Sustainable Development Goals: Collaboration to Close the Commitment Action Gap to Achieve Agenda 2030
“Bringing up and highlighting the most prudent issues of our times and developing a roadmap for approaching the midpoint of the SDGs target in the Decade of Action”
UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) – A local arm of United Nations Global Compact, New York, held the 17th National Convention on December 15, 2022 at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.
The theme for this year’s convention was: ‘Sustainable Development Goals: Collaboration to Close the Commitment-Action Gap to Achieve Agenda 2030’ – which revolved around the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its allied mechanisms to look at collaborative solutions as to how the government, private sector, not-for-profit organizations and communities at large can contribute towards creating an ecosystem around building a strong foundation for a sustainable tomorrow. The objective was to assess, act and accelerate action to achieve Agenda 2030.
The National Convention provided a platform to highlight issues related to SDGs in India and discussedways to overcome these concerns. Over 300 representatives from the public andprivate sectors,industry, policymakers, civil society organizations, academia,and UN agencies, participated in the convention. The one-day event has delivered various sessions which include – Closing the Commitment Action Gap to achieve Agenda 2030: Key Enablers and Accelerators – CEO perspective, Scaling SDGs in uncertain times: Role of Technology & Innovation, Scaling SDGs in uncertain times: Financing SDGs, Job Creation, and Inclusive Growth, and Governance mechanisms for tracking progress on SDG.
Unique Features
• Launch of UN GCNI – Accenture CEO Study on sustainability trends in India
• Felicitation of Young Sustainable Champions of India’s Future Tycoons fourth edition
• Launch of Joint Annual Calendar by UN GCNI & Citizens Foundation of India ‘GOALKEEPERS-Landmarks in India’s SDG Journey’
Key takeaways from the convention were as follows
1. Understanding mechanisms for tracking progress on SDGsand ways to scale up action
2. Exchange of best practices, innovations championed by stakeholders and creating an integrated forum for the advancement of the SDG ladder
3. Providing an exemplary platform for businesses and other relevant stakeholders for dialogue and deliberation on SDGs and their progression.
4. Thinking through the Agenda2030 lensand crafting an actionable plan on SDGs.
5. Promoting collective learning and fostering collaborations for inclusive and sustainable development.
Sh. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, spoke about the importance of sustainability and India’s contribution towards the implementation and promotion of Agenda 2030. He placed emphasis on the need for collective action on a grand scale at both the national and international levels. He asserted that strong, democratic, and transparent public institutions must exist at both the national and international levels for the required policy reforms in the 2030 Agenda implementation process to be effective.
Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Vice President Northern Region, UN-GCNI, Founding Chair, ReNew Foundation, & Chief Sustainability Officer, ReNew Power, she highlighted how Leaving No One Behind is the foundational value of the UN GCNI convention every year for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges — ranging from poverty to climate change, inequality, and closing the finance gap. She enumerated that, all stakeholders and all people are to come together to ensure sustained, inclusive and sustainable development of one and all.
Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL (India) Limited postulated that the extent to which countries succeed in reconciling these goals is context-specific but depends largely on how we organize society and what policy options and strategies we use. A transformational partnership needs to be forged to bring together all stakeholders to prioritize and strengthen the national and global response in the context of sustainable development.
Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, President UN-GCNI & Former CMD (Additional Charge), ONGC, asserted that every crisis, however big, can be addressed if stakeholders come forward, rise to the occasion and cooperate. He demonstrated that for realizing the 2030 Agenda, basis the evidence from the SDG India Index, which measures progress at the subnational level, the country has developed a robust SDG localization model centered on adoption, implementation, and monitoring at the state and district levels. India is thus carrying forward the required action on the Decade of Action.
Piyush N. Singh, Senior Managing Director and Lead – Africa, India & Middle East, Accenture, outlined that collective effortsare the key to accelerating progress on sustainability goals, helping balance financial growth with sustainable and equitable impact for all stakeholders. With evolving consumer preferences and rising expectations from investors, regulators and employees, sustainability can no longer be an afterthought but needs to be embedded into the core of the business. As sustainability moves swiftly up the executive agenda, success will be determined by organizations’ ability to leverage technology and the revolution taking place in data around environmental, social and governance issues to innovate, stay resilient and drive long-term value.
Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator, India, propounded that even though significant progress has been achieved in this fight over the last few years, there are still enormous obstacles in the areas of infrastructure, sanitation, nutrition, and poverty-related policy measures. He acknowledged the crucial role of the platform as provided by the Convention, to bring stakeholders together to address the most prudent and crucial issues of our times. He urged all participants to build scalable solutions while managing long-term risks and producing significant societal and environmental benefits for the entire world.
Ratnesh Jha, ED UN-GCNI emphasized that fulfilling our intergenerational responsibilities through collaborative partnerships involving all countries and stakeholders is our ultimate goal. He assured that facilitating the exchange of knowledge and data through platforms like today’s convention will drive us towards more effective and impactful innovative policy approaches, to accelerate and raise the SDG Ambition.
About UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI)
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, UN Global Compact Network India (GCNI), a local arm of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), New York is a call to companies to align their operations and strategies with universally accepted Ten Principles of UNGC in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption and SDGs.
Formed in 2000 and registered as non-profit society in 2003 to function as the Indian Local Network of the Global Compact, New York (UNGC). GCNI is the first Local Network in the world to be established with full legal recognition. Following UNGC’s mandates, GCNI guidesand supports the business community and other sectors in advancing UN goals and values through responsible business practices.
GCNI has emerged as the largest corporate sustainability initiative in India with a pan India membership of over 500 leading business and non-business participants strengthening their commitment to the Global Compact Principles by becoming proud members of the Global Compact Network India.
