Sri Lanka corporate to ‘Forward Faster’ on SDGs

United Nations Global Compact Network Sri Lanka (Network  Sri Lanka), the country network of the world’s largest corporate  sustainability initiative, recently launched a rousing call to action  for corporate leaders of participant companies and across the country:  commit to ambitious sustainability targets and amplify Sri Lanka’s  progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a new  global initiative called ‘Forward Faster’.

Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative UNDP Sri Lanka said,  “UNDP is working collaboratively with all of you to make sure our work  contributes to a healthier planet and people, and investments required  to recover the socio-economic status of the country are SDGs-aligned.  The private sector obviously plays an indispensable role in driving this  change.”

Marc-André Franche, United Nations Resident Coordinator in  Sri Lanka, emphasized the private sector’s role and welcomed deeper  cooperation. “As private sector leaders, you have a great responsibility  to set examples as champions of sustainability. The United Nations is  your partner in these endeavours. We are committed to working with each  of you and re-envisioning our pathways towards the SDGs.”

The ‘Forward Faster’ initiative of the UN Global Compact,  calls on business leaders worldwide to take measurable, credible, and  ambitious action in five key areas gender equality, climate action,  living wage, water resilience, and finance & investment. These areas  can accelerate progress across all SDGs, enabling the private sector to  collectively make the biggest and fastest impact by 2030.At an event titled ‘Compass 2024’ and themed ‘Towards a  Resilient Future Through Corporate Impact’, Network Sri Lanka introduced  the Forward Faster initiative locally to ignite private sector  leadership in driving transformational change.

The event featured distinguished speakers including UN  representatives, a presentation from the 2021 Sustainable Development  Goals (SDG) Pioneer for SDG 12 Responsible Production and Consumption  from Sri Lanka.Unveiling UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka’s overarching  plan for 2024, Rathika de Silva, Executive Director, UN Global Compact  Network Sri Lanka explained the roadmap will help participating  companies enhance governance strategies, set ambitious targets across  priority areas and unlock innovation opportunities.

( Source : Daily Mirror)