Five Ways to Engage the Private Sector in the SDGs

The deadline to complete the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is quickly approaching, and in order to meet those goals, governments need to up the pace of progress—and do more to harness participation from both the public and private sectors, according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

GRI has set out recommendations to help policymakers work with companies to capture their contributions as part of national SDGs strategies. This includes the Voluntary National Reviews, the annual SDGs status updates from individual countries, which offer a platform for the partnerships needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

This new report has five key recommendations for how governments and other policy actors can use corporate reporting to strengthen SDGs progress at the national level:

In a statement, Peter Paul van de Wijs, GRI chief external affairs officer, said:

“The SDGs are an ambitious set of targets to address the pressing global challenges of our times, on issues as diverse as inequality, health, poverty and climate change. And as demonstrated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, collective action is essential. Countries cannot deal alone with issues that transcend national borders.

With 10 years to go to achieve the goals, it is already clear that progress is too slow. Partnerships and collaboration, particularly with the private sector, are crucial. That’s why governments must harness all the tools available to assess progress and enable the step change required to avoid the consequences of falling short.

GRI, as the leading organization for understanding and disclosing sustainability impacts, has provided practical solutions to engage companies in the process. I encourage all policymakers to do more to understand and make the most of the contribution from the private sector, at every level of their plans and actions in support of the SDGs.”