November 13, 2015
Highlights from SDG Fund new report launch

Photo. From left to right: Tonye Cole, Co-Founder and Group CEO, Sahara Group, Graham Baxter, Senior Advisor, Business Fights Poverty, Michael O’Neill, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, Paloma Duran, Director, Sustainable Development Goals Fund, Maria Emma Mejia, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations, Puvan J. Selvanathan, Head, ITC Office to the United Nations in New York and Gustav Lovén, Global Social Sustainability Manager, H&M 

Highlights from the SDG Fund new report lauch

New York, 13 November 2015

The launch of new Sustainable Development Goals Fund report was held on November 10th within UN ECOSOC Chamber, to a full audience comprised of public and private constituents. The SDG-F used this forum to hold a working dialogue and panel discussion on its new flagship report, ‘Business and the United Nations: Working Together towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Framework for Action.’

Unlike other narratives, this report offers a unique private sector perspective to share insight and practical advice on how companies can address the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and at the same time work on stronger co-creation and collaboration.

In his welcoming remarks, Michael O'Neill, the Deputy Administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP) underscored the need to recognize the complimentary roles of the public and private sectors to encourage development and fostering innovation — all of which play an integral part of the report. Similar sentiment was echoed by Paloma Duran, the Director of the SDG Fund who acknowledged the importance of collaboration with the private sector, especially for new development agenda and as an essential part of supporting economic growth and job creation in countries around the world.

The report's co-author, Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School reflected on the need to work at the country level in an effort to more effectively bring businesses and governments together to achieve sustainable development.

Graham Baxter from Business Fights Poverty, highlighted key findings of the report which include the need to build a stronger enabling environment for collaboration between the UN, governments and the private sector. The report found that through numerous interviews with the SDG Fund’s Private Sector Advisory Board, that this engagement must consider many new initiatives beyond philanthropy; such as incorporating inclusive business: low-income groups in business activities and/or by considering hybrid models or innovative technologies for development.

The panel focused on the much needed dialogue of challenges that need to be addressed to build a clear understanding of shared public and private objectives of thesustainable development agenda. Included in this diverse discussion and panel, Colombian Ambassador to the UN, Maria Emma Mejía shared her perspective of collaborating more effectively to build effective multi-stakeholder partnerships.  

Uniquely, the new head of the International Trade Centre (ITC) office at the UN, Puvan Selvanathan praised the SDG Fund for its guidance in "issuing this short, readable report". He reiterated the need to tailor solutions and bundle incentives that will help “grow the pie”. In addition, private sector perspectives from Tonye Cole, the CEO of the Sahara Group of Nigeria, offered a glimpse into his personal struggle as he shared how his extreme circumstances has influenced his company’s mission. He outlined the Sahara Group’s work with the SDG Fund and its plans to develop a model concept that will be devoted to preserving the food processing supply chain, reduce wasteand alleviate poverty. Along these lines, Gustav Lovan, Global Sustainability Manager from H&M, shared his company’s long term perspective on sustainability and social responsibility which remains an integral part of their family led business. He highighted a number of H&M’s signature programs in collaboration with the ILO and UNICEF, linked to issues such as climate change and women’s empowerment.

The program closed with some key questions and comments from the audience, many of which echoed the need for a continued discussion on the subject and building a more effective framework for tackling the new sustainable development goals and the challenges they will bring.