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Sustainable Development Goals
Where do we stand in 2019?
x x

James Gomme
Director of SDGs, WBCSD
Peru 2021: A valued member of our Global Network
What do we mean by “Sustainable Development”?

“…..a form of
development that meets
the needs of the present
without compromising
the ability of future
generations to meet their
own needs”
 The emergence of “donut” economics

A “sweet spot” for humanity to

inhabit above a certain level of
human development but within
critical environmental ceilings
Society has made significant progress
The SDGs

PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE LIVING BELOW THE

EXTREME POVERTY LINE (USD 1.90/DAY)
Enduring Challenges
But challenges remain

Source: University of Leeds

Climate is Changing Now
700 million in Inequality and
the rise of the
extreme
“Precariat”
poverty

People being left behind

20 million 150 million

in forced cases of
labor child labor
Resource use Only 9% of
has tripled in materials are
40 years recycled

Plastics: the poster child of a throwaway society

8 million tons
More
of plastic
plastic than
enter the
fish by 2050
ocean per
year
 Wildlife
populations
fallen by 60%
since 1970

Biodiversity Crisis

1 million
species
facing
extinction
 815 million
GHG suffer from
emissions hunger - 2 bn
are overweight

Global food system faces major challenges

25% of global 1/3 of food

land is highly produced is
degraded lost or wasted
Historic Universal

The SDGs are….

Detailed Ambitious
4 years into the
SDG agenda

Where do we
stand?
142 National
Reviews

Action by governments and institutions

City-level UN
action Reform
 Extreme
Progress in Improved access
poverty and
combatting a to electricity in
child mortality
number of poorest
rates continue
diseases countries
to fall

Some positive trends

Proportion Marked
Unemployment increase in
of urban
back to pre- marine
populations
financial crisis protected
living in slums is
levels areas
falling
 Slowing Wrong
progress on
821 million direction on
Undernourished in 2017 hunger
poverty
up from

784 million
in 2015

Worrying trends

Rising
Biodiversity emissions
loss and climate
change
The role of business in achieving the SDGs

Engine of Employment

Technology & Innovation

SDGs will not
be delivered
without
Source of Finance business

Respect for human rights

 Cost of
Opportunities
inaction

Implications for Business

Governance &
Collaboration
Transparency
Opportunities for business: New markets
 ESG SDG Bonds
Investment

Opportunities for business: Access to capital

ESG-linked Blended
loan finance
facilities
 Capturing SDG Opportunities

STRATEGIC INTEGRATION SDG COMMUNICATION

New License to
markets Operate
SDGs used as a Demonstrating how
framework to identify
SDG sustainability
Opportunities
opportunities for strategies and
innovation and to products are aligned
better manage Risk Access to with and contribute
material risks Management Capital to the SDGs
 Scrutiny on
SDG
Performance

Business & the SDGs: Latest Trends

Emerging best
practice and
guidance
SDG Sector
Roadmaps

Business & the SDGs: Latest Trends

Business & the

UN – Close
Collaboration
 10 years to go

Entering a Decade ofDelivery

Entering a
Decade of
Delivery
James Gomme
Director, SDGs
gomme@wbcsd.org