Today key stakeholders gather to progress a dialogue around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the inaugural Australian SDGs Summit.

Australian leaders and decision-makers from government, business, civil society, academia and youth organisations will meet in Sydney to discuss the opportunities presented, and the actions required across different sectors. In this vein, CEOs of 33 leading companies have today made a public statement supporting the SDGs.

“We are a diverse group of companies with footprints across Australia and the globe. We agree that business has a critical contribution to make towards achievement of the SDGs – both domestically and internationally through responsible business operations, new business models, investment, innovation, technology and collaboration”.

Alice Cope, the Executive Manager of the Global Compact Network Australia, said that “with this Statement, these business leaders are demonstrating private sector willingness to contribute to realising a sustainable future for Australia and the world”. According to Ms. Cope, “while governments hold primary responsibility for the SDGs, the private sector is indispensable to achieving the goals.”

“The SDGs enable a robust and globally recognised framework for businesses to track and report on their sustainable practices and to promote them to government buyers,” CourtHeath’s Managing Director Pauline Bernard says. “This provides a benchmark that government agencies can use in their purchasing decisions, supporting the creation of sustainable markets.”

For CourtHeath Consulting, where we are contributing to building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, SDG 16 is integral to working with public sector clients in procurement, seeking to promote accountability and to reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms. SDG 8 similarly underpins CourtHeath’s support of opportunities for full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disability.
Ms. Cope from the Global Compact Network Australia stresses that businesses that embrace the implementation of SDGs could be at a significant advantage in the coming years.

“Businesses that are able to offer solutions to the local and global sustainability challenges represented by the goals will build resilience, find new markets and position themselves competitively for the future,” Ms. Cope said.

Read the CEO Statement here
Read the CEO Statement Press Release here
Read the Australian SDGs Summit Press Release here

Written by Eleanor Doig.

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A participant in the UN Global Compact, CourtHeath seeks to raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of the Global Compact with business and government organisations in Victoria.