This book seeks to revise and challenge the roles and traditional realms of influence that national and local governments, and businesses at a critical juncture in terms of achieving sustainable development, faces when tackling the dual challenges of climate change and post-COVID recovery. Using the broader lens of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the roles and responsibilities of each of these stakeholders and their relationships, the book offers policy, economic arguments, case studies and examples to argue that neither national or local governments, nor companies, could afford to deviate from the SDGs in the recovery from the current crisis, nor that the imperative of bold climate action should detract from the broader focus on sustainability. The analysis frames the debate of how a balance between people, planet, and profits can be achieved and how nations, regions and cities, and businesses, with their representative organizations, can achieve a sustainable recovery from the current global crisis, and contribute to climate smart, resilient and inclusive development.
Author(s): Mahmoud Mohieldin, Sameh Wahba, Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez, Miral Shehata
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 170
City: Cham
Contents
About the Authors
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 SDGs and the 2030 Agenda: On Crisis and Opportunity
Introduction: COVID-19 and Sustainable Development
From the MDGs to the SDGs
The Adoption of the SDGs and the Leading Role of National Governments
Reaching the Last-Mile and the Role of Local and Regional Governments
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Factors, SDGs, and the Role of the Business Sector
The SDGs, Resilience, and the Response to Crises
References
2 The Leading Role of National Governments in “Building Forward Better”
Introduction
Policy Frameworks and Effective Implementation
Policy Coherence and Horizontal Integration
Policy Coherence and Vertical Integration
Attracting the Private Sector
Balancing the Short Term and the Long Term
Dependable Data
Data Collection and Measurement
Data Governance Framework
Adequate Finance
The Varied Capacity for Crisis Response
COVID-19 Stimulus Packages and Climate Finance
Aligning Public Finance with the SDGs
Concluding Remarks
References
3 How Businesses Can Accelerate and Scale-Up SDG Implementation by Incorporating ESG into Their Strategies
Introduction
The Impact of Companies and the Pressure to Internalize Externalities
The Business Sector’s Motivation for Increased Adaptation of ESG Indicators
Have Corporations Been Successful in a Way Governments Have Not?
The Power of Business Alliances
The Challenge of Demonstrating Impact: Measuring and Disclosing Businesses’ Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts
SDGs as More Than Climate Action for Businesses
The Circular Economy
The Private Sector’s Role Reducing Inequalities and Ending All Forms of Poverty
Is the World at a Point of No Return?
The Business Case for Investing in Sustainable Development
Bridging the SDGs and ESG Indicators
The Only Social Responsibility of Business Is to Be Sustainable
Concluding Remarks
References
4 The Role of Local and Regional Governments in the SDGs: The Localization Agenda
Introduction
What Are LRGs’ Efforts Toward the Achievement of the SDGs?
Why Is the Involvement of LRGs Critical for the Achievement of the SDGs?
What Are the Main Issues Preventing Local and Regional Governments from Achieving the SDGs?
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Achievement of the SDGs and the Responses of LRGs
How Can LRGs Play a Meaningful Role Toward the Achievement of the SDGs?
What Are the Roles of Local Communities and CSOs in Localizing the SDGs?
Concluding Remarks
References
5 Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste
A Turning Point in History
Climate Action and Development as Mutually Unexclusive
The Importance of Collaboration and Coordination
The Necessity of Immediate Collaborative Action in Order to Build Forward Better
The Critical Leadership of National Governments for MultiStakeholder Delivery
Accountability Systems for the 2030 Agenda
Updating the Global Social Contract
References
Index
