New Report From Silicon Valley Community Foundation Helps Companies Align With the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals
Eliminating poverty. Achieving universal access to energy. Ending inequality in education. These are just some of the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a United Nations framework to address the world’s most pressing social, environmental and economic challenges by 2030.
A new report from Silicon Valley Community Foundation – The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: A Why, When and How Guide for Business – will help business leaders understand the Sustainable Development Goals and the key role that businesses play in addressing them, and will help companies map their way forward with the SDGs.
Although experts say achieving the SDGs can unlock trillions of dollars in new market value, the agenda is uncharted territory for most businesses.
“The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals are relatively new, and many business leaders are still trying to figure out what the goals mean for their companies,” said Stuart Burden, vice president of corporate responsibility at SVCF. “In this practical guide, we hope to get business people talking about the SDGs and putting plans in place that catalyze real change. With the right tools, businesses can harness their capacity for innovation, strategic partnerships and finance to play a key role in making the world a better place by 2030.”
Along with the U.N. member states that will use the goals to frame their political policies over the next decade, the SDGs explicitly call on businesses to play an active role. Many are well-positioned to do so, but they may not know how to begin.
Over the past 10 years, SVCF has helped more than 100 companies leverage philanthropy to address local and global challenges. With this report, SVCF hopes to help companies take these efforts a step further by aligning with a global push for a brighter future...