The Fabric of Multilateralism | In Conversation with Kate Dundas

In the early 2000s, when UNAA was a founding member of the UN Global Compact in New York and the Centre for Responsible Business was helping lay the groundwork for corporate sustainability in Australia, Dr Donnell Davis was already there; advocating, connecting and building the foundations of what would become the UN Global Compact Network Australia.

Now, as the UNGCNA marks its 15th anniversary and Australia assumes the presidency for COP31 negotiations, the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) and the UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA) invite you to join a special one-hour in-conversation webinar.

UNAA National President Dr Donnell Davis will sit down with UNGCNA Executive Director Kate Dundas, fresh from the UNiting Business LIVE Australia 2026 conference; for a candid, high-level conversation about what Australian business has learned, and what the multilateral system needs from it next.

This is a conversation between someone who helped build the foundations and someone who is driving the agenda today; spanning 25 years of commitment to responsible business, the SDGs and Australia's place in the global sustainability story.

The Conversation

Multilateralism is the umbrella. But it is held up by two essential struts: partnership and ethical economies. Without genuine cross-sector collaboration, multilateral commitments remain words on paper. Without ethical economies, business that operates with integrity across human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, the system has no commercial foundation to stand on.

Dr Davis will put three questions to Kate Dundas that move through this territory, not as separate topics, but as dimensions of a single, urgent question: what does it mean for Australian business to be a credible and committed actor in the multilateral system, particularly as Australia holds the COP31 presidency?

Drawing on the outcomes of UNiting Business LIVE Australia 2026, the conversation will explore what partnership looks like beyond prospectuses; how the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact are being lived , or not in Australian boardrooms; and what the fabric of multilateralism actually requires of business in a fractured geopolitical world.

About the Speakers

Dr Donnell Davis | UNAA National President

Dr Donnell Davis is a founding advocate of the UN Global Compact in Australia, active since the early 2000s through the Centre for Responsible Business when UNAA joined the UNGC as a founding member in New York. She has been a member of UNAA since 2000 and serves as National President, guided by four enduring commitments: Peace and Security, Human Rights, Environmental Stewardship and Ethical Economies.

A passionate champion of all 17 SDGs; with particular focus on SDGs 7 through 12, Donnell holds a deep conviction that gender equality is the thread that runs through every development goal. Across the Asia-Pacific, she serves as Programme Convenor for Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific across 13 countries, and participates in the Commonwealth People's Forum as a CHOGM delegate. As Associate Professor, she coaches Urban Climate Governance through interdisciplinary innovation and ethical design thinking.

Kate Dundas | Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Australia

Kate Dundas leads the UN Global Compact Network Australia, Australia's local network of the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, at a pivotal moment: the UNGCNA's 15th anniversary year and Australia's COP31 presidency. With 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors in sustainability, strategic foresight and city planning, Kate leads a team of experts across business and human rights, environment and climate change, anti-bribery and corruption, and sustainable development.