Global Goals Business Conversations

These ten years, from 2020 to 2030, have been dubbed the ‘decade of action’, in which we must accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015.

Ireland’s business community has a huge role to play, and together with Irish Aid, Concern Worldwide is engaging with corporate leaders across the island to drive positive change both within and beyond the workplace.

The 17 Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aim to tackle poverty and inequality, while protecting our planet from climate change.

These aims are universal; as relevant here at home as they are across the globe. The goals cannot be achieved without everyone on board and reaching the goals is all about partnership.

The aim of the Global Goals Business Conversations is to engage the business community on their role in achieving the goals, look at actions being taken by businesses and actions they can take. We will also explore the barriers to action and the supports and/or policies that businesses would like to see implemented by the Irish Government to help them do that.

Concern is partnering with industry groups who wish to give their members the opportunity to contribute to Ireland’s sustainability, while creating their own action plans in terms of reaching the SDGs.

While the COVID-19 restrictions continue this will take the form of online discussions and/or workshops, which we can facilitate across a variety of business sectors and business sizes, under Chatham House rules.

Depending on the group and level of engagement with the goals, the ‘conversations’ may be delivered in two different formats:

1. Online conversations focused on current actions, future plans, the barriers that exist and how governments can support business to achieve their targets.
    
2. Online workshops that provide an overview of the goals, explore which goals are most relevant to the businesses participating, potential actions they might take, and barriers to these.

These conversations are relevant to all business sectors and will encompass discussion across all 17 SDGs, but sector-specific or goal-specific workshops are also available.

The Global Goals Business Conversations are aimed at high-level decision makers within companies, with four significant targets; achieving greater awareness and engagement on the goals, focussing on which goals businesses see as most urgent and where they can have greatest impact, challenging businesses on what actions they can take to contribute to those goals, and proposing policy changes or government supports to assist with the achievement of the goals.

The input of participating businesses will form part of a University of Limerick report to government at the end of the project, alongside a report from a parallel Concern project engaging the community sector and public on the 17 SDGs called Project Us.

If you're involved in the corporate sector and would like to become part of the conversation around the Sustainable Development Goals, please get in touch with us using the link below.