The momentum has been building for years, and this past week in New York has demonstrated that the era of greater private sector participation in development has arrived.
From a series of business-related events and summits to the United Nations, the sense from our own Devex Impact conversations with executives as well our coverage of the proceedings is that companies have featured much more prominently in what is undeniably one of development’s biggest weeks of an important year.
Perhaps one example was the U. N. Private Sector Forum, where an impressive lineup included the likes of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and musician and ONE Campaign activist Bono. It was certainly a case of the A-listers showing up to the business meeting.