Partnership

“We are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda through a  revitalized Global   Partnership   for   Sustainable   Development,   based   on   a   spirit   of strengthened global  solidarity,  focused  in  particular  on  the  needs  of  the  poorest  and  most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders and all people.” (United Nations A/RES/70/1, 2015, p. 4)

All the SDGs require a collaborative effort, that is why the last P is Partnership. We are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this SDGs agenda through a revitalized Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. It will be based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focused on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders, and all people. Goal 17 represent the partnerships for the goals. The official wording is: “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”. The Goal has 17 targets to be achieved by 2030, broken down into five categories: the finance, technology, capacity building, trade and systemic issues.

SDG 17 refers to the need for cross-sector and cross-country collaboration in pursuit of all the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030. It is a call for countries to align policies. SDG 17 is a vision for improved and more equitable trade, as well as coordinated investment initiatives to promote sustainable development across borders. It is about strengthening and streamlining cooperation between nation-states, both developed and developing, using the SDGs as a shared framework and a shared vision for defining that collaborative way forward. It seeks to promote world-wide international trade, and ensure an equitable trading system that is fair, open, and beneficial to all.

Although the SDGs were agreed upon by the member states within the United Nations, achieving the SDGs involve all entities in the international community. It is not possible to work in siloes for this universal ultimate goals. Problems are cross geographies and sectors and require a cross-countries and cross-sectors collaboration as well. The critical reflection shows how businesses are initiating innovative collaboration in the effort to solve the world’s problem. The good news is that we are seeing a variety of players step up for the SDGs, from youth activists striking for climate action to cities embracing sustainable living conditions and corporations embedding sustainability into their core plans. But, as can be seen through the critical reflection, more solidarity is needed, especially when it comes to mobilizing financing and reaching the furthest behind. Governments alone is not possible to achieve the SDGs. The governments of course have the key role to play, and they need to play it better.

Dr. Ir. Amelia Naim Indrajaya

Head of the Center for Sustainability Mindset and Social Responsibility, IPMI International Business School (IBS), Jakarta, Indonesia

Reference

United Nations A/RES/70/1. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.  Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org