Laura Muro Represents SLU-Madrid at UN
10/09/2024
Accounting and international business sustainability professor Laura Muro, Ph.D., represented Saint Louis University — Madrid while speaking on sustainability at the United Nations' Summit of the Future in New York on Sept. 22-23, 2024.
"Participating in the UN's Summit of the Future was crucial for me because it provided a platform to advocate for the needs and rights of current and future generations," said Muro. "As a representative of SLU-Madrid, I was able to contribute to meaningful discussions and potentially influence global policies that will shape our world for years to come."
With the sustainability challenges the world faces, she explained that "we live in a time when it is not an option to do business as usual" during the interactive dialogue "Transforming Global Governance and Turbocharging the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Her presentation at the United Nations in New York emphasized the carbon dioxide and methane emissions between 1954 and 2010 attributed to 90 fossil fuel and cement producers.
"Businesses are very responsible for the current situation of environmental degradation that affects our planet, but can also be part of the solution by offering innovative solutions for the decarbonization of our world," said Muro.
She also participated in the simultaneous "Accelerating Progress towards the SDGs through the Financing of Triangular Cooperation" event while in New York. Muro discussed the UN’s 2030 Sustainability Development Goals with representatives from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Office South-South Cooperation and the Portuguese government.
Muro has previously attended other United Nations events including the Decent Work and Economic Growth: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Panel at the UN's first-ever academic conference hosted by Utah Valley University.
In October 2022, Muro presented her paper "Financial Development, Governance Systems and Economic Freedom as Determinants of Financial Inclusion" with coauthor and fellow SLU-Madrid professor Paolo Saona. While there, Muro prepared for the Summit of the Future and represented SLU-Madrid, the only university located in Spain present at the conference.