Keynote Speech

Keynote Speech

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Role that Social Business Can Play in Achieving Them.

Thomas Gass, AssistantSecretary-General,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations

28 July 2017

Professor Yunus,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to bring the greetings of the Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, who asked me to represent him here today and convey his deep appreciation for the important contribution, whichthiscommunity is making towards a fairer and more sustainable world – not just as a result of your concrete action and the outcomes achieved by your businesses - but also by raising the barfor business and society at large.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The action of the United Nations is often associated with the important work - and at times with the sacrifice - of its peacekeepers, its humanitarian workers and its development organisations. But this vital function is anchored in and predicated on the ability of the international community - of these 193 countries/member states, and their multitude of internal and external stakeholders- to agree on common values, policies and approaches… such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of the United Nations.. and on landmark agreements such as theBeijing Declaration and Platform for Action(on Gender Equality)or the Paris (Climate) Agreement.

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, was by all accounts, another one among these historic moments in the history of the United Nations. It brought the leaders of the world – together with civil society organizations and the private sector, local authorities and scientists – to chart a common path to sustainability.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a comprehensive and ground-breaking plan of action – a shared vision of humanity for transforming our society, and protecting our planet and natural resources. The SDGs are nothing less than the vision piece of our globalization puzzle. Avision that goes beyondoverarching declamatory rhetoric. A vision that is specific… a vision that reflects the complexity and diversity of humanity… a vision that addresses the root-causes of our world’s challenges.

Why am I placing so much emphasis on the SDGs in this conference about “social business and ending the unequal accumulation of wealth”? Because I believe that the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals are a response of the global community to precisely the unfair and unequal globalisation that the present conference is aiming to address… The other possible response, of course would have been and still is to hunker down, to build walls and fences, and to take care of “self” first. 

The SDG’s and their 169 targets do the opposite… They speak to our interconnectedness. They are our declaration of interdependence! They recognize the planet’s boundaries and the limited nature of our global public goods. They acknowledge the importance of reducing inequalities, and stress that if a significant economic or social group is left behind, our development can not be sustainable.

So if at this stage, you have never heard of, or are not familiar with the SDG’s, it’s time to discretely take out your smartphone and google them. Check out “sustainabledevelopment.un.org” and click on each of the goals – yes, they are indeed clickable. You need to know about the 169 Targets that constitute these 17 goals, because the 169 Targets were negotiated word by word, line by line. The 169 Targets are a kind of social contract between the leaders of the world and “we the people”.

So, we know where we want to get to, and we know how to measure our progress in getting there, and yet, in our second year of implementation we face some startling challenges:

• We live in a world where acute poverty and destitution coexist with extreme wealth,
• where two in five are without access to adequate sanitation;
• where rates of maternal and child mortality are unacceptably high, and millions of our children are out of school;
• where many women and girls are still deprived from equal opportunities;
• where more than 3 billion people still lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies;
• where economic losses from natural hazards are reaching an average of 250 to 300 billion US dollars a year; and
• where the capacity of oceans to provide their vital services, and the survival of the planet’s biodiversity, are at great risk.

We are also seeing heightened tensions and humanitarian crises, violent, interlinked and multiplying conflicts, and unprecedented scales of movements of people forced to flee their homes. Needless to say the task in front of us is urgent.

Much could be said today about the significance of mainstreaming these goals into the day-to-daypolicy dialogue of every country, but I will not do so for lack of time.I am not going to elaborate on the vital role of inclusive and participatory review mechanisms at national and sub-national level, and the importance of holding governments accountable to these important promises.

I want to focus on what the SDGs can bring to social entrepreneurs, and therole that social business can play in achieving them:

Firstly, social businesses play a key role in achieving these goals at a national and sub-national level.

For a start, there arededicated goals, such as SDG10 – aiming at reducing inequalities and SDG8 – aiming at creating decent jobs for women and men. These include targets such as:

• The empowerment and promotion of the social, economic and political inclusion of all.
• The elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices and the promotion of legislation, policies and action to ensure equal opportunity.
• Putting in place fiscal, wage and social protection policies.
• Improving the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions.
• Facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, and reducing the cost of remittances.
• Putting in place policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.

Social business, may have been at the margin of the economic mainstream – and perhaps still is. But the 2030 Agenda recognises that without some of the approaches that you have been promoting and practicing – we will not achieve this shared vision of humanity.

Secondly, Social Businesseshelps to set the moral/ethical standard required to achieve the goals

The private sector has shown – and continues to show – great interest in seeing sustainable development succeed. As economies, markets, and companies become more global and interdependent, businesses and investors are becoming increasingly aware of the overlap between public and private interests. There is strong support within the private sector for the SDGs.Last week, in New York – PriME - an alliance regrouping over 600 business schools from 80 countries – met and decided to promote the Sustainable Development Goals throughout business education. That is a big deal!!

But we are not naïve. We know that frequently business models and the strong prioritisation of economic profits, will be the main stumbling block to the previously mentioned good intentions. Therefore, the new sustainable development agenda needs generous and visionary leaders, working through partnerships with other stakeholders to make the implementation of the SDGs as effective as possible. As Social Business you have long been blazing this trail.

Thirdly, Social Business will be more successful in countries and societies striving to achieve the Sustainable Development goals

Imagine operating in a country, that prioritises sustainable development. Imagine operating in a country that is actively putting in place policies and laws to reduce inequalities… a country in which not just the government, but also the parliament are committed to addressing the root causes of exclusion, and committed to leaving no one behind. Imagine value chains in which social and ecological value is recognized through fair trade and other quality labels. Imagine doing business in a country, in which the SDGs have really become the new social contract.

Of course this is no walk in the park andthe UN is not blind to the challenges this world is facing, but leaders have solemnly promised... and we need to remind them and foster accountability.Peer pressure amongst countries and the exchange of lessons learned are being applied through the national review processes, and the building of data systems that disaggregate data to a sufficient level to make evident inequalities, discrimination and vulnerable groups. Voluntary national reviews are being organised at the UN (43 countries earlier this month).

Another important lever to achieve the SDGs and a society in which social business is not the exception but the acknowledged best practice, is to raise awareness of the population, and educate our children to become global citizens, to appreciate diversity and a culture of peace and non-violence - as foreseen in SDG 4.7.Let’s work towards a society that is sensitive to the importance of reducing inequalities – including governments and donors that appreciate the values that have driven Social business for more than a decade.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The challenges before us are enormous, but so are the opportunities. The achievement of the SDGs will require the commitment of all. This agenda has at its core much of the heart and soul that drives social business. You have a responsibility to contribute, and everything to gain from its success. This is your Agenda!

Please team up with the UN to ensure that this emerging agenda is not just a new deal among nations, but a solemn promise to its people and to future generations.We count on you in this important endeavour.

Thank you.