Collaboration and Partnerships are the keys to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030

This week, at the 2nd SDG Partnership Forum between Ethical Corporation and Huawei Technologies, 40+ senior executives, investors, academics and leading associations from an array of industries and organizations, met to discuss how they are driving innovative digitalcollaborations to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

During the workshop we got to share our perspectives and experiences into how companies can deliver more ambitious collaborations around the SDGs. I asked Liam Dowd, Managing Director of Ethical Corporation what was the overall goal of the workshop. He said:

“Ethical Corporation is a global platform where businesses can share their impacts, challenges and visions for creating a more sustainable future. Our ambition for the workshop, along with Huawei, is to convene a meeting of senior business professionals and identify new ideas and potential collaborations around the SDGs. There are approximately 4,000 days left to achieve the Global Goals (SDGs) and hosting workshops with such a diverse attendance will help us identify the new collaborations that are needed to add scale and impact. Our aim is to build a network around the workshop of people and companies that are driven to accelerate action, in a united effort, around the Goals.”

One of the goals this year was to make sure we had more time to interact with people at our tables, to make meaningful connections and be able to interact afterwards, because talking the talk is something anyone can do, but to achieve progress on the SDGs and create real collaborations to take action requires more than just one workshop. It requires follow up.

Victor Zhang, Huawei’s Senior Vice President gave the first keynote, and after being stuck in heavy traffic, like quite a few of us were that day, he opened with a fun remark saying “We talk about sustainability development and for a large city like London, maybe we need a more sustainable traffic transportation as well” which was very well received by the audience because everyone could relate. It was good to kick off the workshop with some laughter.

He then announced the launch of the 3rd ICT Sustainable Development Goals Benchmark report, which is a new research by Huawei. This year the report focuses on six of the SDGs.

The results show 86% correlation between ICT development and the SDGs performance. The ICT infrastructure is a key enabler for development. The countries can leverage digital technologies to accelerate the social economic and environmental progress. Implications are clear, ICT infrastructure should be expanding. It should be more closely aligned with national policies that support the SDGs. All countries can benefit from this.

“Businesses need to collaborate across all industries and work with policy makers to innovate and to deploy the digital solutions” said Mr Zhang who also spoke about Huawei’s Global CSR flagship program called “Seeds for the Future” which is now in 108 countries and is in partnerships with over 400 universities worldwide. The program was launched in 2008 and it seeks to develop local ICT talent, enhance knowledge transfer, promote a greater understanding and interest in the telecommunications sector, and improve and encourage regional building and participation in the digital community.

The Huawei ICT Academy, the not for profit education program, also supports this goal, by nurturing that ICT talent ecosystem. Mr Zhang reiterated how the great ICT youth requires more than just technology, talent and skills, he said “we need strong collaboration with government, corporations, communities, academia and other organizations. So we are committed to working with various partners to fully enter the digital era and enjoy the benefits brought by the digital technologies.”

Following Mr Zhang was Jonathan Sim, Manager at SustainAbility, an ERM Group company, and a panel by Telefonica’s Director for Sustainability and Non-Financial KPI’s Geert Paemen, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Executive Director Phil Bloomer and Independent Sustainability Consultant Nigel Croft. That led to our breakout discussions.

At my table sat Phil Bloomer, Nigel Croft. BT’s Head of Sustainability & Governance Tony Roy, President of the American Institute of Artificial Intelligence Al Naqvi, MD of Macca Digital James MacDonald and HERE Technologies Quality Program Manager Gudrun Schmitz. Some of the overall takeaways were:

• Access to information is a must. More projects need to be shared as examples. Check supportthegoals.com
• We need more investment in human rights due diligence, there was an example of Myanmar and Telenor (you can google for more info on that example)
• Education, how can we continue to inspire the leaders of tomorrow which are the future? We mentioned the multiple projects Huawei is involved in, and how other companies might be able to have similar approaches.
• There is a need for more partnerships / collaborations across all fields
• Key stakeholders must overcome barriers and collaborate to develop and deploy innovative digital solutions for sustainable development
• Countries can benefit most from focused investment on the ICT levers that provide wins for driving progress on sustainability development
• Digital Technologies need to be deployed with particular attention paid to ensuring equitable access to all and addressing impacts on society and the environment

I asked Liam Dowd for his key takeaway from this year's discussions:

“All Goals are interconnected so whilst companies focus on certain material Goals there are actually opportunities to impact other areas of their community and environment. There is a greater need for visibility on where current action is being taken, who are the central driving forces and ways in which companies – large and small – can help support the impacts and goals. Throughout all of this, there needs to be a level of trust that the motives and actions of companies are genuine, this is usually achieved through the involvement of third party partners such as NGOs or Independent Associations.”

