Five Points Youth Foundation Celebrating 25 Years of the United Nations Global Compact
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LOS ANGELES - Californer -- By Andrew Williams Jr., President, Five Points Youth Foundation

On July 26, 2000, under the visionary leadership of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Nations launched one of the most transformative initiatives in global governance and sustainable development—the United Nations Global Compact. What began as a bold call to action for businesses to align with universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption has grown into the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. Twenty-five years later, the Compact's influence reverberates across every sector, in every corner of the globe.

As President of Five Points Youth Foundation, a proud participant in the UN Global Compact since 2014, I am honored to join the international community in celebrating this historic milestone. It is both a commemoration and a recommitment—a recommitment to the values Kofi Annan so courageously championed, and to the vision that business, civil society, and government must work together to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

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It is no coincidence that the Global Compact was launched in the same year as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Together, they forged a new path toward international cooperation, elevating shared responsibility and long-term sustainability above short-term profit and national isolation. In 2015, this path evolved into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—a bold and inclusive roadmap for people, planet, peace, prosperity, and partnership.

Today, we are in the heart of what the United Nations has aptly declared the 'Decade of Action.' With only five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the need for transformative change has never been more urgent. Climate change, pandemics, inequality, and geopolitical conflict all threaten to derail the fragile gains we have made. But they also remind us why the UN Global Compact is more vital than ever—as a guiding framework, a collaborative force, and a moral compass.

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Let us mark this anniversary not only with remembrance, but with resolve. Let us uplift the legacy of the United Nations Global Compact by scaling up our efforts, deepening our collaborations, and ensuring that no voice—especially those of our youth—is left unheard. In doing so, we honor not just the past, but the promise of a future shaped by solidarity, sustainability, and shared humanity.

Thank you to the United Nations Global Compact for a quarter-century of leadership. May the next 25 years be even more courageous, inclusive, and impactful.

https://FivePointsYouthFoundation.org