Global Goals Business Conversations

These ten years, from 2020 to 2030, have been dubbed the ‘decade of action’, in which we must accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015.

Ireland’s business community has a huge role to play, and together with Irish Aid, Concern Worldwide is engaging with corporate leaders across the island to drive positive change both within and beyond the workplace.

The 17 Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aim to tackle poverty and inequality, while protecting our planet from climate change.

These aims are universal; as relevant here at home as they are across the globe. The goals cannot be achieved without everyone on board and reaching the goals is all about partnership.

The aim of the Global Goals Business Conversations is to engage the business community on their role in achieving the goals, look at actions being taken by businesses and actions they can take. We have also explored the barriers to action and the supports and/or policies that businesses would like to see implemented by the Irish Government to help them do that.

In 2020, Concern signed up to the UN Global Compact - an initiative to implement universal sustainability principles and support the Global Goals. Our reports (submitted every two years) outline how Concern is achieving 10 principles on human rights, labour, environmental and anti-corruption, and how we are promoting sustainability through our private sector partnerships.

The Global Goals Business Conversations were aimed at high-level decision makers within companies, with four significant targets; achieving greater awareness and engagement on the goals, focusing on which goals businesses see as most urgent and where they can have greatest impact, challenging businesses on what actions they can take to contribute to those goals, and proposing policy changes or government supports to assist with the achievement of the goals.

Our summary report details the outcomes of the Business Conversations and outlines key recommendations for the Government.