Yasmine Khamis, Chair of Oriental Weavers Carpets, has been appointed as a founding member of the Africa Business Leaders Coalition, a CEO-led initiative emanating from the UN Global Compact Africa Strategy 2021–2023, and is committed to advancing sustainable growth, prosperity and development in Africa by bringing measurable impact to its most pressing issues.
Mrs. Yasmine said: “I am proud to share that I have been appointed as a Founding Member of the Africa Business Leaders Coalition. Convened by the United Nations Global Compact, the coalition convenes highlevel Chief Executives aiming to tackle Africa’s most pressing issues, beginning with the climate crisis. In my role within the Founders Group of the Coalition, I look forward to working with fellow African business leaders as they join the ABLC in the lead up to COP 27 to identify and work towards a commitment to climate action.”
Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the UN Global Compact Sanda Ojiambo said: “Climate change presents a $3 trillion investment opportunity in Africa by 2030. But this potential will not be realized unless the private sector is involved. This Coalition has a critical role to play in ensuring the voice of Africa’s private sector is heard on the global stage to ensure the continent’s growth is not only sustainable but also green.”
The ABLC, which includes 11 Business Leaders from Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will work closely with the UN Global Compact Hub in Abuja and 10 Global Compact Local Networks operating across Africa and will provide a platform for African business leaders to have a unified private sector voice as they work on the continent’s most pressing issues through an organized, forwardlooking, principles-based approach.
In the run up to COP27, due to be held in Egypt in November 2022, the ABLC will focus its efforts on sustainable development and ambitious climate action by bringing the perspectives of dozens of leading African CEOs and Board Chairs into the global conversation. This will culminate in an ABLC Climate Statement in support of COP27, anchored in the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact Ten Principles. The ABLC members will be invited to agree on credible commitments and actions through this Climate Statement.