Political uncertainty poses obstacle to UN’s global goals, businesses say

(Eco Business, 2 Oct 2019) Only one in five chief executives thinks business is playing a critical role in the wide-ranging development goals.

Business leaders complain of being hampered by political uncertainty and market constraints in efforts to fight poverty, inequality and other ills by 2030, research showed on Tuesday as world leaders met to discuss the United Nations’ global goals.

Only one in five chief executives thinks business is playing a critical role in the wide-ranging development goals, according to a study by the United Nations Global Compact, a network of businesses, and consulting company Accenture Strategy.

World leaders at a high-level summit at the United Nations on Tuesday and Wednesday will conduct the first review to weigh the progress of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 with great fanfare and optimism.

The 17 goals with 169 targets agreed by the 193 U.N. member states set out an ambitious “to-do” list tackling conflict, hunger, land degradation, gender inequality and climate change by 2030 but assessments of their progress have been bleak.

“Look at the facts,” said Peter Lacy, an Accenture senior managing director. “Unequivocally we know that the global goals are not on course to deliver the ambitious targets set.”

The study of about 1,000 chief executives from 21 industries and 99 countries found less than half reported integrating sustainability into business operations.

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Eco Business, 2 Oct 2019: Political uncertainty poses obstacle to UN’s global goals, businesses say