State of Play - Business & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

1 September 2015

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an inspiring and inclusive vision of the future: a world free from poverty, injustice and discrimination and a healthy planet for present and future generations. It also assumes a substantial contribution from business – and perhaps to a greater extent than has been officially acknowledged.

As the SDGs now move from pledges to practice, a much wider and better informed debate is needed on how business can add value to sustainable development in ways that ensure respect for human rights.

The third in IHRB's "State of Play" report series, this report seeks to contribute to this debate by offering analysis and recommendations for all actors involved in the SDGs process.

The report focuses on three broad challenges to implementation of the global goals:

  • Setting the terms of partnership in order to provide clarity and accountability
  • Delivering on the fast and sustained, but green and inclusive, growth envisioned
  • Finding the financial sums needed within the timeframes set