Technology can contribute to the fulfillment of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Montevideo, November 21, 2023.

Digital transformation and commitments in areas such as gender equality or climate action can help achieve the SDGs and the United Nations 2030 Agenda

The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN) was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may be compromised if companies, organizations, and governments do not take commitments.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that “if we do not act now, the 2030 Agenda will become the epitaph of the world that could have been.”

To reach the proposed goals, one of the initiatives carried out globally is Forward Faster, promoted by the UN Global Compact. This “is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative,” highlighted Felipe Filomeno, member of the UN Global Compact Network, in a session shared with Sofis Solutions collaborators.

The meeting took place following the conclusion of Sofis’ Sustainable Digital Transformation Sessions, virtually.

For Santiago Atella, director of Sofis Solutions, "these sessions represent an enriching exchange among all company collaborators and set a shared vision and path for the short and medium term."

Forward Faster was created to connect the sustainability agenda with corporate language, he explained.

This initiative is supported by more than 20,000 companies and over 3,000 non-business organizations from 166 countries and operates as a network in which alliances and sustainable development, digital governance, and sustainability training projects emerge through the Academy platform.

Sofis Solutions joined this initiative in 2013, being one of the first companies to participate.

Corporate commitment is necessary

To achieve the SDGs, corporate commitment is required. Only 39% of companies have set goals aligned with the SDGs, while extending the sustainability perspective to the supply chain is a key challenge for 65% of large companies.

Globally, CEOs show more commitment to sustainability than before, a topic that concerns companies, organizations, and consumers. While in 2013, 83% of CEOs stated that they were responsible for sustainability performance in their companies, in 2022, 98% affirmed that “it is the role of a CEO to make the business more sustainable,” he commented.

However, although the topic is addressed and many show interest, actions do not fully match intentions. While 80% of CEOs understand the impact of their business on biodiversity, only 35% worldwide are initiating projects that promote nature protection. That is why initiatives like Forward Faster are so important.

The process can be accelerated

To accelerate progress and eventually achieve the SDGs and the goals of the 2030 Agenda, the private sector can commit to five key areas: gender equality, fair wages, climate action, water stewardship, and sustainable finance.

In this regard, Filomeno highlighted Sofis’ commitment to sustainability and emphasized the development of the Green Sofis initiative and related projects, as well as the commitment to topics such as gender equality, climate change mitigation, fair wages, and aligning finance and investments with policies and strategies linked to the SDGs.

Sustainability and technology

Promoting sustainability through technology is possible, he said, and it can be done in several ways.

Technology can be used to implement goals with ESG criteria, that is, environmental, social, and corporate governance. It can also ensure sustainable and fair use of digital tools, and scale the sustainability perspective to a system of stakeholders such as companies, governments, and organizations.

On the path to this promotion, it is important to ensure that the technology used is itself sustainable, he warned. Additionally, it should guarantee user privacy, fairness, and transparency—issues of fundamental importance in the UN 2030 Agenda.