Sustainable Development Solutions Network Japan

Newsletter

Vol.5

24 July 2017

Opportunities and Challengesof the Sustainable
Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), which were unanimously adopted
at the United Nations General Assembly in
September 2015, have gradually taken rootin civil society and the business community
at the national and international levels.
While the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)
focusedondevelopment
assistance to developing countries, theSDGs bring an expanded scope thatencompasses disparities within developed countries, leaving no-one
left behind and aiming to realize “the future we want”. The SDGs
provide a just cause for the 21st century, and cannot be accused oflacking an ambitious aspiration for an ideal world. I would contend,
however, that the SDGs prioritize the pursuit of material benefits
without addressing spiritual wealth and peace of mind. Nevertheless, I should probably regard some of the terms used in the text ofthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as promoting thepursuit of non-material benefits, such as “well-being” (which is also
prominent in SDG 3), and “respect for cultural diversity”.
Furthermore, while the MDGs set realistic targets based on the past
track record, the SDGs embody idealistic goals such as “end poverty
in all its forms everywhere”. This is why efforts to achieve the SDGs
by 2030 are expected to face considerable challenges ahead, as arethose focused on the Paris Agreement on climate change that wasalso adopted in 2015.

Taikan Oki

Member, SDSN Japan Council /Senior Vice-Rector, United Nations University

Taking this into account, a key element for success is action bybusinesses. Leading companies have taken the initiative ahead ofcivil society, with the publication of the SDG Compass by the United
Nations Global Compact (UNGC), which was established prior to theMDGs, together with the World Business Council for SustainableDevelopment (WBCSD) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). InApril 2017, SDSN Japan organized an SDG Dialogue event on“Global Companies and the 2030 Agenda” in Tokyo, bringing
together nearly 300 participants.
Reflecting the origins of the concept of sustainable development inthe environmental arena, half of the participants at the event fromprivate companies worked in CSR departments, while the others
were in corporate management, for example corporate strategicplanning offices. The SDGs are clearly going to play a key role in thebusiness arena, as a common language for the conduct of global
business, as a set of non-financial information to be disclosed for
ESG (environmental, social and governance) investment, and as achecklist for corporate risk management. I hope that actions toachieve the SDGs will not be taken as charitable costs, but rather
mainstreamed into corporate management as investments in thefuture. I believe the time has come for companies — as entities withindefinite lifespans, unlike those of human beings — to consider thefuture of the planet in all of their operations.
Let me add that I am committed to contributing towards theimportant mission of SDSN Japan to enhance human well-being
through comprehensive and sustainable development of theenvironment, economy and society.

Building towards sustainable multi-stakeholder partnerships
On 28 March 2017, UNESCAP and UNU-IAS co-organized a workshop on multi-stakeholder
partnerships for the SDGs implementation in Bangkok during the Asia-Pacific Forum on
Sustainable Development (APFSD) 2017. Bringing together representatives from governmentsof East Asian countries, academia, civil society, business and international organizations, theworkshop discussed ways to build effective multi-stakeholder partnerships toward achieving
the SDGs in the Asia and the Pacific region.
http://sdsnjapan.org/en/workshop-multi-stakeholder-partnerships-in-asia-and-the-pacific/

SDG Dialogue Explores the Role of Corporations in Realizing the Global Goals
SDSN Japan and UNU-IAS co-organized an SDG Dialogue event on “Global Companies andthe 2030 Agenda” on 20 April 2017. Given the recent drastic social and political change in theinternational community, the event explored how global companies can contribute tomainstreaming the SDGs, considering new modes of corporate management in the context ofthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Representatives of Unilever, Toyota, Aeon,
Global Compact Network Japan, Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) and CDP
shared their views and experiences at the event.
http://sdsnjapan.org/en/sdg-dialogue-global-companies-and-the-2030-agenda/

SDSN Japan Secretariat

24 July 2017
info@sdsnjapan.org / http://sdsnjapan.org