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United Nations, On <keyword id="34644" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-AIDS-Day">World AIDS Day</keyword> on Tuesday, a latest report from <keyword id="10359536" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-joint-un-program">the Joint UN Program</keyword> on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned that the <keyword id="9345522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ongoing-covid-19-pandemic">ongoing Covid-19 pandemic</keyword> could result in 123,000 to 293,000 new HIV cases and 69,000 to 148,000 additional AIDS-related deaths in the next two years.<br /><br />In the report titled "Prevailing against pandemics by putting people at the center", UNAIDS has warned that the global AIDS response was off track even before the pandemic, Xinhua news agency reported. <br /><br />It used to set the triple 90s targets years ago, including that by 2020, 90 per cent of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90 per cent who know their status are receiving treatment, and 90 per cent on HIV treatment have a suppressed viral load. <br /><br />However, the rapid spread of the coronavirus has created additional setbacks.<br /><br />For the world to be back on track to ending AIDS by 2030, as part of <keyword id="10053862" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-un-sustainable-development-goals">the UN Sustainable Development Goals</keyword> (UNSDGs), UNAIDS called on countries to make far greater investments in global pandemic responses and adopt a new set of bold, ambitious but achievable HIV targets.<br /><br />"The collective failure to invest sufficiently in comprehensive, rights-based, people-centered HIV responses has come at a terrible price," UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said. <br /><br />"Implementing just the most politically palatable programs will not turn the tide against Covid-19 or end AIDS. To get the global response back on track will require putting people first and tackling the inequalities on which epidemics thrive."<br /><br />UNAIDS has since proposed a new set of targets for 2025 that, if achieved, will make the UNSDGs of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 possible. <br /><br />Those include achieving a number of 95 per cent by 2025, such as 95 per cent of women of reproductive age have HIV, sexual and reproductive health service needs met; 95 per cent of pregnant and breast-feeding women living with HIV have suppressed viral loads; 95 per cent of HIV-exposed children are tested; and 95 per cent of people at risk of HIV infection use appropriate, prioritized, person-centered and effective combination prevention options.<br /><br />The 2025 targets also include ambitious anti-discrimination goals, such as that less than 10 per cent of countries have punitive laws and policies, that less than ten percent of people living with and affected by HIV experience stigma and discrimination, and that less than ten percent experience gender inequality and violence.<br /><br />Faced with the unabated Covid-19 pandemic, the UNAIDS chief has reiterated her call for global solidarity and for the world to learn from mistakes of the HIV response. <br /><br />"No country can defeat these pandemics on its own. A challenge of this magnitude can only be defeated by forging global solidarity, accepting a shared responsibility and mobilizing a response that leaves no one behind. We can do this by sharing the load and working together."<br /><br />According to UNAIDS, there were 1.7 million new HIV infections and 690,000 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in 2019.<br /><br />Globally, 38 million people are living with HIV, with more than 12 million people waiting for life-saving HIV treatment. <br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/kunal-shah-cred-raises-80-million-valuation-doubles-to-800-million-for-the-just-two-year-old-startup/articleshow/79502864.cms">Kunal Shah’s CRED raises $80 million – valuation doubles to $800 million for the just two-year old startup</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-dr-reddys-indiabulls-housing-mm-tata-motors-bajaj-auto-maruti-hero-moto-pnb-and-others/articleshow/79502563.cms">Top stocks to watch — Dr Reddy’s, Indiabulls Housing, M&amp;M, Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, Maruti, Hero Moto, PNB, and others</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/checkout-which-states-have-reimposed-curfews-and-restrictions-again-as-second-covid-19-wave-hits-india/articleshow/79366320.cms?upcache=2"><strong>Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand issue fresh COVID-19 guidelines,TN extends lockdown — these are the states reimposing curfews and restrictions</strong></a><br /><h1 style="margin-top: 6px; margin-bottom: 30px; color: rgb(44, 44, 45); font-family: futura_ltbold; font-size: 40px; background-color: rgba(234, 234, 234, 0.69);"></h1>

World AIDS Day: UN report warns that COVID-19 could result in more HIV cases, AIDS-related deaths

The <keyword id="166486" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Millennium-Development-Goals">Millennium Development Goals</keyword> (MDGs), which draw near to completion in 2015, have given way to the new <keyword id="55804" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainable-development">Sustainable Development</keyword> Goals (SDGs) la<keyword id="6355835" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="UN">un</keyword>ched at the UN General Assembly. The event and an array of other events including the SDG Business Forum, the Social Good Summit and the Clinton Global Initiative saw large participation from various stakeholders. <br /><br />
	
		In understanding and evaluating the presentations at these events, some of the pertinent points that look seemingly obvious are: First, few presentations gave any indication of serious learning from the wins-- and losses--during 20 years of MDG work. A delineation of the models that work (i.e., more sustainable and scalable) is seen as clearly missing. Second, in the absence of learning frameworks, presenters reiterate the same problems, now expanded to 17 goals and 169 targets. The result is a plea for more resources to support the new SDGs without any evidence that those resources will be employed more effectively. Third, the core request at these events was for more than four trillion dollars per year to implement the SDGs over 15 years. 
	<br /><br />
	
		This logically leads to two important questions i.e., how can you call the goals replacing the MDGs sustainable if they lead with requests for resources that are not? At the beginning of the SDG process, what should the worlds’ governments, corporates and NGO leaders focus on now to make the new global goals actually sustainable?
	<br /><br />
	
		Answering these questions is at the heart of societal businesses value creation that seeks to find the most innovative and sustainable models for solving intractable challenges. Societal business search firms have advocated tirelessly the need to identify models that 1) can be scaled and 2) are not reliant on non-profit funding (which is donation-dependent and driven by the dictates of donors.) 
	<br /><br />
	
		The best models that have found have had social entrepreneurs at the helm who see the world differently. They frequently take the “against” position (<a href="http://goo.gl/XHWj6x">http://goo.gl/XHWj6x</a>). For instance, in branding, claiming the against position means using a competitor’s dominant spend and mindshare to carve out an anti-space—the Un-cola for example. Social entrepreneurs are quintessential against positioners. [Microfinance inventor] Mohammed Yunus stated it clearly: “I looked at how traditional banks do business and we did the opposite.” In very practical terms, these stubborn, opinionated entrepreneurs frequently show up after the aid and development models have failed or at least failed to become sustainable. Their arrival on the scene is less a ‘Kumbaya’ moment and more a “disruptive innovation” one.
	<br /><br />
	
