Sustainability
Goals!
Sustainable
development
goals
By Carol Posthumus
E
arlier this year the 6th World Sustainability Forum
(WSF 2017) was held in Cape Town with key local
and international speakers including world-leading
economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs, senior United
Nations (UN) advisor and director of the Earth Institute at
Columbia University.
The WSF is an annual sustainability
conference
which
addresses
research in a range of areas related
to sustainable development and
sustainability globally. This was
the first WSF to take place on the
African continent. Discussions at
the 2017 conference were driven
by the 17 sustainable development
goals (SDGs) adopted as part of
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development by the UN in
September 2015. At the event Jeff
and Sonia Sachs received the first
World Sustainability Award.
Highly pertinent to South Africa
with our ongoing education
challenges and crises, the
speakers highlighted the need
for universities’ need to take
the lead in solving the greatest
challenges the world faces today,
particularly in Africa.
They said they need to do this
not only through education –
teaching the next generation to
think critically and creatively to
find sustainable solutions – but
also through research that cuts
across a range of disciplines.
To ensure these solutions are
implemented, universities need to
partner with the private sector and
with government.
SDGs a lifeline
and our moonshot
Achieving the SDGs “is the
moonshot for our generation,”
said Sachs. “Like the moonshot
[moon landing] of the 1960s,
these are tough, bold and
achievable objectives.”
“This is a nasty, tough world we
live in, and our world agrees
on very little. So when 193
governments agree on something:
that is important. And when they
agree on something as important
as sustainable development that
is really something for us to grab
hold of – that is a lifeline.”
Addressing the Forum was
Foundation
Global
Values
Alliance’s president Professor Klaus
Leisinger who spoke on the topic
of “Towards a new understanding
of the Game, Agenda 2030 for
Sustainable Development.” We
met Professor Leisinger in Cape
Town recently, where he was
attending the San Code of Ethics
launch. In addition to heading up
the Alliance, Leisinger is Professor
of Sociology at the University of
Basel, where he pursues research
and teaches a wide range of
topics related to international
development and health policy as
well as business ethics, corporate
responsibility,
and
business
and human rights.
Leisinger says: “I have worked
for nearly 40 years in the areas
sus tainable development,
corporate responsibilities and
business ethics – so has my
partner, Karin Schmitt. We have
built up a global network of like-
minded people and continue
to network to make the world a
better place. Such a mission keeps
responsible people busy as long as
they are able to contribute towards
this noble objective.
The Global Values Alliance (www.
globalvaluesalliance.ch)
is
a
non-profit foundation that helps
apply ethical norms and values
in everyday practice in business,
politics and society.
“We assume the advocacy for
the Sustainable Development
Goals of the United Nations and
for an economic ethos based
on intercultural, interreligious
and internationally recognized
values. We focus our attention on
strategic research and application
partnerships with organizations
and institutions at home and
abroad. The TRUST project
(http://trust-project.eu) is such a
partnership,” elaborates Leisinger.
Big changes, New Game
It appears humanity needs a new
approach – a changing of the
game - to solve the challenges. It
is startling to consider the wholly
SABI | APRIL / MAY 2017
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