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UN Committee Overwhelmingly Passes Israeli Resolution Promoting Global Entrepreneurship

A major United Nations committee passed an Israeli-sponsored resolution on Friday by 123-30 that promoted entrepreneurship as a means to boost national development.

The resolution passed despite opposition from Arab countries, who represented most of the states that voted against it. It calls on nations to recognize “the importance of improved regulatory environments and policy initiatives that promote entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship, and foster micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises,” and points out that private businesses “can help to alleviate poverty and catalyse social transformation by strengthening the productive capacities of vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, and [produce] goods and services accessible to them.”

Encouraging entrepreneurship, according to the resolution, can aid in supporting sustainable development by spurring innovation and economic growth. Entrepreneurs can be agents of change by promoting new approaches to solve problems such global warming, as the safe production of food, education, and the provision of health services.

“This resolution is further proof of the important contributions that Israel makes to the world as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN.

“The hypocritical opposition by the Arab bloc did not succeed,” Danon observed. “Every day, more and more countries are showing interest in Israel’s success.”

The resolution will now be sent to the General Assembly for a final vote.

The day before the resolution was passed, the Israeli delegation to the UN sponsored an event to highlight Israeli entrepreneurial contributions. Among the organizations and individuals participating in the event were United Nations Conference on Trade and Development chief Chantal Line Carpentier; Yossi Matias, Google’s vice president of engineering; and representatives from the pharmaceutical giant Novartis; the money transfer company Unistream; ReWalk, which makes exoskeletons allowing paraplegics to walk; and Social Finance Israel, an investment house for financing non-profit organizations.

In December 2012, the UN General Assembly passed an Israeli-sponsored UN resolution titled “Entrepreneurship for Development,” which was the first time that the global body recognized entrepreneurship as a significant development tool. The resolution’s passage was followed in June 2013 by a conference revolving around the promotion of global entrepreneurship, in which Israel played a leading role.

[Photo: Ad Meskens / WikiCommons ]