For those interested in reading Huawei’s ICT Sustainable Development Goals Benchmark report, please click here

One of the forewords is by Mats Granryd, Director General of GSMA, where he says:

"The world’s mobile operators have now unified behind one common industry purpose: to Intelligently Connect Everyone and Everything to a Better Future. This purpose highlights our industry’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Huawei’s ICT SDG benchmark report therefore provides us with a useful tool to measure the degree to which ICT development can enable and accelerate progress on achieving the goals.

The 2030 deadline to meet the SDGs may seem a distant horizon today, but we cannot afford any delay in addressing the monumental issues facing our world – poverty, climate change, conflict, inequality and so many others. Together, across the private and public sectors, we must work hand-in-hand to preserve our planet and ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for its citizens."

I also asked my fellow global thought leader Entrepreneur and Angel Investor Mike Flache for his views on the report and the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility:

“With the ICT Sustainable Development Goals Benchmark 2019, Huawei illustrates the relationship between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The results of the report show that ICT development can have a positive impact on the SDGs and how countries can use digital technologies to accelerate progress on social, environmental and economic issues.

Even if the year 2030, the deadline for the implementation of the SDGs, still seems to be a long way off, we already have to do everything in our power to implement the necessary measures quickly and sustainably. An essential component of this is to continuously measure progress and interpret the results correctly. Huawei is making a valuable contribution with the ICT SGD Benchmark.

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is not just a governmental task, but it concerns us all. To do this, we need to get even closer - from policymakers to intergovernmental organizations and NGOs to business leaders.

Companies have a great tool with CSR to make a positive impact on society and the environment. And at the same time the opportunity to create a common value for the founders of the company, its employees, shareholders and stakeholders. This win-win situation is the basis for accelerating sustainable development by companies."

One of the six SDGS where there is a focus is number 11, which is sustainable cities and communities, brings me to talk about a non profit organization I support called "Safe Water Gardens" where Mike Flache is one of the founders. I will let him share what it is all about.

“Safe Water Gardens“ has a clear goal: Using digital technology to fight the world sanitation crisis. The project was brought to life by a coalition of educators, concerned citizens and business partners. Our vision is to provide a safe and affordable sanitation system for every home in rural areas worldwide. We use digitalization features to connect people around the globe who are adapting the system to their region and needs. Together we will build 100 million Safe Water Gardens.

Thank you for sharing that Mike, during the workshop we spoke about how ICT can help develop some of the SDGs further and the correlation. How could a company such as Huawei for example, be of help to Safe Water Gardens?

The answer that many may expect at this point is money. But that would be far too easy and, above all, too short-sighted. Certainly, nonprofit organizations and NGOs depend on funds to implement their visions and goals. This is also the case with our project "Safe Water Gardens".

However, in terms of your question, the actual added value would be different: As a leading global provider of ICT, Huawei has valuable knowledge in building digital infrastructures and developing enterprise solutions. On the other hand, the company is committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This extensive experience is far more valuable than money for the "Safe Water Gardens" project.

Let's expand on this now, as we also discussed how companies in general can get involved with NGOs around the world not just in their own countries but with global projects. How can a company get involved with Safe Water Gardens?

To get involved in the "Safe Water Gardens" project, there are many different possibilities. These activities range from donations to supporting scientific studies and research programs, to financing and building "Safe Water Gardens" for entire villages.

So far, we have had a lot of positive experiences when employees and partners of companies visit us as part of CSR programs and jointly build "Safe Water Gardens" for people, families and villages in need.

If you want to learn more about Safe Water Gardens, please contact Mike Flache directly.

Thank you Ethical Corporation and Huawei for the invite to attend this insightful workshop.

Elise Quevedo