Tag Archives: Global Goals Week

Financing bold decisions and accountability on SDGs – Global Goals Business Forum

Responsible investment strategies, aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside bold action on – and accountability from businesses to – the SDGs proved key themes at the Global Goals Business Forum at Expo 2020 Dubai. The event, held at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai, brought together industry leaders and experts from across the public and private sectors.

Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice President of International Relations, Dubai Chamber of Commerce (Official Business Integrator of Expo 2020 Dubai), said: “ We call on businesses to align their efforts with the public sector to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and ensure a steady path to a brighter future.”

In his welcome address, Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice President of International Relations, Dubai Chamber of Commerce (Official Business Integrator of Expo 2020 Dubai), said: “While the pandemic has highlighted the broader vulnerabilities of our global society, we know the roadmap forward to address these interconnected challenges are the [SDGs]. We call on businesses to align their efforts with the public sector to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and ensure a steady path to a brighter future.”

That set the tone for the forum, co-curated by Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Estonia and the UN Global Compact, and held as part of Global Goals Week, which runs from 15-22 January.

In her opening address, Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact, said: “A resounding and recurring message I have heard over these last few days is that we’re in the right place, at the right time, here in Dubai at Expo 2020 – to tap into an immense spirit of hope, optimism, collaboration and urgency. To reignite, as we’ve heard, the ambitions, actions and accountability that will help us make up for the gains that have been lost in progress around achieving the SDGs.

“We need business leaders to make bold business decisions for the future, we need businesses to integrate the [SDGs] into their corporate strategies, we need businesses to account for their externalities in the same way they account for their business losses.”

We need business leaders to make bold business decisions for the future, we need businesses to integrate the [SDGs] into their corporate strategies

Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Chief Sustainability Officer, ReNew Power, one of India’s leading renewable energy firms, joined Patrick Chalhoub, CEO, Chalhoub Group, and Emmeline Hambali, Group Managing Director, Dynapack Asia, Indonesia, in the opening session, SDG Ambition: Accelerate Business Action

Vaishali Nigam Sinha, also Chair of the ReNew Foundation, ReNew Power’s philanthropic arm that works on creating sustainable communities through access to clean energy, said: “It is the availability of capital and commitment of investors which is helping us to accelerate and amplify what we are doing – that’s the good news and I think we should all recognise that.

“Whether it is the smog, the total transition to clean energy [or] engaging communities, all of these issues require a few critical things – one of them is investments. I cannot highlight [enough] the importance of ensuring that the funds [are] flowing through.

“We have set huge renewable energy targets in India and we have also seen a robust flow of investments coming into the country. That is really driving the commitment and ambition in the sector … The government is providing the policy direction and framework, but we are actually going and doing it on the ground. And if we don’t do this, the change is not going to happen.”

Financing remained a core theme as the forum progressed, with session Financing the 2030 Agenda – moderated by Marie Morice, Head of Sustainable Finance, UN Global Compact

Financing remained a core theme as the forum progressed, with session Financing the 2030 Agenda – moderated by Marie Morice, Head of Sustainable Finance, UN Global Compact – touching on SDG-aligned investment instruments and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies that help further the SDGs.

Panellist Zahara Malik, Co-Founder and CEO, Grosvenor Capital, who noted an increased emphasis on the ‘S’ in ESG, in light of the pandemic, said: “Right now, from corporates to individuals, we’re very much focused on ‘the human’ … so, a positive in terms of a change in trends and what we’re seeing is the drive for the social element of ESG.”

Responsible financing and increased ESG reporting pressures on corporates proved core themes as the dialogue progressed.

Sarah Usmani, Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable, Asset & Project Finance, First Abu Dhabi Bank, said: “Financiers play a very important role in terms of encouraging or discouraging certain types of activities. We saw that happen before COVID-19. For example, a lot of banks actually stopped financing coal … If the financing community gets together as well and starts financing projects, which will result in a better, sustainable future, then that’s how you also channel investors as well.”

Fellow panellist Mabinty Koroma-Moore, Founder and CEO, Legacy Impact Venture Enterprises Africa, said: “There is a stronger appetite, particularly among institutional investors, as well as private equity [and venture capital] investors around mapping their strategies and assets against the SDGs.

