Now we have seven years left to satisfy the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Growth Targets (SDGs) by 2030. On the heels of the World Financial Discussion board and the primary UN water convention in nearly 50 years, companies and organizations all over the world are anticipated to refresh their SDG commitments–and to use extra ambition and urgency to them than ever.
At UNICEF, we’ve labored with firms all over the world to spend money on a safer, extra sustainable world for youngsters by specializing in the SDGs. And I’ve seen firsthand what makes the largest and most speedy impression.
The key? Partnering with a company that’s already steeped within the SDGs and devoted to accelerating progress towards them.
Consider it like studying a brand new language or coaching for a marathon. Certain, you are able to do it by yourself, however by working with a companion with longstanding experience you’ll attain your vacation spot extra rapidly and with extra confidence.
The identical goes for a company like UNICEF. Via many years of partnerships with the personal sector in lots of of territories, we’ve been in a position to do way more to strengthen the programs that defend kids and their households than we’d have been in a position to do on our personal.
Listed here are three examples of how our partnerships to advance the SDGs have delivered impression at scale. They exhibit how investing in scalable options for youngsters in the present day will end in stronger, extra resilient communities tomorrow.
Enhancing psychological well being and well-being for tens of millions of younger individuals
Whereas psychological well being is a crucial accelerator throughout all SDGs, one purpose, SDG3 is devoted to making sure “wholesome lives and promote well-being for all in any respect ages.”
Nonetheless, COVID-19 has sadly challenged our potential to satisfy this purpose in addition to our different 2030 deadlines for youngsters and youth.
The excellent news? The pandemic additionally led the personal sector and enterprise leaders to quickly acknowledge the significance of psychological well-being for the survival, development, and improvement of younger individuals–and for his or her prospects and workers of their function as dad and mom and caregivers.
Even earlier than the pandemic, younger individuals had been carrying the burden of unaddressed psychological well being points, with one in seven experiencing psychological problems worldwide, and half of all psychological problems starting by the age of 14.
One group alone can not deal with the necessity to speed up progress on this entrance. Moderately, what we’d like is the sort of collective motion we’ve seen with the World Coalition for Youth Psychological Effectively-being–a UNICEF-hosted initiative launched with the assist of Z Zurich Basis.
The coalition seeks to deal with the growing world burden of psychological well being circumstances in youth by providing a world platform for funding and motion on psychological well-being. Strategic members embody Jo Malone London, Spotify, and Zurich Insurance coverage Group, alongside Z Zurich Basis.
Collectively, our intention is to strengthen the social and emotional expertise and the supportive and nurturing environments for the psychological well being and well-being of 30 million younger individuals in 30 nations by 2030, delivering impression at scale and serving to obtain the SDGs.
Mapping college connectivity to provide kids info, alternative, and selection
Not all of our partnerships concentrate on one SDG. Most cowl a number of, as has been the case with Ericsson. We’ve come collectively to assist map college connectivity all over the world.
Mapping the web connectivity panorama for colleges and their surrounding communities is a essential first step towards offering each youngster with entry to digital studying alternatives. This joint effort is a part of the Giga initiative. Launched in 2019 and led by UNICEF and the Worldwide Telecommunication Union, Giga goals to attach each college on the earth to the web.
With the assist of Ericsson and different companions, over 2 million college areas throughout 136 nations have now been mapped. Ericsson’s monetary and in-kind assist has contributed to Giga’s achievement in connecting an preliminary 5,500 colleges and over 2 million college students throughout 4 continents.
Turning luxurious merchandise into fundraising automobiles to assist kids survive and thrive
A inventive partnership with Louis Vuitton is elevating funds to assist UNICEF’s efforts to achieve kids, particularly in emergencies. A uniquely designed product, the Silver Lockit–symbolizing safety, care, and a dedication to assist kids–was created and made out there in Louis Vuitton shops worldwide and on-line. Louis Vuitton additionally inspired its employees members, companions, and shoppers to make direct donations to UNICEF all year long.
UNICEF and Pandora are additionally turning baubles into large motion on SDG3. As a part of a three-year world partnership, Pandora launched a sequence of merchandise in assist of UNICEF for its “Charms for change” initiative, offered at shops throughout 100 nations. The funds we’re elevating with Pandora go in direction of UNICEF packages on schooling, gender equality, rights consciousness, private empowerment, and civic engagement, in addition to UNICEF’s core work to assist kids all over the world survive and thrive.
The partnership, assist, and belief in UNICEF that every of those organizations has proven have been invaluable in our work to attain the SDGs.
We imagine deeply that a greater future–the one promised by the SDGs–remains to be doable. And we all know, with no shadow of a doubt, that investing in kids is a prerequisite for that future.
With shoppers anticipating accountability from companies on their SDG commitments, public-private partnerships are a useful solution to show what’s doable when hope turns into collaboration.
Carla Haddad Mardini is the director of the personal sector fundraising and partnerships division at UNICEF.
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