		Social entrepreneurs are relentlessly focused on what they have learned. Their conversations highlight the innovations that are rolled into ingenious, often cross-sector models and as the people who use these models to solve their own and others problems. Their resource requests are framed by why their model should be scaled and how it can replace less effective approaches. The primary goal for these innovative social entrepreneurs is to demonstrate that appropriate capacity building and scale enables their hybrid or for-profit innovation models to solve problems sustainably, thus reducing dependence on fundraising. 
	<br /><br />
	
		To deliberate on these emerging business models The Shared Value Summit 2015, is being organized by Shared Value India on November 20th, 2015 (<a href="http://sharedvalue.in/svs2015/">http://sharedvalue.in/svs2015/</a>). The summit will see participation from various stakeholders who will deliberate and discuss key opportunities that businesses can and are leveraging to create societal value. 
	<br /><br />
	
		Already, social entrepreneurs have offered five critical solutions to the problem of making the Sustainable Development Goals truly sustainable: First, recognizing that any commitment to achieving the SDGs must avoid Einstein’s famous definition of insanity: Doing the same thing and expecting different results. Second, authentic commitment to the SDGs requires leaders to recognize one simple reality: It is not possible to have sustainable development goals without sustainable models that leverage under-utilized resources. Third, serious SDG innovators recognize that the current donor, foreign aid and resource investment processes are not sustainable. They call attention to inadequacies and offer new models and leadership to move significant resources from unsustainable models to sustainable models. Fourth, any leader pleading for more funding should be able to explain how his/her organization will deploy that funding to scale solutions that are more sustainable than those that failed to achieve most of the MDGs. Finally, significantly improved sustainability requires the ongoing evaluation of all investments, models and approaches employed. The most sustainable solutions should then be aggressively adopted across sector and country boundaries, no matter their origin or disruption.
	<br /><br />
	
		Increasingly, leaders are being asked to challenge the status quo. These leaders—often disruptors—no longer target seed stage or individual impact investments. The most impactful leaders know that pilots do not lead to scaling or to sustainability. 
	<br /><br />
	
		Social entrepreneurs thrive at risk taking and from learning rapidly about what doesn’t work. These are the sustainable, scale-oriented models and management teams that are best equipped to handle significant capital and to shift how these goals are achieved to sustainable development goals.
	<br /><br /> (The article is co-authored with David Wilcox, the founder of ReachScale, an organization that aligns the <keyword id="76104" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="social-responsibility">social responsibility</keyword> goals of corporations with high potential social entrepreneurs working in areas of common interest.) <br />
<em>image credits: </em>7continents5oceans

What should the world do to make sustainable development goals truly 'sustainable'?

<br /><ul><li><strong>Business’ contribution to the <keyword id="879547" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-development-goals">Sustainable Development Goals</keyword> is still not aligned, finds a corporate sustainability study from the <keyword id="1632441" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Nations-Global-Compact">United Nations Global Compact</keyword> and Accenture.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Over 200 companies surveyed are taking action towards <keyword id="6361617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change">climate change</keyword> and said that they will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals laid out in 2015, which was aimed to end extreme poverty, <keyword id="52767" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Human-rights">human rights</keyword> for all, and a low carbon economy over the next decade.<br /></strong></li><li><strong> In the present scenario, nearly 700 million people still live in extreme poverty while over 170 million remain jobless, globally.</strong></li></ul>In the last four year, the world has seen many socio-economic, geopolitical and technological uncertainties. They have distracted CEOs from their sustainability efforts, says a study by the United Nations Global Compact and Accenture. <br /><br />According to the study titled ‘<a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/ungcceostudy">‘The Decade to Deliver: A Call to Business Action,’</a>merely one-fifth of the chief executives believe that businesses are contributing enough to achieve global goals. <br /><br />This is despite the fact that almost half of the businesses have looped in sustainability in their business operations. Over 200 companies surveyed are taking action towards climate change and said that they will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.<br /><br />According to the report, 87 companies including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Ericsson Group, Nokia and Wipro announced that they are moving towards ‘1.5°C future’. This means that they will limit operations that have negative impact on climate change.<br /><br />“To accelerate progress, CEOs identify three critical requirements. First, an urgent need to prioritize action against the 17 SDGs. Second, the need for business, governments, regulators and non-governmental organizations to come together to shape realistic, science-based solutions. And third, redefining responsible leadership to help business to be a leading driver of g global goals,” the report said.<br /><br />The UN laid out Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, with an aim to end extreme poverty, human rights for all, and a low carbon economy over the next decade.<br /><br />However, nearly 700 million people still live in extreme poverty while over 170 million remain jobless, globally. This is due to the extreme climate events, overpopulation, water scarcity, and gender-based violence. <br /><br />“With less than 4,000 days remaining until the 2030 target, business leaders are not content with current progress and are calling for their sectors and peers to step-up and turn commitment into action,” said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact.<br /><br />The study surveyed over 1,000 CEOs from global organisations from over 1,600 companies across 100 nations to study the business contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.<br /><br /><strong>See also:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-51-year-old-national-geographic-photographer-claims-no-scientist-was-ready-to-speak-about-climate-change-and-global-warming-17-years-back/articleshow/71305775.cms">A 51-year-old National Geographic photographer claims no scientist was ready to speak about climate change and global warming 17 years back</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/greta-thunberg-responds-to-haters-asking-why-adults-spend-their-time-mocking-and-threatening-teenagers-and-children-for-promoting-science/articleshow/71302766.cms">Greta Thunberg responds to 'haters,' asking why adults 'spend their time mocking and threatening teenagers and children for promoting science'</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/goldman-sachs-just-released-a-34-page-analysis-of-the-impact-of-climate-change-and-the-results-are-terrifying-/articleshow/71296471.cms">Goldman Sachs just released a 34-page analysis of the impact of climate change. And the results are terrifying.</a><br />

Changing technology and financial crisis is affecting sustainability says a UN report

