The WBCSD Development Focus Area aims to advocate and promote market-based solutions to development and environment challenges. Its members firmly believe that the leading companies of the future will be those that align profitable business ventures with the needs of developing countries and emerging economies and thereby contribute to a more sustainable world.

The Focus Area has the following objectives:

• Create awareness
  • Providing thought leadership on the role of business in a changing geopolitical and economic context;
  • Promoting the WBCSD tools that enhance companies‟awareness and capacity to respond to development risks and opportunities.
     
• Advocate
  • Advocating business messages and solutions at relevant international processes and regional initiatives;
  • Profiling business contributions to development and sharing best practice through WBCSD communications channels.

• Catalyze action
  • Demonstrating leadership in action on the ground
  • Implementing special initiatives, as requested by groups of member companies. 

Reflecting the Development Focus Area’s objectives, the current work program looks at:

• Rolling out a framework for dialogue between companies and governments on realizing shared interests in enhancing local supplier competitiveness.
• Enhancing access to affordable and clean energy by promoting scalable business models and the necessary regulatory, institutional and financial framework conditions;
   
• Leveraging cross-sector experience to catalyze successful partnerships or collaborative action between member companies and/or other partners based on the use of technology, especially information and communications technologies (ICT);
   
• Building a Network of Inclusive Business Leaders that spans across industries and countries in Latin America. The network aims to engage executives to champion the cause of inclusive business to their peers, governments and international organizations;
   
• Helping identify and broker inclusive business opportunities between WBCSD member companies, our Regional Network partners and their members, SMEs and other stakeholders in Africa, Asia and the Middle East;
   
• Measuring the impact of business activities on development, building on the WBCSD’s Measuring Impact Framework , which helps companies take sounder investment decisions and engage in constructive conversation with stakeholders;
   
• Advocating for appropriate framework conditions in order for business to be part of the solution in the transition to low-carbon growth.

Read about Development Focus Area partners