UN Environment has urged the country’s private sector to collaborate with them in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will help curb climate change.

Currently, UN Environment is working closely with the private sector through various initiatives, such as the Finance Initiative which works with over 200 institutions to bring systemic change in global finance for sustainability.

“The private sector, whether a small store or a major conglomerate, must be given a place at the heart of our work. Its energy and its innovations will shape the success or failure of our common goals: to build a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable world. No organization, not even the United Nations, can do this alone,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment.

He was speaking during an MOU signing ceremony between Safaricom and UN Environment, aimed at heightening the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focus on protecting, and conserving the environment.

“As a purpose driven organization, we realize that it is important to use the SDGs as a lens through which we can do business while ensuring that we are also creating the basis for tangible change for our communities. Over the last few months we began the journey of adopting and integrating the SDGs in a way that made sense for the various divisions in our business,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.

The MOU will provide a framework of cooperation and understanding, and facilitate collaboration and implementation of activities and projects that contribute to selected areas of the SDGs. The selected SDGs include Affordable and Clean Energy, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life below Water and Partnerships.

About UN Environment

UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.

About Safaricom

Safaricom transforms lives.

We provide voice, data, financial services and enterprise solutions for a range of subscribers, small businesses and government, using a variety of platforms.

We delight over 28 million subscribers, providing over 200,000 touch points for its customers and offering over 100 different products under our portfolio.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues in excess of Kshs 150 Billion, Safaricom invested Kshs 38 billion in infrastructure this year, providing over 80% of Kenya’s population with 4G and 3G coverage and providing 2G coverage to 95% of Kenyans. Safaricom has harnessed its proprietary fibre infrastructure to build a dedicated enterprise business, which provides managed IT services to clients in the East African region.

Safaricom pioneered commercial mobile money transfer globally through M-PESA, the most successful service of its kind anywhere in the world. Launched in March 2007, M-PESA now has over 26 million customers and over 170,000 M-PESA Agent outlets countrywide.