Printer Friendly Format Email a Friend


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 380-08
September 25, 2008

MAYOR BLOOMBERG LAUNCHES US LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE, A NEW EFFORT WITH MAJOR US CORPORATIONS TO SUPPORT THE ECONOMIES OF DEVELOPING NATIONS

Mayor Hosts Event with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for Over a Dozen US Business Leaders in Support of the Millennium Development Goals

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today launched the US Leadership Initiative, a group of large U.S. businesses committed to exploring initiatives that support the economies of developing nations.  Following today's High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) at the United Nations, the Mayor announced the group, which will be coordinated by the Partnership for New York City, at a dinner he hosted with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. At the dinner, top business leaders discussed their support for the "Business Call to Action" in the United States.  The Call to Action was launched by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in July 2007 in the United Kingdom to accelerate progress on the eight MDGs agreed upon at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000. Since then, the Business Call to Action has asked corporations worldwide to explore ways that the private sector can contribute to strengthening and promoting the economies of the world's poorest nations. At tonight's dinner, the CEOs of several major US corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, Pfizer, Newscorp, and Morgan Stanley gathered to launch the Leadership Initiative which aims to expand to 100 US companies.

"Whether it's in government, philanthropy or business, we've learned time after time that when we can work together to leverage each other's experience and expertise, we get a lot more done.  That's especially true when it comes to facing challenges as severe and entrenched as hunger, poverty, and disease," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "That's why I brought this group together, and it's why all of us will work to expand the group in the weeks and months ahead."

"New York's business community is proud to join Mayor Bloomberg in this global effort to promote more economic opportunity, particularly in developing countries. We all have a stake in reducing poverty through long-term economic growth," said Lloyd Blankfein, Co-Chairman of the Partnership for New York City and Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs, a firm that has signed on to support the UN Millennium Development Goals.

"Many of New York's international companies have been pioneers in community development and support for small business ventures here at home. The Business Call to Action is a great opportunity to apply this experience in developing countries around the world," said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City, which is helping to recruit companies to the Mayor's national Leadership Initiative.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon launched the MDG Call to Action in 2007, with the support of 14 heads of state or governments and 21 private sector leaders to achieve the UN goal of meeting the needs of the world's poorest people by 2015. The Business Call to Action focuses on private sector support of economic growth in the developing world and has led a number of European-based companies to increase their commitment to the MDG.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958




More Resources