- A joint call for building businessworthy action for the Global South

GUANGZHOU, China, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In an open letter issued today, the American Chamber of Commerce in South China ("AmCham South China") President, Dr. Harley Seyedin along with 23 Oslo Business for Peace Award winners from 21 countries called to build back better business in the Global South in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With significant capital outflows, export barriers rising, and unemployment increasing, COVID-19 is widening the social and economic gap in the Global South.

Ouided Bouchamaoui, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (Tunisia), Paul Polman, former Chairman of Unilever and Honorary Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (Netherlands), Sir Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group (UK), and Harley Seyedin, President, Allelon Energy Systems, and President of AmCham South China (USA) are among the 24 international business leaders and signatories of the call to action working to address these challenges. These signatories are also past recipients of the Oslo Business for Peace Award – the highest award an individual business leader can receive, for their businessworthy accomplishments. The award is given by the Award Committee of Nobel Laureates in Peace and Economics to business leaders who ethically and responsibly solve societal problems that create value both for business and society.

The 24 signatories urgently call for:

1.       Immediate debt cancellation and increased investment linked to a green and socially equitable recovery.

2.      Increased global co-ordination, especially avoiding export barriers on personal protective equipment and maintaining fair and efficient markets for both the Global North and the South. 

3.      Investment in and support for SMEs, ensuring employment especially for underserved communities.

4.      Global co-ordination on strategies for financial investment and income transfer to strengthen the participation of women in the economy and the job market.

5.      Increased attention to racial harmony, integration and inclusion.

By some estimates, the consequences of the pandemic are that 265 million people will suffer acute food shortages, 0.5 billion people may be pushed back into poverty and women are disproportionately negatively affected.

"As we rebuild a world in the wake of COVID-19, let's look to the real business leaders who stand out as role models to society and their peers, are earning the trust of their stakeholders, advocate for businessworthy leadership, and are contributing to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These very diverse Business for Peace Honourees, ranging from young health-tech entrepreneurs to CEOs of multinationals and Nobel Peace Prize winners are such real leaders. This call to action is for business leaders who want to make actual change. Now is the moment to reshape the world that creates value for all," concludes Per Saxegaard, founder of the Business for Peace Foundation. 

For the full text of the open letter please visit https://businessforpeace.no/

About the Oslo Business for Peace Award

The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given out annually to exemplary business leaders who apply their business energy ethically and responsibly, creating both economic and societal value. Winners are selected by the Award Committee of Nobel Laureates in Peace and Economics after a global nomination process through the International Chamber of Commerce, United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Development Programme, and Principles for Responsible Investment. The committee evaluates the nominees on the criteria of being a role model to society and their peers, having earned trust by stakeholders, and standing out as an advocate. 

About the American Chamber of Commerce in South China

The American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating bilateral trade between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Certified in 1995 by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC, AmCham South China represents more than 2,300 corporate and individual members, is governed by a fully-independent Board of Governors elected from its membership, and provides dynamic, on-the-ground support for American and International companies doing business in South China. In 2018, AmCham South China hosted more than 10,000 business executives and government leaders from around the world at its briefings, seminars, committee meetings and social gatherings. AmCham South China is a fully-independent organization accredited by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC. All AmChams in China are independently governed and represent member companies in their respective regions.

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