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-large"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Richard Bord/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Unilever CEO Alan Jope is one of the CEOs calling for more action on <keyword id="49089" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sustainability">sustainability</keyword> goals.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A report from Accenture and the UN Global Compact found that the majority of 1,000 CEOs surveyed believe the business world is not doing enough with its sustainability agenda.</li><li>The CEOs stressed the need for collaboration among competitors in sharing best practices for sustainability, and for having CEOs incorporate their agenda into their corporate cultures.</li><li>This article is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/better-capitalism">Better Capitalism</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>A new survey of 1,000 CEOs from around the world found that roughly 80% don't believe businesses are doing enough for sustainability.</p><p>The report, <a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/ungcceostudy">"A Decade to Deliver: A Call to Business Action,"</a> was a joint venture by the United Nations Global Compact, a corporate sustainability group, and the professional-services firm Accenture. It was published Tuesday, the first day of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit at the 2019 UN General Assembly in New York.</p><p>"Business leaders told us that they face an ever more competitive and challenging business environment, and an intense set of pressures which include global trade and political uncertainties, pressure from activist investors, and the pace and scale of the technology revolutions taking place in digital, biological and physical innovation," Peter Lacy, Accenture's head of strategy in the UK and Ireland and one of the report's authors, wrote to Business Insider.</p><p>Lacy and his coauthors identified three calls to action from their survey.</p><h2>"Raise ambition and impact"</h2><p>Those surveyed recognized that finding sustainable solutions is necessary for the long-term health of their business, and must no longer be seen as merely a way to get publicity.</p><p>Consumer goods giant Unilever has for the past several years been one of the most vocal companies for raising this ambition. Its CEO, Alan Jope, told Accenture that the UN's SDGs "are not just a nice thing to do - they are a path to a prosperous world."</p><h2>"Change collaboration"</h2><p>The CEOs recognized that working toward the SDGs requires collaboration with industry competitors.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-patagonia-sustainable-apparel-coalition-higg-index-2019-4">Sustainable Apparel Coalition</a>, founded by the unlikely pairing of Walmart and Patagonia and now with 250 members, is an example of how retailers are willing to share best practices for sustainability, even as they compete for the same customers.</p><h2>"Redefine responsible leadership"</h2><p>The authors found that the CEOs define responsible leadership as:</p><ul><li>Taking risks on systemic changes within their businesses</li><li>Driving market demand by making sustainable options available to all consumers</li><li>Incorporating their initiatives into their corporate cultures</li><li>Using science as the basis for their sustainability initiatives, and having an understanding of how they work</li><li>Collaborating with other leaders in their industry</li><li>Being personally motivated to see the goals achieved</li><li>Tying sustainability initiatives to financial goals and communicating them to investors</li><li>Leading authentically (not "greenwashing")</li></ul><p>While the overarching message of both the report and the opening speeches of the SDG Summit were, "We're not doing enough," it's in a context of taking the goals more seriously than before. As UN Secretary General António Guterres said on Tuesday, "The private sector is coming to understand that green business is good business."</p><p>Accenture's Lacy agreed. "There is reason for optimism," he wrote to Business Insider. "Not only are leaders committed to sustainability and understand its importance to the competitive agility of their organizations, but the technologies and solutions that can enable change already exist today. They just need harnessing."</p>      <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-ceo-stephen-schwarzman-gives-best-entrepreneur-advice">Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman said his firm's rough early days taught him why every entrepreneur should be prepared to be in 'psychological pain in a way you haven't before'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A survey asked 1,000 CEOs how they felt about their work on the environment, and most of them gave the same answer: not that great

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12048096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="k-pop" source="Orion">K-pop</keyword> group <keyword id="11901404" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bts" source="Orion">BTS</keyword> performed a music video at the United Nations General Assembly.</li><li>The massively popular group spoke as part of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals program.</li><li>The United Nations General Assembly opened its 76th session last week.</li></ul><p>South Korea's BTS left it all on the floor on Monday morning - the floor of the United Nations headquarters, that is.</p><p>The massively popular K-pop superstars filmed a music video for their hit song "Permission to Dance" in the UN's huge auditorium, which was <a href="https://twitter.com/UN/status/1439946630128623616?s=20">tweeted</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SmQOZWNyWE">shared on YouTube</a> by the UN. </p><p>In the video, the megastars - who boast millions of dedicated fans - dance and sign through the UN's headquarters in New York City.</p><p>BTS showed off the music video during a speech before gathered nations at the UN.</p><p>"I hope we just don't consider the future as grim darkness," said member Jungkook in the UN General Assembly hall. "We have people concerned for the world and searching for answers. There are still many pages left in the story about us and I feel like we shouldn't talk like the ending has already been written."</p><p>The event was part of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100312">program</a>, which is focused on curbing the pandemic while also pushing for a more sustainable future.</p><p>South Korean President Moon Jae-In appointed the seven-member boy band as envoys in July, Insider previously <a href="https://www.insider.com/bts-presidential-envoys-diplomatic-passports-2021-9">reported</a>, and BTS was officially sworn in as special presidential envoy for future generations and culture, and given diplomatic passports in a ceremony last week.</p><p>"We plan to organize various activities (with BTS) to promote international cooperation in solving global challenges, such as improving the environment, eliminating poverty and inequality, and respecting diversity," Korea's <a href="https://www1.president.go.kr/articles/10757" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue House spokeswoman Park Kyung-mi</a> said in a July statement.</p><p>The United Nations General Assembly, the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/ga/">main policy-making body of the UN</a>, opened its 76th session last week and will run through September 28 with representatives from 193 member nations in attendance.</p>

K-pop superstars BTS shot a music video in the United Nations General Assembly hall

