7th Anniversary of the 2030 Agenda: 10 initiatives to lead change from the private sector
Businesses play a key role in the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. We take a look at some of the most significant initiatives and actions being adopted by the private sector to implement the 2030 Agenda and contribute to change.
On September 25, 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, which also seeks to strengthen universal peace and access to justice. The Agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible.
This month marks the seventh anniversary since the Agenda was adopted and, beyond the initiatives of international agencies and the intentions of governments, the private sector plays a prominent role in stepping up the pace of change.
Despite the obstacles that have arisen in recent years and the current situation, every day we advise companies that do not shy away from taking actions and setting highly ambitious and innovative goals, which are essential to leading economic and societal transformation. Some examples of these include:
- Designing comprehensive corporate governance and tax models aligned with the SDGs.
- Taking actions to raise the awareness of, and set requirements for, suppliers and executives that are reflected, respectively, in supply chain activity control and in remuneration systems with targets linked to sustainability.
- Establishing and strengthening mechanisms for fulfilling environmental goals and obligations.
- Focusing on workforce well-being with innovative actions that go beyond complying with labor law obligations, by implementing diversity and human rights policies, initiatives aimed at fostering work/life balance or raising people’s awareness of the need to bring about change.
- Fostering the energy transition, without backtracking due to the current energy crisis.
- Striving to implement transparency actions while combining national and international standards and taking into account stakeholders’ needs.
- Adapting to new changes in environmental taxation.
- Analyzing companies’ situation in the ESG field and seeking to implement new initiatives.
- Implementing sustainability strategies, with indicators and targets that allow companies to measure and drive change.
- Selecting and promoting activities and services that result in a greater contribution to the SDGs.
In the Decade of Action that is upon us, the private sector, with its characteristic innovative and transformative approach, must be a decisive driver of change and the public sector must enable it to pursue activities that meet the key challenges posed, from all angles, by the sustainability goals.
