The 5th Annual Business and the SDGs Conference  | 6 Nov 2024

The 5th Annual Business and the SDGs Conference | 6 Nov 2024

5th Annual Business and the SDG’s Conference: “The Global Goals in an Uncertain World”

The UN Global Goals reflect a visionary pact forged to embrace a comprehensive and ambitious development agenda for the well-being of both people and planet, steering us collectively towards 2030. The agenda is a compelling vision of what the future could look like that addresses environmental, economic and social development. It is a blueprint for multi-stakeholder cooperations and partnerships.

Amidst a complex geopolitical landscape, businesses are instrumental partners in achieving the Global Goals.  Businesses are not only aligning their strategies with the SDGs but are also catalysts for innovation, sustainability, and positive social impact. Nonetheless, as we move past the halfway point for the SDGs, the global community is falling short of its shared and universal commitment to deliver. The challenges we face far exceed the capacity of any actor to manage alone. A multi-stakeholder approach including businesses, governments, civil society, the financial sector, academia, and so on, is critical. While businesses are often seen as contributors to environmental and social issues, they possess the potential to drive positive change and contribute to goals in face of challenges.

As we strive for implementation, fostering cooperation through a forward-looking multilateral system becomes imperative. The system must be equipped to address the evolving political, economic, environmental, and technological dynamics of our world. Adaptability to an uncertain future is key in ensuring success. It is time to remake the case for the SDGs – to evaluate our delivery and explore what can we take forward in the next agenda.

Conference Partners:

  • All Party Parliamentary Group for the UN Global Goals on Sustainable Development
  • International Chamber of Commerce UK
  • Coalition for Global Prosperity

 

 

Rt Hon Lord Jack McConnell
Co-Chair of APPG for the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development
Jessica Toale MP
Chair of APPG for the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development
Andrew Wilson
Deputy Secretary General – Policy, ICC
Zoe Knight
Managing Director and Group Head, HSBC
Lars Karlsson
Global Head of Trade and Customs Consulting, Maersk
Sanda Ojiambo
CEO, UN Global Compact UK (TBC)
Bobbie Mellor
Global Head of ESG, Vodafone
Rachel McEwen
Chief Sustainability Officer, SSE
Abyd Karmali
Managing Director - Climate Finance, Bank of America