The Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted at at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015. What this represents is an effort to consult with all people of the world to articulate what the global challenges are and set targets for addressing them. In this video we will hear from two senior academics from O.P. Jindal Global University with previous experiences in the United Nations system. They will reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals framework, and how they connect with social enterprise Let’s listen in. I used to work for the United Nations University over 10 years in Japan between 2004 and 2014 I worked for about eight years with the Ford Foundation and then for some 22 years with the United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations is often about idealism, we are often called a community of strangers believers I think we are at a stage where if you are realistic about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals we have to focus on social enterprises and impact investment For social entrepreneurs it will be interesting to figure out how their innovative initiatives will fit into one or another goal being that in realm of health or in the realm of agriculture, food or in the area of education in the area of industrialisation renewable energy, inclusiveness and so on Brundtland coined the phrase sustainable development, meaning that you should progress or make life better for people living now, without compromising the chances of people yet to be born.

In 2015 comes the realisation that we are inhabiting one planet there is no planet B, this is it and all countries are in it and therefore all countries have to subscribe to these goals. A holistic approach we bring together economic growth and development with human rights, with peace and security, with global governance there’s a lot of talk about building institutions, building rule of law, inclusive societies inclusive growth, equality for all, the famous formula of nobody’s left behind The bottom line is that Sustainable Development Goals cannot be realised, in good measure unless you substantially increase what is known as impact investment, and social entrepreneurs and social enterprises setting the goal high, does make sense does make even difference.

I’m sure that in 2030 if you interview me I would be saying there’s still a lot of poverty, there are still people earning below then maybe $3 USD a day. But setting goals high, although idealistic as it might be, this is exactly necessary as to balance otherwise quite a dark reality we need to be believers, we need to be aspirational