The future is determined by what we do now, and the window of opportunity is closing fast – Regional Management Consultation in Hungary on the situation of sustainability

Budapest, February 25, 2020 – At the invitation of BCSD Hungary hosted the Central and Eastern European Regional Executive Consultation at which corporate leaders, regional executives, and leaders of professional organizations, under the professional guidance of Filippo Veglio, Director of WBCSD, discussed the role of companies in the implementation of Vision 2050.

The key message of Vision 2050 issued by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in 2010 is that business as usual is not sustainable. The report examined what a sustainable world could look like in 2050 with over nine billion people living well and within the boundaries of the planet, and the role that business life can play in realizing this vision. BCSDH’s now closing Action 2020 Hungary program is the domestic action plan of Vision 2050.

“Almost 10 years on, the key concepts of Vision 2050 have largely stood the test of time. It accurately identified the importance of systems transformation and predicted the key action areas for initial progress, including new concepts, such as the circular economy, which have since become firmly established as part of the broader business landscape” – said Filippo Veglio, Director of WBCSD in his introduction. – “However, the world that business is operating in continues to change, social tensions and environmental impacts are on the rise, leading to fundamental questions being asked about the role of business and the economy as a whole within society. A number of topics have either increased in importance or emerged as critical new areas. Vision 2050 needs to be updated.”

“In 2020, a chapter is closing. We are also summarizing our Action 2020 program. Now comes the decade of action and fulfillment” – said Attila Chikán Jr., president of BCSDH. “This is why it is important to identify key “must-solve” challenges that business will have to tackle in the coming years. This ‘revisiting’ offers the opportunity to analyse social, economic, and political shifts and to incorporate new critical elements that have emerged. Through this process, we can create a renewed, collective, positive business action and leadership agenda for the decade to come. The future is determined by what we do now, and the window of opportunity is closing fast. BCSDH will continue to play an important role in launching real action in the next decade that leads to a genuinely sustainable world.”

“Appreciation of our work so far is shown in the fact that we are the only Central-Eastern European venue in a global negotiation process with more than three dozen companies from 16 countries, representing more than ten industry sectors, over four million employees, and a combined $2 trillion in annual revenue, having come together around the ambition to refresh Vision 2050. The opinions of our member companies and partners will be incorporated into the updated Vision 2050, expected to be released in October 2020” – added Irén Márta, Managing Director of BCSDH.

Photogalery, about the event.

Filippo Veglio

Managing Director, People Program & Outreach, WBCSD

Filippo Veglio is Managing Director, People & Senior Management Team. Engaging senior representatives of member companies across various industry sectors, business organizations, multilateral institutions, NGOs and academia, Filippo oversees the World Business Council’s work in the following People Program (encompassing Social Impact, Sustainable Lifestyles, Sustainable Development Goals) and three Outreach functions (Communications, Events, and Global Network of partner organizations).
Filippo joined WBCSD in 2005. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. A Swiss national and fluent in six languages, Filippo was formerly a professional tennis player and has been a member of the Swiss Davis Cup team.