On behalf of the UK & Ireland PRME Chapter, Chair Alec Wersun has joined the leaders of more than 150 businesses and civil society organisations calling on the Prime Minister to use the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to create a socially just and green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the letter to Boris Johnson, the leaders said: "We recognise that we must work together to recover from the pandemic and build a better future where all people in the country have a good life on a healthy planet. The SDGs can help us to do this and there is already widespread support across UK society, including the business community, for the future the global goals define.
“We welcome your recent statement that we need a 'fairer, greener and more resilient global economy’ and to ‘build back better’ after the coronavirus crisis. We can use the global goals as the basis for a socially just and green recovery in the UK and abroad. The 17 Goals provide us with an internationally agreed framework, which also works at national, regional, and local levels, alongside and reinforcing existing plans and commitments.
The letter called on the Government to:
use the SDGs to unite all sectors behind a plan to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
use the SDGs to prioritise the most vulnerable in our society and level-up regional and societal inequalities.
use the SDGs to build coherent policies for a healthy planet and to aid the transition to net zero.
The letter goes on to state: "We must balance social and economic needs with the needs of our planet, protecting and managing nature and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. These goals do not have to be in conflict…. We recognise that the scale of recovery will pose many challenges for the Government. But the COVID-19 crisis has shown that businesses, government, and civil society can and will work together to create lasting and positive change."
The UK & Ireland PRME Regional Chapter is committed. The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDG pillars echo the UKI Chapter’s vision to realise the SDGs through responsible management education, and integrate the SDGs in to the curriculum, research and partnerships.
The letter was coordinated by the UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development and the UN Global Compact Network UK, to which the UK & Ireland PRME Regional Chapter are affiliated.