Innovating out of the employment crisis
Experts gathered at the UN to present ways entrepreneurship can promote sustainable development and create livelihoods.
NEW YORK – The importance of innovation and a creative approach to problem solving embedded in entrepreneurship can help improve the lives of the world’s most disadvantaged people was the message from senior government officials, business leaders and policy experts meeting at the UN.
The UN’s High-Level Thematic Debate on Entrepreneurship for Development, convened on 26 June, was requested by a General Assembly Resolution to discuss promoting entrepreneurship in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication at the national, regional and international levels.
“Entrepreneurship is about innovating, breaking down barriers, taking risks and showing that new business models can tackle longstanding problems” said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in his opening address.
“Many large companies started in someone’s kitchen or backyard. A number of those companies are now major corporations giving back to communities. Collectively, these entrepreneurs are helping to advance the Millennium Development Goals.”
Watch: Opening remarks
Watch: Panel I
Watch: Panel II
Watch: Panel III
The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić, said that “governments should see the promotion of socially-conscious entrepreneurial spirit as a basic duty. This will be a critical feature of the era of sustainable development.”
The presenters, from international organizations, academia and the private sector, discussed the various ways in which governments can create enabling environments, as well as the limitations of public efforts to spur entrepreneurial activity.
The ILO’s Assistant Director-General for Policy, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, presented a management-training programme, Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB), which supports new enterprise development to create more and better employment in developing economies and economies in transition.
Mr. Salazar-Xirinachs said governments should help promote entrepreneurship by removing obstacles to new firm establishment and expansion as well as by investing in business and enterprise skills development programmes and training. Equally, he cautioned, differing attitudes toward risk and failure could limit the impact of entrepreneurship in some places.
“We are not saying that entrepreneurship development is a silver bullet for solving the employment challenge,” Salazar-Xirinachs said. “Entrepreneurship development will not work for everybody, but it is a feasible option for some and key for growth and innovation.”
The dynamic and innovative characteristics of entrepreneurship is seen as an important tool to help build societies in which people have the confidence, skill and desire to solve the problems that are holding back sustainable economic and social development.
This thematic debate is part of the wider discussions on the Post-2015 development agenda, which is looking to harness the ideas and talents of people across the world to pursue opportunities in paradigm changing ways.
The UN’s High-Level Thematic Debate on Entrepreneurship for Development, convened on 26 June, was requested by a General Assembly Resolution to discuss promoting entrepreneurship in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication at the national, regional and international levels.
“Entrepreneurship is about innovating, breaking down barriers, taking risks and showing that new business models can tackle longstanding problems” said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in his opening address.
“Many large companies started in someone’s kitchen or backyard. A number of those companies are now major corporations giving back to communities. Collectively, these entrepreneurs are helping to advance the Millennium Development Goals.”
Watch: Opening remarks
Watch: Panel I
Watch: Panel II
Watch: Panel III
The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić, said that “governments should see the promotion of socially-conscious entrepreneurial spirit as a basic duty. This will be a critical feature of the era of sustainable development.”
The presenters, from international organizations, academia and the private sector, discussed the various ways in which governments can create enabling environments, as well as the limitations of public efforts to spur entrepreneurial activity.
The ILO’s Assistant Director-General for Policy, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, presented a management-training programme, Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB), which supports new enterprise development to create more and better employment in developing economies and economies in transition.
Mr. Salazar-Xirinachs said governments should help promote entrepreneurship by removing obstacles to new firm establishment and expansion as well as by investing in business and enterprise skills development programmes and training. Equally, he cautioned, differing attitudes toward risk and failure could limit the impact of entrepreneurship in some places.
“We are not saying that entrepreneurship development is a silver bullet for solving the employment challenge,” Salazar-Xirinachs said. “Entrepreneurship development will not work for everybody, but it is a feasible option for some and key for growth and innovation.”
The dynamic and innovative characteristics of entrepreneurship is seen as an important tool to help build societies in which people have the confidence, skill and desire to solve the problems that are holding back sustainable economic and social development.
This thematic debate is part of the wider discussions on the Post-2015 development agenda, which is looking to harness the ideas and talents of people across the world to pursue opportunities in paradigm changing ways.