From June 23-25 a summit at the United Nations in New York was held to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the UN Global Compact. Business Leaders, Heads of Industries, NGOs and Academia convened to discuss the future of business in a changing world. GPM Global, a strategic partner of IPMA attended for the third straight time and participated in key sessions as well as a UN General Assembly at which a comprehensive report “Impact – Transforming, Business, Changing the World” was released.

A key outcome from the assembly was that “Sustainability is now firmly on the global business agenda, but there is an urgent need to turn words into action…” and that “The business of business is sustainability”.

Findings from the report indicated that Sustainability is gradually penetrating deeper into markets and sectors around the world with the financial sector showing positive developments. Also that more sustainability issues – equality, climate change and corruption – are now on the corporate agenda because they impact performance.

UN Global Compact Executive Director Georg Kell (who retired at the end of the summit) made a bold declaration by stating that product owners and asset managers have woken up to the fact that sustainability is critical to their survival and therefore in the next four years, sustainability will be at the forefront of all business. This brings full circle the need for project management to connect the dots between business need and change delivery.

Our participation in sessions to helped shape the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide industry feedback on what is required to support wide-spread adoption.

The goals are as follows:

Goal 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2 – End hunger, achieves food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7- Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10 – Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

Goal 14 – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15 – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

It is worth noting that IPMA will include as part of the ICB4, Key Competence Indicators for Sustainability that align with both current and proposed sustainable development goals signifying that IPMA is moving forward.