Business and development

Encourages Governments, multilateral institutions and the private sector, including corporations engaged in international business activities, to strengthen partnerships; encourages Governments to create an environment that enables businesses to conduct their activities in a humane, sustainable and socially responsible way; urges all Governments to create an enabling environment for business and investment, taking into account the needs of developing countries; urges the private sector to pursue orderly and fair business practices while adhering to and promoting the principles of honesty, transparency and accountability in international commercial transactions; requests the international community to consider ways and means of promoting such principles and practices and respect for those practices by multinational companies in their operations in all countries; emphasizes the importance of a supportive international economic environment; recognizes the special development priorities and concerns of developing countries; stresses the importance of micro-finance, including micro-credit, to people living in poverty; encourages UNCTAD to continue to provide a forum for intergovernmental discussions concerning issues related to private sector development and international flows of investment; invites UNIDO and other relevant UN bodies to strengthen further their activities, in particular those concerning Africa and the least developed countries, in the promotion of entrepreneurship development; calls upon UN funds and programmes to continue to strengthen support for the promotion of entrepreneurship

Adopted without vote, 87th meeting

4 p.

Adopted at the 87th plenary meeting, 22 Dec. 1999.