Private businesses must align mandates to achieve SDGs

Private businesses have been advised to align their mandate with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to position themselves at the forefront of innovation to gain access to new markets while helping to achieve their targets. 

Presently, only 30 per cent of countries are projected to achieve SDG 1 on poverty alleviation by 2030. At a UN Global Compact Network Ghana Business dinner in Accra last Friday, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, said if the present trends persisted, a staggering 575 million people would remain trapped in extreme poverty, while about 84 million children would be out of school.

As such, he said, the private sector was not merely a stakeholder in the pursuit of development but a strategic partner and driver with a pivotal role to play in shaping the world’s collective future.

In line with that, he said, the private sector needed to go beyond the rhetoric and embrace tangible actions that drove meaningful change in pursuit of the SDGs. “You are uniquely positioned to drive change, to catalyse innovation, to mobilise the resources that are required at the scale,” he said.

Event

The UN Global Compact Business Sustainability dinner brought together leaders in businesses and stakeholders to deliberate and advance sustainability goals as agreed on by the United Nations. 

Some participants in the event

The dinner, organised by the UN Global Compact Network Ghana, served as a platform to celebrate achievements, foster dialogue and inspire collective action towards a more sustainable future.

It was on the theme: “Achieving Business Outcomes through the integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”. 

Rationale

The Chairman of the UN Global Compact Network Ghana, Sulemanu Koney, said the objective of the event was to inspire attendees with insightful discussions, success stories, and innovative approaches to sustainability challenges and to facilitate networking opportunities for attendees to connect, collaborate and share best practices.

Aside from that, he said the event was also to provide a platform for the private sector and the UN system to network, collaborate and promote sustainability, and to recognise businesses and leaders for their exemplary commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

He added that as leaders in business, private businesses had a profound responsibility not only to drive profit and growth but also to manage the resources of their businesses for the benefit of present and future generations.

Strides

Highlighting some strides made so far, Mr Koney said in 2021, the UN Global Compact partnered the Country Network in Ghana to launch the Africa Strategy in Ghana. The Africa Strategy, he said, sought to tailor the support of the UN Global Compact, through its programmes, platforms and other resources, to accelerate its impact on the continent and support the sustainability efforts of companies.

He indicated that the UN Global Compact Ghana had worked with several stakeholders to promote this initiative.