Meeting and realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 will be heavily reliant upon the private sector’s ability to allocate and invest finance that aims to tackle the most urgent social and environmental challenges.
For Australia to prosper in the 21st century, we need to realign our financial systems to support human well-being, social equity and the environment. In doing so, we will create a stable, resilient and inclusive economy.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide us with a universal framework to embark on this realignment, whilst at the same time solving the world’s most intractable social and environmental problems and meeting the expectations of Australians now and in the future.
Although financing the SDGs remains a challenge, it is one that the private sector can play a key role in overcoming. By placing the SDGs at the heart of their strategies and operations, investors, financial institutions and companies can drive the necessary transformational change to bridge the gap between the promise and reality of these Global Goals.
The time to rethink the future of corporate finance and investments as a catalyst for growth and social impact is now. The financial sector has a fundamental role to play in driving progress towards the SDGs to both safeguard existing and future investments but also deliver sustainable economic growth. With an estimated USD 12 trillion in market opportunities offered by the SDGs globally, businesses will need to reorient their investments towards sustainable development whilst continuing to meet their risk appetite and maximise shareholder returns.
CFO Coalition for the SDGs
The CFO Coalition for the SDGs is an initiative with the goal of developing a common language, collective ambitions, and resources for CFOs all around the world to accelerate corporate investments towards the SDGs. This includes a set of CFO Principles on Integrated SDG Investments and Finance, along with key performance indicators to set targets and measure progress in the implementation of those principles.
The CFO Coalition comprises CFOs participating in both the Leadership Group and the Signatories Group, signifying different levels of involvement in the initiative. You can read more about the CFO Coalition here.
Get Involved
The UN Global Compact Network Australia convenes an annual multi-sector, multi-stakeholder Business and Human Rights dialogue. Register your interest at secretariat@unglobalcompact.org.au.
Contact us
To find out more about our Business and Human Rights workstream, contact:
