By Hannah Gowling
On the 15th of June 2016, Northumbria University hosted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Roadshow that has been touring around the UK visiting cities including: Manchester, Nottingham, London, Leeds, and Newcastle, finishing in Brighton on the 29th of June.
The aim of the SDG Roadshow is to engage local businesses to make the 'global goals local business'. The Global Goals identify 17 goals with the potential to contribute towards crucial Sustainable Development worldwide.
On the 15th of June 2016, Northumbria University hosted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Roadshow that has been touring around the UK visiting cities including: Manchester, Nottingham, London, Leeds, and Newcastle, finishing in Brighton on the 29th of June.
The aim of the SDG Roadshow is to engage local businesses to make the 'global goals local business'. The Global Goals identify 17 goals with the potential to contribute towards crucial Sustainable Development worldwide.
(Image: SDG's- UN Nations)
Within each of the 17 SDG's, key targets identify how each goal aims to be achieved between 2015-2030.
Goal 1 for example- 'No Poverty', has 7 targets including:
Within each of the 17 SDG's, key targets identify how each goal aims to be achieved between 2015-2030.
Goal 1 for example- 'No Poverty', has 7 targets including:
- "By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
- By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
- By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
- By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
- Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
- Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions"
The event attracted over 30 attendees including: local businesses, academics, students and local government representatives from across the North East . The range of academic backgrounds and large and small businesses created a balanced discussion. Discussions explored how as individuals in our different sectors and fields, we have different ways and scales that we can participate and embrace the SDG's in our every day environments.
Talks at the event included exploring:
+ "What are the SDGs and why should businesses be engaged?" Steve Kenzie, Global Compact Network UK
+ "Why should businesses in the North East care about the Goals?" Dr Alex Hope, Newcastle Business School
The talks were followed by a panel discussion exploring: " What opportunities do the Goals offer? How can businesses get involved?" Panellists included:
+ Professor Ron Beadle, Professor of Organization and Business Ethics
+ Vincent Richardson, Positive Money
+ Gareth Kane, Terra Infirma
+ Reverend Canon Glyn Evans, North East Initiative on Business Ethics
Talks at the event included exploring:
+ "What are the SDGs and why should businesses be engaged?" Steve Kenzie, Global Compact Network UK
+ "Why should businesses in the North East care about the Goals?" Dr Alex Hope, Newcastle Business School
The talks were followed by a panel discussion exploring: " What opportunities do the Goals offer? How can businesses get involved?" Panellists included:
+ Professor Ron Beadle, Professor of Organization and Business Ethics
+ Vincent Richardson, Positive Money
+ Gareth Kane, Terra Infirma
+ Reverend Canon Glyn Evans, North East Initiative on Business Ethics
The conference discussions recognised that whilst there is still a long way to go to efficiently embrace the 17 SDG's across Newcastle and the North East, there is already a variety of positive projects and work being done to contribute towards achieving the SDG's. Attendees were keen to explore how they can contribute to making Newcastle a sustainable city whilst contributing towards achieving the SDG's.
If you have the chance to attend one of these events please do so. They provide a great opportunity to engage and think about how we as businesses, academics, students and individuals have the power to embrace the Global SDG's in our daily lives even on a local scale.
For more information about the SDG's click here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
For more information about the Global Compact Network UK click here: http://www.globalcompact.org.uk/
If you have the chance to attend one of these events please do so. They provide a great opportunity to engage and think about how we as businesses, academics, students and individuals have the power to embrace the Global SDG's in our daily lives even on a local scale.
For more information about the SDG's click here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
For more information about the Global Compact Network UK click here: http://www.globalcompact.org.uk/