“The pandemic has exacerbated some of the gaps and this is an opportunity for more investors to look at blended finance approaches – to really think about how we can be more strategic in terms of creating and developing SDG-linked investment instruments that are aligned with needs of people in emerging and frontier markets.”

Other forum sessions touched on the crucial role played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the SDGs, how digitalisation can accelerate progress and the private sector’s efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour in their operations and supply chains.

For the first time in its history, Global Goals Week has left the UN General Assembly in New York, coming to life at Expo 2020 Dubai from 15-22 January with a series of special events, activations and unforgettable visitor experiences.

ameerul.hasan@thechangemakers.news

Equality is path to progress for humankind, world leaders tell Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Goals Week

DUBAI, 17 January 2021 – The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the time needed to bridge the gender gap – which was already at 100 years – by another 36 years. World leaders agree that the need to course-correct and urgently achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment is essential not only for the sake of fulfilling a human right, but also for the advancement of humankind, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Goals Week heard today (17 January).

World leaders and Changemakers from around the globe to connect and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Contributing different perspectives on the state of gender equality and women’s empowerment, panellists and speakers at The Women’s World Majlis | Gender Equality, the Mother of All SDGs addressed everything from cross-generational approaches to the role of women in peace.

The event took place at the Women’s Pavilion as part of Global Goals Week, under Expo 2020 Dubai’s Programme for People and Planet, serving as a platform for world leaders and change-makers from around the globe to connect and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Rt Hon Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, said: “If we can’t achieve SDG 5 [Gender Equality], then we can’t achieve the SDGs. When women have less access to healthcare and education, and are more numerous among the poor and hungry, you just can’t make progress. Turn that around: if women are fully supported, then you are not only fulfilling their right to equality, but it’s also a huge contributor to prosperous societies, families and economies … We need to take to heart the framing UN Women had around its Beijing+25 event, bridging the energy, insights and perspectives of younger women with that of older women who have fought so many battles. That rich diversity and intersectionality will help us tackle issues together. We’ve got this far, but it’s not far enough, and we should be an unstoppable force.”

Her Excellency Epsy Campbell Barr, First Vice President of Costa Rica, congratulated the Women’s Pavilion for its efforts on SDG.

In an earlier panel discussion, speakers agreed that progress required better legislative framework, alongside a change in attitudes. Her Excellency Epsy Campbell Barr, First Vice President of Costa Rica, congratulated the Women’s Pavilion for its efforts and said: “We need a network of men working on SDG 5, because many leaders see it as a goal only for women, while other SDGs are for the wider world … The women’s movement has brought about many new and necessary laws, but we expect the laws alone to change reality … If we are involved in the field of women’s issues, then it is easier to get political commitment. We need to make major changes and use our budgets to secure equality, and that requires decisions to be made by a large group of people across different organisations.”


Her Excellency Sonja Hyland, Deputy Secretary General, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland, said: “Due to Ireland’s own conflict, women, peace and security is a huge part of Ireland’s foreign policy agenda as a member of the UN Security Council, and also its national agenda. We have worked on our peace process for four decades and are still implementing it, and we’ve learnt that if you don’t include women, you’re not going to have sustainable peace … We all must keep going back to the evidence whenever people question the focus on women. Whether it’s in conflict and security, business, or development with social and economic aims, we should flip the question and ask: what do you think you’re going to achieve without 50 per cent of the world’s population?”

Expo 2020’s Global Goals Week, in association with the United Nations, aims to drive progress on the achievement of the Global Goals

Her Excellency Stella Ronner-Grubacic, Ambassador for Gender and Diversity, European External Action Service, said: “The building of infrastructure [policies on gender equality] has been a major achievement of these past few decades and has really changed things. However, now comes the hard part of implementing this infrastructure, which includes gender mainstreaming into our work. This needs to cease to be an afterthought or separate agenda item, but rather should become a reflex … and gender-responsive leadership is really important, and must be properly introduced internally and externally. We need to look at how to instill this in all leaders and managers, and hold them accountable for it. This also means being given the tools and training to live up to commitments.”
Running from 15-22 January, Expo 2020’s Global Goals Week, in association with the United Nations, aims to drive progress on the achievement of the Global Goals at a critical time of uncertainty in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Global Goals Week is the seventh of 10 Theme Weeks under Expo 2020’s Programme for People and Planet, offering an exchange of inspiring new perspectives to address the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time.

ameerul.hasan@thechangemakers.news