New Delhi, Nov 15 () The UKIBC has launched a campaign to assess the socio-economic impact of UK businesses in India with a view to make sustainable development efforts by companies more effective.
<p>Key findings and observations from the campaign will be compiled into a report to be released in 2020 to coincide with the UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, the UKIBC stated.
</p><p>"UK businesses and universities want to succeed in India, and their definition of success includes helping India achieve its socio-economic objectives," Richard Heald, Group CEO, UK India Business Council, said.
</p><p>The campaign is being delivered in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and will map the activities of businesses and universities against the UN's sustainable development goals.
</p><p>"UNDP is excited to partner with UKIBC on this study to measure the socio-economic impact of UK businesses in India. The Sustainable Development Goals provide an excellent framework for this study. 
</p><p>"We hope that its findings can help make corporate social responsibility efforts more effective, and help companies act on the climate crisis and improve the livelihoods of millions of people across India," Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative in India, said.
</p><p>The UNDP-UKIBC partnership will facilitate mapping of UK businesses socio-economic impact against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed at eliminating poverty and ensuring prosperity, ranging from environmental sustainability to advancing education.
</p>"UKIBC's initiative will lead the path in harnessing the resources in finance, knowledge, innovation, and strategy of the business sector in India for the successful implementation of the SDGs," Sanyukta Samaddar, Advisor at Niti Aayog said.  RSN  BAL

UKIBC launches socio-economic impact campaign

<br /> There exists a considerable overlap between the recently adopted United Nation’s (UN) <keyword id="55804" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainable-development">Sustainable Development</keyword> Goals (SDGs) targeted to be achieved by 2030 and the social dimensions incorporated in the <keyword id="2181132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Social-Progress-Index">Social Progress Index</keyword> (SPI) developed by the Social Progress Imperative, a nonprofit organization based in Washington. The UN’s sustainable development agenda comprises of 17 goals pertaining to poverty eradication, lessening inequality and injustice and environmental challenges, particularly climatic changes and hold a global applicability, irrespective of the level of development of a nation. Likewise, the SPI captures comprehensively social progress of a country by incorporating various social and environmental indicators which have been distinctly grouped into three dimensions- Basic Human Needs such as food, water, sanitation, shelter, and personal safety; Foundations of Wellbeing for a better life such as basic education, information and communication, health , and environmental sustainability and thirdly, the Opportunity to improve one’s life through provision of rights, freedom , equality and access to advanced education. Figure1.1 highlights the overlap between the UN’s SDGs and the three dimensions of the SPI.<br />
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Figure 1.1: Overlap between the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the SPI<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/">http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/</a><br />
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The SPI by aggregating indicators across all the dimensions provides a holistic measure to benchmark the progress reached on the sustainable development agenda of the UN. While, the world scores 61 on a scale of 100 on social progress, there exists a wide diversity in the social progress levels reached across the world, with countries falling under the category of “Low Social Progress” and “Very Low Social Progress” being the countries of concern for achieving the new SDGs for 2030.<br />
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Looking at the SPI performance for India, which has been classified as one of the low social progress countries, it has been observed that while India performs well in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care and Access to Basic Knowledge, it lags behind in many other critical aspects of development. For instance, in 2015, only 36 per cent of the population had access to improved sanitation facilities and about 26 per cent had access to piped water. Moreover, due to excessive freshwater withdrawals India is currently facing high water stress levels. In addition to this, about 25 per cent of the population does not have access to electricity, along with a poor quality of electricity supply to the rest of the masses. Further, India has low tolerance for all the members of its population, making it socially less progressive compared to the other countries. For instance, India has been ranked 128th in 133 countries on tolerance for immigrants from other countries. (<a href="http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/">http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/</a>)<br />
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Understanding the pressing need of fostering social progress for India, the current Narendra Modi government has implemented a development strategy that is closely aligned with the recent UN’s sustainable development agenda. One of the most striking initiatives undertaken so far have been “Make in India” drive having intent of propelling domestic manufacturing growth along with spurring foreign direct investment, job creation and innovation in sectors such as automotive, defense manufacturing, electronics, mining, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy. In addition to this, initiatives such as “Digital India” and “Smart Cities” have committed to providing best in class infrastructure and smart solutions to its people such as smart energy systems, green transportation and smart buildings intended to save energy usage.<br />
<br />
Further, as India accounts for about 50 per cent of the world’s open defecation, Government of India and the World Bank have also signed a US$500 million credit for the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) project in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. This complements the popular “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, national campaign by the Government of India to clean the roads of the country. Several other programmes that would enable India to achieve higher social progress include “Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation” which proposes housing for all by 2022, and “Skill India” initiative which proposes to empower about 40 crore individuals with skills by 2022. Moreover, to drive innovation and the related growth, which is essential for sustainable development, Modi government has also taken steps to promote intellectual property rights within the country. A national Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy has been formulated which suggests providing tax benefits to the IPR creation.<br />
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On the front of environmental sustainability, which has been another area of concern for sustainable development of a country, in the World Climate Change Conference (COP21) held in Paris in 2015, India has shown its support along with 176 other countries so far by signing the climatic change agreement which proposes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the global rise in temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius.<br />
Thus, while several efforts have been taken up by the Indian government towards a more sustainable development growth path, it must be realized that to achieve the global goals, the world’s social progress score would have to reach atleast 75 out of 100(Report by Deloitte UK and Social Progress Imperative), which is possible only if all the countries, irrespective of their current level of economic growth overperform on social progress. One of the countries worth highlighting here is Costa Rica, which has achieved a SPI score of 77.88 with a GDP per capita of only $13, 431 per annum. While, several social indicators are positively impacted by economic prosperity, indicators on the front of health and wellness, rights and freedom, tolerance and inclusion and environment have a weak correlation with GDP, thus highlighting the necessity of prioritizing such dimensions directly so as to achieve the desired social progress score for the UN’s SDGs for 2030.<br />
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About the authors: Dr Amit Kapoor is Honorary Chairman, Institute for Competitiveness. He can be contacted at <a href="mailto:amit.kapoor@competitivenes.in">amit.kapoor@competitivenes.in</a> and tweets @kautiliya. Deepti Mathur is part of the Social Progress Index team at the Institute for Competitiveness, India.<br />
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<a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5G0ndS3uRdo/maxresdefault.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a><br />

India’s Development Strategy towards Social Progress and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

