UN Plan for a Sustainable Future Takes Shape

Business perspective is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals proposed by General Assembly group last week

(New York, 25 July 2014) – The United Nations moved a step closer to consensus on goals that would tie together efforts to eliminate poverty, safeguard the environment and iron out social injustices, at talks that concluded with a 30-hour marathon session last Friday and into Saturday afternoon, 20 July. The 17-point plan overlaps with key UN Global Compact initiatives, and covers many of the same priority objectives identified by Global Compact Local Networks in 2013 consultations.

Representatives from business and from civil society have been closely following UN talks on finding a replacement for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) since the proposal to craft a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emerged from a 2012 summit in Rio de Janeiro. While the MDGs – based on a Millennium Declaration that was approved by acclamation at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit – contained eight overarching goals and 20 specific targets, the current proposal contains 17 goals underpinned by 169 targets. Actual agreement on the SDGs, and the final composition of goals and targets, awaits a UN summit in September 2015.

Many of the proposed goals were popular choices in official consultations carried out by a High-Level Panel appointed by the Secretary-General, and by other bodies, including the UN Global Compact.

Discussions carried out in 2013 among 43 Local Networks and by Global Compact LEAD (read Corporate Sustainability and the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda), for instance, focused on ending poverty, ending hunger via sustainable agriculture, universal education and health coverage, gender equality and women’s advancement, equity and employment, access to water and sanitation for all, sustainable energy and action on climate change, modern and green infrastructure, peaceful societies, and accountable and inclusive governance – all of which are included in the draft SDGs.

UN Global Compact platforms for collective action also overlap with what will be the likely thrust of the SDGs. Public-private partnerships have evolved over past decades to take on a greater range of challenges and to develop multi-stakeholder approaches. In order to address specific sustainability issues, businesses are increasingly joining issue platforms to drive partnerships and scale up action in the fields of water and sanitation, women’s empowerment, anti-corruption, climate change and agriculture. UN Global Compact issue platforms include the CEO Water Mandate, Women’s Empowerment Principles and Caring for Climate – bringing over 1,000 companies to the table.

The private sector is expected to play a role in carrying out the SDGs. Proposed goal number 17, on the “means of implementation”, refers to “multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources” and to “effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships”. Proposed goal 12 specifically encourages companies to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

• View the 17 proposed Sustainable Development Goals
• Read The Role of Business and Finance in Supporting the Post-2015 Agenda
• Read Corporate Sustainability and the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda: Perspectives from UN Global Compact Participants on Global Priorities and How to Engage Business Towards Sustainable Development Goals (June 2013, details)
• Learn more about the UN post-2015 development agenda

Contact

Marie Wibe
Government Relations
UN Global Compact
wibe@un.org