In September 2015, the United Nations announced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This ambitious set of goals which were signed by all 193 UN nation states, created Agenda 2030. This was a bold plan, with an aim to be hit by 2030 - containing a set of 17 goals for all nations to create a better world through sustainability, safety, and equality. The idea was to 'leave no one behind,’ with governments aiming to hit the targets and indicators behind the goals, and for this to feed down to local authorities, educational insitutions, NGOs, and private businesses.
All companies can contribute to the SDGs, whether large or small. A good first step is to sign up to the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact, which promotes companies to do business ethically and responsibly. Examples of this are to ensure that businesses are not complicit in human rights abuses, do not engage with child labour practices, use environmentally friendly technologies, and that they work against corruption in all forms.
Whilst the SDGs are universal, it is up to us to put them into play at the national level. So, what do the 17 SDGs look like? You can read about them here, or check out the image below.
So what does this mean for your organisation?
The SDGs apply to all of us, not just our governments. Every organisation should be involved in helping us to achieve them by 2030 if we want to leave a better world than the one in which we entered into. Periodically, nation states put themselves forward for a full review of their SDG progress, with the U.K. last doing this in 2019. The Labour Party have pledged to renew their mission toward Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, and with only 5 years left to go, you will be hearing a lot more about this.
Working with the SDGs is also good business sense, as it is estimated that there are opportunities that this transformation will create. These transformations will be significant, with market opportunities of up to US$12 trillion a year, with up to 380 million new jobs by 2030 (Business and Sustainable Development Commission, 2017). It also significantly improves your own corporate responsibility, improves your organisation’s EDI, and widens your audience. Younger (and increasingly older) demographics want to see socially conscious organisations.
For charities and NGOs, it gives you a focused voice as civil society to unite behind the goals. It gives your an aim to achieve your goals of fighting the Climate Emergency, tackling poverty and hunger, securing peace, or combatting gender-based violence, or human trafficking. Or simply to reduce violence and harm.
For local authorities, this is something that you should be already be doing. You should be mapping this into the wider, much more national, government agenda.
More than ever before, funders and tenders from local authorities and national governments are asking about your organisational involvement with the SDGs as part of their application process. Now more than ever, the public also expect to see organisations engaged with sustainability. People want to see a better world, and you can be part of that, and so this is where I come in...
How have I helped other organisations to realise the SDGs?
I have already started to support organisations, large and small, who want to be part of this transformational change. I have recently been supporting the University of Sunderland to help them to achieve their aims to map their student awareness and curriculum with the SDGs. As Laura Middlemass, the Sustainability Manager, states:
Drawing on his exceptional knowledge and understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and how they are relevant to all professions, Drew created a series of engaging and inspiring workshops for academics at the University of Sunderland.
These workshops form a crucial part of the University’s programme to enhance knowledge and awareness of the SDGs amongst academics and programme leads across the faculties, so they can continue to embed sustainability into the curriculum in a systematic way. This helps the University achieve a key aim of ensuring all students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the increasing environmental and social impacts of their chosen careers, enhancing their graduate prospects by promoting competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.   
The support Drew provided was invaluable in achieving that aim, and his passion and knowledge for the subject ensured that the content and delivery was engaging, inspiring and hugely motivational for all involved.
I have also supported business leaders at Pride in Leadership, by running a recent masterclass at their own conference. This includes how LGBTQ+ people, and organisations, can be included in SDG progress. As the Director of Pride in Leadership, Claire Ebrey, states:
Drew Dalton delivered an exceptional masterclass at the Pride in Leadership Annual Conference, titled "How LGBTQ+ leaders can make an impact on global challenges, starting at the local level." Drew’s session was an eye-opening exploration of how LGBTQ+ leaders can play a pivotal role in addressing global challenges through a localised lens. He introduced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offered a fresh, thought-provoking perspective by queering them—a concept that was both innovative and new to many of us in the room.
Drew’s ability to take complex global issues and make them relevant to the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ leaders was nothing short of inspiring. He challenged us to think critically about our role in creating change, not just within our organisations but also within our communities and beyond. His session was packed with insights and examples that left attendees feeling empowered and equipped to make a difference from within their businesses.
The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with many noting how Drew’s masterclass expanded their understanding of the SDGs and their relevance to LGBTQ+ leadership. His passion, expertise, and engaging delivery style made the session both impactful and memorable.
It is common practice in my own LGBTQ+ charity, ReportOUT, to map and engage with the SDGs. I even have my own business mapped to the SDGs (see my website footer!) It can become second nature to us all, very easily.
How can I now help you to realise the SDGs?
Why not contact me and let's start a discussion about how your organisation can shine. I can deliver training workshops for your organisation and help you to map your own SDG engagement. Together, we can also come up with new ways to make your organisation socially responsible through aligning (your already existing) good practice with the SDGs, and to then find new ways to target the areas that you need progress with. I can even support you to collect the right data, so your organisation can contribute to the formal SDG progress next time the United Kingdom (or other nations you are based in) put themselves forward for review.
Imagine your organisation becoming a case study at the United Nations, for the rest of the world to see? That could be you.