<br />
<br /> On Friday, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> made a strong pitch for reforms in the <keyword id="55859" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UN-Security-Council">UN security council</keyword> while addressing the <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword> Sustainable Development Summit. We list down his top five quotes-<br />
 <br />
* We should a create a world where everyone feels protected and respected. <br />
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* Eradicating poverty is the top priority for us. We have launched several programmes to empower the poor. Education and skill development are priorities for us. <br />
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* For the people of India, it is a matter of satisfaction that there are many similarities between the path India has chosen for development and the UN goals for sustainable development. <br />
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* The world is connected and dependent on each other. Our international partnerships need to be centred on progress of humanity. <br />
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* If we all want the world to be peaceful and development for the world, poverty needs to be tackled. <br />
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 PM Modi ended his speech with a mantra from the Upanishad: (May all be happy, may all be healthy, may all see welfare, may no one have any sorrow). <br />
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Image credit: Indiatimes<br />
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On Friday,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for reforms in the UN security council while addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit.<br />
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We list down his top five quotes-<br />
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* We should a create a world where everyone feels protected and respected. <br />
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* Eradicating poverty is the top priority for us. We have launched several programmes to empower the poor. Education and skill development are priorities for us. <br />
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* For the people of India, it is a matter of satisfaction that there are many similarities between the path India has chosen for development and the UN goals for sustainable development. <br />
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* The world is connected and dependent on each other. Our international partnerships need to be centred on progress of humanity. <br />
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* If we all want the world to be peaceful and development for the world, poverty needs to be tackled. <br />
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 PM Modi ended his speech with a mantra from the Upanishad: (May all be happy, may all be healthy, may all see welfare, may no one have any sorrow). <br />

PM Narendra Modi's top 5 quotes at the UN Summit

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-large"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Business Insider attended the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit at United Nations headquarters on Tuesday and Wednesday.</li><li>The SDGs are a set of interconnected goals for 2030 that are aimed at eliminating politically destabilizing inequality and extreme poverty, and significantly reducing man's effect on climate change damaging ecosystems.</li><li>The predominant theme was that all stakeholders are off track in achieving these goals, but that it is not too late.</li><li>The week inspired companies to double down on sustainability initiatives, and for heads of state to encourage more public-private partnerships.</li><li>This article is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/better-capitalism">Better Capitalism</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>While the United Nations General Assembly coverage this week has been dominated by news surrounding President Donald Trump and 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, there was also a major recommitment to the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by heads of state, NGOs, and business leaders. The bottom line: We're not doing enough to meet our 2030 goals, but it's not too late.</p><p>Business Insider attended the SDG Summit at UN HQ on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we've collected the highlights for you.</p><h2>The SDGs affect everyone.</h2><p>The SDGs came out of the UNGA 2015 week, and are 17 goals that the 193 countries of the General Assembly agreed to aim for achieving by 2030. The health of the planet itself was a primary reason for their urgency, but rampant rising inequality and poverty were as well. The member states have recognized that a world dominated by failing ecosystems, inequality of wealth and opportunity, and of extreme poverty is unsustainable and a threat to prosperity and peace.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><h2>Business leaders are recognizing they're way off track ahead of a new decade.</h2><p>"We are far from where we need to be," UN Secretary General António Gutteres said in the summit's opening statement. "We are off track." That became a refrain for the summit's entirety.</p><p>And while we mostly heard from heads of state and NGO leaders, those in the private sector acknowledged their place in the plan, too.</p><p>The UN Global Compact, a corporate sustainability group, and Accenture, the professional services firm, published a joint report ahead of the SDG Summit titled, <a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/ungcceostudy">"A Decade to Deliver: A Call to Business Action."</a> Its bottom line, drawn from a survey of 1,000 CEOs from around the world: "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-survey-finds-desire-to-accelerate-sustainability-by-2030">We have failed in doing our part</a> in achieving the goals by 2030. But we want to, and it's not too late!"</p><p>Peter Lacy, Accenture's head of strategy in the UK and Ireland and one of the report's authors, wrote to us that CEOs have blamed "an ever more competitive and challenging business environment, and an intense set of pressures that include global trade and political uncertainties, pressure from activist investors, and the pace and scale of the technology revolutions taking place in digital, biological, and physical innovation." That is, CEOs argued that they want to do more, but it's hard when shareholders and industry upheaval has focused their attention on the short-term.</p><h2>And business has to take them seriously if the SDGs have any chance of being achieved.</h2><p>"Without business action, there is no achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," B Lab's Laura Velez Villa told us. Villa is overseeing B Lab's collaboration with the UNGC on the SDG Action Manager, a tool that will help businesses of any size develop programs that will help them achieve the goals. It's set to launch in January. </p><p>Mastercard vice chair Ann Cairns was the only private sector representative to speak during the SDG summit. She noted that her company is working toward the SDGs "because we need to innovate to survive. None of us can do well in a failing world." She noted that Mastercard was doing its part by bringing nearly 500 million people in deeply impoverished regions into the banking system.</p><p>"It is possible to mass mobilize business," said International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Secretary-General John Denton.</p><p>Both Cairns and Denton expressed the idea that businesses pursuing sustainability will be doing so in a way that not only helps achieve what UN members want for their governments, but will be benefiting their companies over the long term.</p><p>There's also a critical mass of young people demanding this level of accountability of companies to the environment, communities, and workers, and that means more consumers and employees are demanding this. And that leads to the next point.</p><h2>Youth are the biggest motivators.</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>Thunberg kicked off the Climate Summit on Monday, three days after inspiring the world's largest climate change protest, with an impassioned speech demanding action to end man-made climate change. And while she was never mentioned, her impact was felt through the SDG Summit.</p><p>Secretary-General Guterres and multiple heads of state explained that a generation of young people have taken the SDGs to heart more intensely than others. B Lab's Villa said that while it can be disheartening to discover that broadly speaking, more companies spoke about sustainability initiatives than actually working toward them, she was inspired by the way million of young people this week have demonstrated there is a true demand for them.</p><p>"We will hold ourselves accountable and you can be sure we will hold you accountable," said Trisha Shetty, 26, speaking for the Young Leaders for the SDGs.</p><h2>All of the SDGs are interrelated, and you can't pick and choose which to pursue.</h2><p>It can be easy to associate sustainability with green initiatives, but the SDG approach is holistic. Peter Messerli, a professor at the University of Bern and the co-chair of the UN's <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/gsdr2019">Global Sustainable Development Report</a>, likened the SDGs to a Rubik's cube. In the same way you would never complete the puzzle if you focused on connecting one color at a time, you will never achieve the SDGs if you focus on completing one at a time. For example, he said if a country were to solely work at ending hunger at all costs, farmland could be affected in such a way that it damages ecosystems and farmers' ways of life.</p><p>A country, NGO, or company can, of course, dedicate programs to a specific goal, like building sustainable cities or increasing women's equality. The point is that if one is serious about the SDGs, actions in the pursuit of one goal have to be made while mindful of the 16 others.</p><h2>Cooperation is necessary both between and among the public and private sectors.</h2><p>"Private sector companies hold the key," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reflecting another major theme of the summit.</p><p>Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Löfven touted the <a href="http://sdg.iisd.org/news/leadership-group-to-drive-industry-transition-to-low-carbon-economy/">Leadership Group for Industry Transition</a> announced earlier in the week with India. The two countries are leading the group, which includes several other countries and a number of companies, and are using it as a way to build public-private partnerships for the sake of transitioning to cleaner energy on an industrial level, and for sharing best practices among member states.</p><p>The UNGC-Accenture survey also found that CEOs believe the only way to achieve the SDGs would be through sharing best practices, even among competitors. There are already models for such partnerships, like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, founded by Walmart and Patagonia and now numbering 250 members.</p><h2>The week is creating momentum.</h2><p>Michael Bloomberg took advantage of the UN crowd with his Global Business Forum this week, and a major theme was finding the business opportunity in the SDGs. As <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/cae3a64c-e001-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc">the Financial Times reported</a> that Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson, and HSBC's head of global banking and markets, Samir Assaf, all expressed excitement at the chances for making money in sustainable businesses.</p><p>There were other business leaders inspired by the fervor, like Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber, who announced Monday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/danone-ceo-emmanuel-faber-launches-biodiversity-climate-initiative-2019-9">a major biodiversity campaign</a> for his international food giant.</p><p>"I sensed a wide recognition that we are off track," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, but also a "real determination" from all stakeholders to get on track.</p><p>There's a decade left.</p>

