By Greg Sandler
The United Nations is leading a worldwide sustainable development initiative to address issues ranging from poverty and climate change to environmental degradation and urban infrastructure. While the initiative has strong support from governments and policymakers, business leaders around the world need to do more to help realize the 17 global sustainability goals that are part of the 2015 United Nations Global Compact.
The UN’s latest report card on progress across all 17 sustainable
development goals (SDGs) paints a rather grim picture of the future. While
some progress has been made since the SDG initiative was launched, António Guterres,
secretary-general of the UN, notes that “much deeper, faster and more ambitious
response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to
achieve our 2030 goals.”
The 2030 agenda provides a blueprint for action by governments, non-governmental organizations, and the business community. As Henrik O. Madsen, past president of DNV GL Group observed when the 2030 goals were rolled-out: “Now is the time for business statesmanship.”
That means private sector leaders need to take the lead in moving from a “business as usual” perspective to a mindset which recognizes that a failure to achieve the SDG goals will ultimately lead to a planet that can no longer sustain business. “Business must continue to work together with the Global Compact, policymakers, scientists, labor organizations and civil society to scale up actions and achieve real transformative impact,” said Madsen.
The
good news is that a UN-supported coalition of 30 business leaders was launched
in October 2019 to help mobilize private sector resources for sustainable
development. The Global Investors for
Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD) will initially spend the next two years focusing on
solutions related to long-term SDG investment. The group’s work will include
identifying investment opportunities for developing countries, and
enhancing the impact of private funding in development efforts.
“We
face widening inequality, increased devastation from conflicts and disasters
and a rapidly warming Earth,” said
Guterres. “These
leaders have seized our sense of urgency, recognizing that our pace must be at
a run, not a crawl. They are committing to cooperate across borders, across
financial sectors and even with their competitors, because it is both ethical
and good business sense to invest in sustainable development for all people on
a healthy planet.”
Among the actionable solutions the alliance is expected to
advance are innovation in financial instruments, aligning business models with
the 2030 agenda, and addressing industry obstacles to long-term investment in
sustainable development.
The Alliance is comprised of 30 recognized leaders from major financial institutions, manufacturing corporations, and technology service providers – spanning all regions of the world. A full list of participants is available here.
“The Alliance has come together to help drive financing for the 2030 Agenda as we enter a crucial decade of action,” said Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary general of the United Nations. “In particular, to help forge concrete solutions for securing the long-term finance and investment necessary to achieve the SDGs.”
Greg Sandler is executive director of The ThinkGlobal Institute
Last Updated: January 2, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment
World Lags Behind United Nations Goal To End Poverty by 2030
The decline of extreme global poverty continues, but has slowed, according to a United Nations status report on efforts to eliminate poverty, one of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). At its current rate, the report says, the world is not on track to achieve the target of less than 3 percent of the world living in extreme poverty by 2030.
“People who continue to live in extreme poverty face deep, entrenched deprivation often exacerbated by violent conflicts and vulnerability to disasters,” the report notes. “Strong social protection systems and government spending on key services often help those left behind get back on their feet and escape poverty, but these services need to be brought to scale.”
While the total number of people living in extreme poverty DEFNED AS, declined from 16 percent in 2010 to 10 percent in 2015, the UN projects that 6 percent of the world’s population will be living in extreme poverty by 2030. “The situation remains particularly alarming in sub-Saharan Africa, where the share of working poor stood at 38 percent in 2018,” according to the report.
The 2030 UN agenda for sustainable development notes that eradicating poverty “is the greatest global challenge.”
The goal to end poverty includes eliminating extreme poverty for all people everywhere, reducing the number of people living in poverty, and implementing national measures as recommended in the Education 2030 Framework for Action.
“To end poverty, boost shared prosperity, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must use development financing and technical expertise to effect radical change,” said Jim Yong Kim, past president of the World Bank Group.
According to the UN Global Compact, some actions that businesses can take to ensure they do not exacerbate poverty include respecting worker and migrant rights, implementing a zero tolerance policy for forced labor and child labor, and paying workers a living wage.
More information and tools for action on SDG Goal 1 can be found on the UN Global Compact website.
Last Updated: January 2, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment
Reaching UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Requires Global Business Leadership
By Greg Sandler
The United Nations is leading a worldwide sustainable development initiative to address issues ranging from poverty and climate change to environmental degradation and urban infrastructure. While the initiative has strong support from governments and policymakers, business leaders around the world need to do more to help realize the 17 global sustainability goals that are part of the 2015 United Nations Global Compact.
The UN’s latest report card on progress across all 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) paints a rather grim picture of the future. While some progress has been made since the SDG initiative was launched, António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, notes that “much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve our 2030 goals.”
The 2030 agenda provides a blueprint for action by governments, non-governmental organizations, and the business community. As Henrik O. Madsen, past president of DNV GL Group observed when the 2030 goals were rolled-out: “Now is the time for business statesmanship.”
That means private sector leaders need to take the lead in moving from a “business as usual” perspective to a mindset which recognizes that a failure to achieve the SDG goals will ultimately lead to a planet that can no longer sustain business. “Business must continue to work together with the Global Compact, policymakers, scientists, labor organizations and civil society to scale up actions and achieve real transformative impact,” said Madsen.
The good news is that a UN-supported coalition of 30 business leaders was launched in October 2019 to help mobilize private sector resources for sustainable development. The Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD) will initially spend the next two years focusing on solutions related to long-term SDG investment. The group’s work will include identifying investment opportunities for developing countries, and enhancing the impact of private funding in development efforts.
“We face widening inequality, increased devastation from conflicts and disasters and a rapidly warming Earth,” said Guterres. “These leaders have seized our sense of urgency, recognizing that our pace must be at a run, not a crawl. They are committing to cooperate across borders, across financial sectors and even with their competitors, because it is both ethical and good business sense to invest in sustainable development for all people on a healthy planet.”
Among the actionable solutions the alliance is expected to advance are innovation in financial instruments, aligning business models with the 2030 agenda, and addressing industry obstacles to long-term investment in sustainable development.
The Alliance is comprised of 30 recognized leaders from major financial institutions, manufacturing corporations, and technology service providers – spanning all regions of the world. A full list of participants is available here.
“The Alliance has come together to help drive financing for the 2030 Agenda as we enter a crucial decade of action,” said Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary general of the United Nations. “In particular, to help forge concrete solutions for securing the long-term finance and investment necessary to achieve the SDGs.”
Greg Sandler is executive director of The ThinkGlobal Institute
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