UN official to business leaders: Invest, help us attain Sustainable Development Goals
By TRICIA AQUINO
MANILA, Philippines – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident coordinator Ola Almgren has appealed to Filipino businessmen to make investments that will lead to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a growth strategy that pairs economic development with environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
Almgren spoke on Tuesday at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City during the annual membership meeting and foundation day of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), which was attended by representatives of its 200 member-companies.
The business-led development organization works to reduce poverty in the country.
“Unmet investment needs of the SDGs are estimated in the range of three to seven trillion US dollars a year in developing countries alone,” Almgren said.
“These numbers clearly point to the scale of the challenge. All sources of finance – public and private, domestic and international – will have a role to play.”
He explained that such investments can go to decent work, increased income for the poor, access to health programs, and the responsible use of resources.
In September last year, the UN member-states agreed on the SDGs to guide their development agenda for the next 15 years. A continuation of the Millennium Development Goals, the SDGs include ending poverty; ending hunger, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture; ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education; ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all; and promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
The Philippines, in particular, faces challenges such as providing women with access to maternal health, keeping children in school, and curbing the “alarming” rise of HIV and AIDS.
Almgren also pointed out that millions of Filipinos remain impoverished.
Achieving the SDGs would neither be simple, nor cheap, he said. All stakeholders – governments, the private sector, development partners, multilateral banks, research institutions, and advocacy organizations – would have to work together.
The private sector, in particular, has to go beyond corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, Almgren stressed.
“It’s essential to see sustainable development as actually linked to the core business strategy of a corporation,” he said. “Sustainability of profit over time is linked to sustainability of our environment, our natural resources, and development for the people who make up the workforce and the customers of the corporation.”
Solutions lay in innovation, new business models, and the right leadership, he said.
Almgren also quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying, “I’m counting on the private sector to drive success. Now is the time to mobilize the global business community as never before. The case is clear: realizing the sustainable development goals will improve the environment for doing business and building markets. Trillions of dollars in private and public funds must be redirected towards the SDGs, creating huge opportunities for responsible companies to deliver solutions.”
For its part, Almgren said that the UN could help the private sector do its job by doing research to inform their policies and actions; translating the SDGs into local plans and budgets; and identifying obstacles to progress and actions that would speed it up.
He also urged the business leaders to commit to the UN Global Compact, a “platform for business to act on global goals,” with its ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.
Visit www.unglobalcompact.org to learn more.
They could also log on to the SDG Compass website atwww.sdgcompass.org where they can find tools to guide them as they align their business actions with the SDGs.
Source: Interaksyon.com 01/26/16