7 crucial developments from the UN's sustainability summit, and what they'll mean for businesses and our environment

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-large"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>International Chamber of Commerce</span></p><p class="caption">Andrew Wilson, the International Chamber of Commerce's permanent observer to the United Nations.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>At the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/unga-2019">United Nations General Assembly</a> this week, one of the main topics discussed was the urgency required for completing the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/sdg-summit-2019">Sustainable Development Goals</a> (SDGs) by 2030.</li><li>UNGA's member states agreed to the SDGs in 2015 as a way to end destabilizing inequality, extreme poverty, and man-made climate change destroying ecosystems.</li><li>The International Chamber of Commerce sets standards of international trade, and its ambassador told Business Insider that <keyword id="49089" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sustainability">sustainability</keyword> plans presented at the UNGA will amount to nothing more than "show and tell" unless systemic changes are made.</li><li>The ICC has determined eight policy points affecting financial regulation that would make investing in sustainability more attractive to banks and investors. It shared them with Business Insider ahead of their publication in a detailed report shared next month at the annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF.</li><li>This article is part of our ongoing series on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/better-capitalism">Better Capitalism</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Andrew Wilson sounded frustrated.</p><p>The parade of heads of state, business leaders, and fellow NGO reps that spoke about sustainability we had just seen at the United Nations General Assembly was something he's very familiar with, as the UN ambassador for the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). It's the world's largest business organization, promoting international trade and regulation among its 46 million members, and has observer status at the UN. Wilson's been in the role for 18 months, and he's heard lots of talk around sustainability, but hasn't seen much progress.</p><p>He told Business Insider that the only way the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be accomplished is if there are systemic policy changes, not a gradually increasing series of modest national and corporate programs, "because otherwise the UN system simply stays as a high-level week with a nice show-and-tell."</p><p>The SDGs are 17 goals for eliminating extreme inequality, poverty, and man-made climate change by 2030. The urgency comes not only from a spirit that these are the right things to do, but from the real dangers that these afflictions are posing to the long-term health of large and small nations alike. One of this week's UNGA conclusions was that the world is far off track from meeting the goals in time.</p><p>We attended the inaugural SDG Summit on Tuesday and Thursday, where the SDGs were the star of the show, and afterwards debriefed with Wilson. Wilson and his ICC colleagues may be frustrated by the lack of progress, but they're also confident that know what needs to be done.</p><p>"We need to take sustainability out of the competitive space, in general terms," said Wilson, who has been with the ICC for five years and previously worked in the British government. "We need to make sustainable business the baseline on which people operate, not a potential competitive advantage."</p><p>He shared with us a preview of the eight policy proposals the organization will be presenting at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's annual meeting in October.</p><p>They go as follows:</p><h2>Changes to capital mobilization</h2><h3>1. 'Broaden the scope of central bank and regulatory mandates.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Explore the potential to expand the concept of <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/gfdr/gfdr-2016/background/financial-stability">'financial stability'</a> in central bank and regulatory mandates to incorporate both sustainability-related risks and objectives. Given the growing risks posed to the global economy by climate change, environmental degradation, and global inequality, the objective of financial stability can no longer be separated from sustainable development imperatives."</p><h3>2. 'Align prudential regulation frameworks with sustainability risks.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Explore the feasibility of including risks associated with climate and other sustainability factors in institutions' risk management policies (building on the work of the <a href="https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/">Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures</a>) - with the objective of adjusting capital requirements under <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/understanding-basel-3-regulations.asp">Basel III</a>/<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/solvency-capital-requirement.asp">Solvency II</a> and related regulatory frameworks to properly account for sustainability-related risks."</p><h3>3. 'Establish sustainable finance taxonomies.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Establish a process to develop a globally consistent taxonomy for climate change, [as well as] environmentally and socially sustainable investment activities to provide a supporting factor for the calculation of <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/capitalrequirement.asp">regulatory capital</a>. Such a framework could provide a basis for a recalibration of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/post/preview?post_id=5d8e468a2e22af204838b608&amp;mode=desktop">prudential requirements</a> under Basel III/Solvency II to positively incentivize the financing of sustainable assets - similar, for instance, to the scaling approach taken for certain forms of small business financing under existing prudential regimes."</p><h3>4. 'Embed sustainability in credit ratings.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Explore the potential for sustainability factors to be taken into account in credit rating assessments - including for sovereign debt."</p><h3>What this means</h3><p>Following the global financial crisis, central banks adopted new regulations intended to reduce the amount of risk banks would take. The ICC wants central banks to interpret risk differently when assessing investments in sustainability.</p><p>As Wilson said, a bank right now would be less willing to invest in an SDG-friendly solar energy development in Nigeria, a developing country, than it would be investing in a coal plant there. Investors are recognizing potential profits in sustainable industries like clean energy, but the ICC wants risk assessment adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in doing business as usual. </p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-un-sdg-summit">7 crucial developments from the UN's sustainability summit, and what they'll mean for businesses and our environment</a></em></p><p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>United Nations</span></p><p class="caption">The UN SDGs were adopted by UN member states in 2015, and have a target completion year of 2030.</p></div><p></p></div></div></em></p><h2>Changes for consumers</h2><h3>5. 'Clarify fiduciary duties.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Establish clear duties for both institutional investors and asset managers in relation to sustainability considerations."</p><h3>6. 'Standardize SDG disclosures.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Work towards greater standardization of sustainability-related reporting to address growing <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fragmentation.asp">market fragmentation</a> and promote comprehensive SDG-alignment."</p><h3>7. 'Empower consumers.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Require sustainability preferences to be taken into account when assessing a client's needs."</p><h3>What this means</h3><p>Business leaders <a href="http://businessinsider.com/blackrock-larry-fink-investors-esg-metrics-2018-11">like BlackRock's Larry Fink</a> have called for more formal ways of measuring environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria of securities, and that's in line with what the ICC is calling for here.</p><p>It wants an aspect of a company's health to be how it is building long-term value through investments in sustainability, and that way the market will reward them accordingly.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-survey-finds-desire-to-accelerate-sustainability-by-2030">A survey asked 1,000 CEOs how they felt about their work on the environment, and most of them gave the same answer - not that great</a></em></p><h2>Change in priorities</h2><h3>8. 'Unlock dormant assets.'</h3><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"Establish appropriate schemes to unlock the estimated US$100 billion of assets that lie <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dormant-account.asp">'dormant'</a> where financial institutions have lost contact with their beneficial owner - building on existing good practices in a number of countries. Such assets could be earmarked towards SDG implementation nationally or on a global level."</p><h3>What this means</h3><p>When a personal financial account goes dormant after a specific period of time, it becomes property of the state (if the funds are subsequently requested, they are returned). In December 2016, the Japanese government decided to make use of dormant funds, which were rising at a rate of ¥100 billion ($927 million) annually, <a href="https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00298/japan-moves-to-use-dormant-bank-accounts-for-socially-beneficial-activities.html">for socially beneficial causes</a>. The program went into effect this year, and the ICC believes it could be a model for other nations.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-ceo-stephen-schwarzman-gives-best-entrepreneur-advice">Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman said his firm's rough early days taught him why every entrepreneur should be prepared to be in 'psychological pain in a way you haven't before'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A UN ambassador told us why he's angry at the the business world's 'show-and-tell' approach to sustainability - and then he shared an advance copy of his plan to fix that

