSR exercise. Motivated by the right incentives, we can mobilise global market capital at the scale needed to accelerate sustainable development.

Multinational corporations serve not just as investors, but as crucial links in resilient global supply chains and innovation sharing, connecting the world to China and vice-versa. Robust, interconnected networks, and fostering dynamic, collaborative global partnerships are indeed critical for the continued growth of the global economy.

Given its economic size and influence, China’s role is vital. Through the government’s "Dual Carbon Goals", and its pursuit of an "Ecological Civilization” China is in fact already demonstrating that even for a major economy, committing to ambitious sustainability targets can create significant new market opportunities. The fact that clean technologies contributed 10 percent to China’s GDP in 2024 is powerful evidence, which has fuelled growth in sectors like wind, solar, and electric vehicles.

Multinational corporations in particular are key pillars of this system. You serve not just as investors, but as crucial links in resilient global supply chains and innovation sharing, connecting the world to China and vice-versa. Robust, interconnected networks, and fostering dynamic, collaborative global partnerships are indeed critical for the continued growth of the global economy.

At UNDP, we are committed to supporting these partnerships to advance sustainable development and provide concrete frameworks and tools to help align business strategies with the SDGs. For instance: our SDG Finance Taxonomy guides investment towards SDG-aligned sectors; our SDG Impact Standards and Guidelines for Contributing to the SDGs, developed with ISO, help embed sustainability into corporate decision-making; and our SDG Investor Maps have identified 764 investment opportunity areas globally, in key sectors such as renewable energy, the circular economy, and in China the silver economy as well.

Leveraging tools such as these, we stand ready to help companies transform SDG integration from just an add-on, to a core business strategy.

In closing, I want to thank the China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations for convening this critical dialogue. The path to 2030 may be challenging, but the direction we must move in is clear. Our collective future depends on the actions we take today.

The private sector, especially multinational leaders like you, holds the capital, technology, and innovative capacity to close the gap, and scale up inclusive, green development, for a sustainable future.

最后，预祝本次会议圆满成功！让我们携手迈向一个更加绿色、更可持续的未来。

Finally, I hope for today's conference to be a success. Let us join hands and move towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Thank you.