Investing in infrastructure is “vital for attaining 72% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)”, José Manuel Entrecanales, ACCIONA’s CEO and Chairman, told the United Nations Global Compact's Uniting Business LIVE conference, which was held online.

Speaking at the session, in which James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, also took part, among others, Mr Entrecanales said: "The rapid development of the necessary infrastructure [to comply with the SDGs] is essential to replace the current stagnation in global private demand.”

Entrecanales said that “in every SDG there is a business opportunity”. "If you don't have water access, it’s very difficult to have a good education or a good health system," he explained.

The UN Global Compact, launched in 2000, brings together companies that are committed to align their business practices with UN principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and measures to fight corruption. With more than 10,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, it is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.

ACCIONA has been a member of the UN Global Compact since 2005. The company has been carbon neutral since 2016 and is committed to reducing its carbon emissions by a further 60 per cent by 2030, in line with what science indicates is needed to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5º Celsius from pre-industrial times and prevent catastrophic and irreversible global warming. 

The Uniting Business LIVE conference gathers business, government and civil society leaders from around the globe – on this occasion via video conference due to the pandemic. The event is taking place during Climate Week at the UN headquarters in New York, coinciding with the 75th session of its General Assembly.