<p></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Nicolas Kovarik/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/b-lab">B Lab</a> is the nonprofit behind the B Corp certification that 2,800 companies around the world use to show that they are committed to a stakeholder model, rather than short-term profit maximization at all costs.</li><li>B Lab cofounder Jay Coen Gilbert said that the movement is reliant on more large, public companies adopting the status, and that's why B Lab is developing tools that aggregate proven best practices.</li><li>It has partnered with the United Nations and a team of researchers to develop a tool that allows companies to set up customized plans for meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber is among the funders.</li><li>This article is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/better-capitalism">Better Capitalism</a>.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-ceo-rose-marcario-says-capitalism-must-evolve-to-save-earth-2019-4">Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario</a> is one of the biggest evangelists for adding sustainability to business strategy. Sure, Patagonia has had an environmentalist ethos from the start, but Marcario told Business Insider she can just as easily appeal to a company's self-interest.</p><p>"Anytime we've done anything that's been good for the planet it's been good for business," she said. "There's no question about that."</p><p>More CEOs, including those of large public companies, are recognizing the demand from customers and employees to have well-thought-out sustainability strategies. The challenge is figuring out what works. B Lab wants to help, and it's working with the United Nations to do so.</p><p>B Lab is the nonprofit that awards B Corp certification (a shortening of "benefit corporation," which is a separate legal status) to companies like Patagonia that can prove they are benefitting all stakeholders, including workers, communities, and the environment itself. There are now 2,800 B Corps around the world.</p><p>B Lab cofounder Jay Coen Gilbert is one of Business Insider's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-100-people-transforming-the-world-of-business-2019-4">100 People Transforming Business</a>, and he told us that this year he and his team are developing tools based on B Corps' best practices that will allow companies to scale them as necessary. He said that the UN's work on the subject caught B Lab's attention.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-nonprofit-behind-b-corp-is-making-tools-for-companies-like-danone-2019-4">How B Lab is developing a set of tools all companies can use</a></em></p><p>The UN developed 17 <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html">sustainable development goals</a> (SDGs) in 2015, with the intention of reducing inequality and addressing climate change among member states.</p><p>Coen Gilbert said there has been a disconnect between the public and private sectors on sustainability. Speaking of countries, he said, "increasingly they're saying, 'We aren't going to be able to meet the SDGs without the private sector doing its share.' Then the companies are saying, 'Well, what the hell do I know about the SDGs? How do I translate that into a business practice?' And that's kind of like the B Lab's sweet spot."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>United Nations</span></p><p class="caption">The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>B Lab reached out to the UN to find ways to adapt its existing impact assessment questions to the SDGs, and turn it into an online platform that is set to launch next year.</p><p>B Lab partnered with the UN to find ways to adapt the goals to the private sector, so that companies can adopt proven processes for increasing gender equality and reducing their carbon footprint. Coen Gilbert said B Lab will launch an SDG navigator for companies by early next year.</p><p>The UN, Global Reporting Initiative, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development have already written the <a href="https://sdgcompass.org/">SDG Compass</a>, a guide addressing B Lab's goals, and B Lab is finding ways to incorporate its guidance into a tool that can determine customized solutions for companies, as opposed to offering general advice. To accomplish this, B Lab is also working with researchers from the Center for Ethics and Responsibility at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.</p><p>Of course, releasing the tool on its own is not going to mean anything if it can't deliver results. The purpose of the navigator is to get large corporations to recognize that becoming a stakeholder-based company will not only make it more appealing to customers and employees, but make it better run. That's why B Lab is working with companies to beta test it and eventually tout its results.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-patagonia-sustainable-apparel-coalition-higg-index-2019-4">W</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-patagonia-sustainable-apparel-coalition-higg-index-2019-4">almart and Patagonia were once the 'odd couple' of sustainability. Now, the world's biggest apparel brands are lining up to follow their example.</a></em></p><p>One of the funders of this project is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/danone-planning-to-be-worlds-largest-benefit-corporation-2018-10">Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber</a>, who has overseen the food giant's North American branch adoption of B Corp status and has put all of Danone on a path to the same by 2030. Last year, Faber told Business Insider's Sara Silverstein that Danone North America's B Corp status and Danone's overall path to it has not only been resonating with customers and employees, but even allowed it to renegotiate a syndicated banking loan at a lower rate. The experience has made him realize that "it can have a major impact on the risk and return aspects of a business model."</p><p>Coen Gilbert said the future of the movement is reliant on more leaders like Faber recognizing that the market is demanding a shift from shareholder primacy at all costs. That's where the upcoming SDG tool fits in.</p><p>"We can't create an economy that works for everyone if the biggest companies in the economy are moving in a different direction," he said. "That doesn't work. One indicator of progress is this continued meaningful engagement of large publicly traded companies like Danone, and Unilever, and The Gap, and others, into this space. Part of our job is to create pathways for them to do that in a meaningful way, and not allow the B Corp movement to get co-opted. We can't run to meet them. We have to create pathways for them to meet us."</p>

