World with Purpose Pledge
The World with Purpose Pledge, endorsed by 40 founding signatories, serves as a powerful declaration by esteemed business leaders and organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Recognizing the urgency of embracing purpose-led strategies for positive societal and environmental impact, signatories commit to redefining the role of businesses in delivering global prosperity and shaping a sustainable and inclusive future. Guided by six core principles, the pledge emphasizes the importance of defining a purpose beyond profit, integrating sustainability across operations, and amplifying impact by empowering employees, customers, and communities. It underscores a commitment to collaborate for systemic change, champion transparency, and prioritize innovation for positive, sustainable growth.
This pledge signifies a collective commitment to transform UAE’s businesses into purpose-led entities, contributing meaningfully to global challenges outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We call on leaders and organizations to recognize the emerging ‘purpose-first’ sector and prioritize the welfare of employees, climate and the environment, fair treatment of suppliers, and service to communities. This transformative commitment signals a pivotal step towards nurturing a purpose-first economy in the UAE, encouraging other leaders and organizations to join this movement for the benefit of present and future generations.
Giving business a purpose for impact
We, the undersigned business leaders and organizations in the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), recognize the urgent need to embrace purpose-led strategies that drive positive impact for both people and planet. We believe that businesses have a crucial role to play in delivering global prosperity and shaping a sustainable and inclusive future where no one is left behind.
The Principles
- Purpose Unleashed We commit to defining a purpose beyond profit, guiding our path and inspiring stakeholders. Purpose ignites positive change and commercial success.
- Sustainability Integrated Sustainability is intrinsic to purpose. We’ll embed it across operations, supply chains, and value creation. Circular economies, ethical conduct, and reduced footprints drive us.
- Impact Amplified Empowering employees, customers, and communities is vital. Inclusion, fair practices, social causes, and community engagement form our impact core.
- Collaborate for Change Together, we achieve purposeful impact. We’ll partner with businesses, governments, and stakeholders to innovate solutions for systemic challenges.
- Transparent & AccountableTransparency fuels progress. Robust reporting measures will showcase our ESG performance. Integrity and ethics steer our responsible practices.
- Innovation for Tomorrow Learning and innovation power purpose. Investments in research and knowledge-sharing breed new models for positive, sustainable growth.
Our Commitment
- We support the view that companies must have a clear purpose, a coherent strategy and a long-term view to survive and thrive in tomorrow’s world. We have seen bold and innovative, purpose-first organizations repeatedly demonstrate that leading with purpose is not only a means to drive positive change within their communities, but also a commercially viable strategy that positively disrupts their industries and earns them the long-term loyalty of their customers.
- By signing this pledge, we commit to transforming our businesses in the UAE to become purpose-led, driving impact for the betterment of people and the planet. Together, we will create a business ecosystem that fosters sustainable development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship beyond profitability. We invite fellow businesses, organizations, and stakeholders to join us on this transformative journey, for the benefit of current and future generations.
- We commit to contributing meaningfully to the pressing challenges of our time prioritising those outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), and to lead conversations with public and private sector partners and stakeholders to recognize and incentivize the ‘purpose-first’ sector as an emerging fourth sector, critically important to global wellbeing.
- Beyond the interests of our shareholders, we commit to prioritizing the welfare of our employees, putting climate and the environment as a whole at the heart of our strategies and investments, the fair and ethical treatment of our suppliers, and service towards our communities. We aim to achieve this through responsible investments in ESG-aligned and impactful community ventures, adopting planet-friendly and ethical consumption practices, and supply chain sustainability. We believe this approach to purpose-driven business is essential for creating sustainable and positive social and environmental impact.
- With this pledge, we are taking a crucial step towards supporting the rise of a purpose-first economy that prioritizes the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants.
- We invite leaders and organizations to join us in signing this pledge to transform UAE businesses into purpose-led forces, fostering sustainable development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship for the benefit of present and future generations.