Top companies say they're working to help the environment. Now the CEO of food giant Danone is funding a UN-backed tool that will keep them accountable.

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Prime+Minister+Narendra+Modi+">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> arrived in <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword> on Thursday and will remain there for the next five days. This is his second visit to the US after taking charge as the PM.<br />
 <br /> He will address world leaders at a landmark UN sustainable development summit and interact with senior CEOs, including <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> CEO <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mark-Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> and <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>'s CEO <keyword id="164502" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sundar-Pichai">Sundar Pichai</keyword>, and the Indian diaspora in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Silicon+Valley">Silicon Valley</a>.<br />
 <br /> Earlier, Modi was received by Indian Ambassador <keyword id="237000" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arun-K-Singh">Arun K Singh</keyword>, India's envoy to the UN Asoke Mukerji, Consul General <keyword id="1448146" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dnyaneshwar-Mulay">Dnyaneshwar Mulay</keyword> and their spouses at the airport.<br />
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The PM will have a packed schedule for the next two days in New York and then in California from September 26-27.<br />
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On September 28, Modi will return to New York for a bilateral meet with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=President+Barack+Obama+">President Barack Obama</a> and will later attend a high-level peacekeeping summit at the <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword>.<br />
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He will address global heads of state on Friday at the Sustainable Development Summit hosted by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UN+Secretary+General+Ban+Ki-moon+">UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon</a> when the new and ambitious post-2015 development agenda will be adopted.<br />
 <br /> India will also host the G-4 summit in New York on September 26, before Modi leaves for the West Coast for a packed two-day trip during when he will have meetings with Zuckerberg, Apple CEO <keyword id="191843" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Tim-Cook">Tim Cook</keyword> and Pichai.<br />
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He will also meet Obama on September 28, his third summit meeting with the US president in about a year.<br />
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Modi is expected to focus on giving a further push to early and urgent reform of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Security+Council+">Security Council</a> and to send an "unambiguous message" of "zero tolerance against terrorism".<br />
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In a letter to the UN Secretary General in July, Modi had said that that the UN must be made more effective for dealing with new security challenges as "we are now living in an era when non-state military actors are a major factor."<br />
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India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji has said that the Prime Minister's speech at the Sustainable Development summit will focus on "Agenda 2030" since he "has given a lot of attention to the substance of the development agenda."<br />
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Among the ambitious 17 goals to be adopted by the UN for the next 15 years is complete poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality, sustainable cities and communities and clean water and sanitation.<br />
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In his letter to the UN chief, Modi had also underscored that eliminating poverty by 2030 should "unquestionably" be at the heart of the post-2015 Development Agenda.<br />
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"The most acute forms of poverty still remain the most pressing problem and require direct, urgent and sustained interventions. Addressing the needs, concerns and human rights of 1.3 billion poor people in the world is not merely a question of their survival and dignity, but also a vital necessity for an enduring peaceful, sustainable and just international order," he said.<br />
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(Image: Reuters)  <br />

You Searched For "un sustainability goals" and got 12 results

World AIDS Day: UN report warns that COVID-19 could result in more HIV cases, AIDS-related deaths

IANS

What should the world do to make sustainable development goals truly 'sustainable'?

Amit Kapoor

Changing technology and financial crisis is affecting sustainability says a UN report

Prerna Sindwani

A survey asked 1,000 CEOs how they felt about their work on the environment, and most of them gave the same answer: not that great

Richard Feloni

K-pop superstars BTS shot a music video in the United Nations General Assembly hall

Jake Epstein

UKIBC launches socio-economic impact campaign

PTI

India’s Development Strategy towards Social Progress and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Amit Kapoor

PM Narendra Modi's top 5 quotes at the UN Summit

BI India Bureau

7 crucial developments from the UN's sustainability summit, and what they'll mean for businesses and our environment

Richard Feloni

A UN ambassador told us why he's angry at the the business world's 'show-and-tell' approach to sustainability - and then he shared an advance copy of his plan to fix that

Richard Feloni

Top companies say they're working to help the environment. Now the CEO of food giant Danone is funding a UN-backed tool that will keep them accountable.

Richard Feloni

US to PM Modi: Welcome back. This will be an epic trip to remember!

BI India Bureau

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