Sustainable Development Goals should be at the forefront of UK's post COVID-19 recovery

by Startacus Admin

PM called on to place Sustainable Development Goals at the forefront of UK's post COVID-19 recovery

This week UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD) and UN Global Compact UK Network sent a letter to the Prime Minister on behalf of Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, equal rights campaigner Dr Mya-Rose Craig, sustainability leader Paul Polman, and over 100 renowned companies, charities, universities, and trade associations calling on the Government to ensure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of UK Covid-19 recovery plans. 

Echoing the Black Lives Matter protests across the country, the letter sends a powerful message to Number 10 emphasising the need to level-up regional and societal inequalities and states ‘we do not need to reinvent frameworks or agreements, we can instead use the global goals as the basis for a socially just and green recovery in the UK and abroad’.

Signatories to the letter include: leaders of Natwest Group, Nestle UK & Ireland, WPP, Linklaters, DLA Piper, The Body Shop, Diageo, SSE, HSBC, Standard Life Aberdeen, Scottish Power, Mott MacDonald and Unilever.

The letter asks that the SDGs be used ‘used to consolidate and future-proof [recovery] plans’ and goes on to recommend that they are used to:

1. Prioritise the most vulnerable in our society and level-up regional and societal inequalities

2. Build coherent policies for a healthy planet and to aid the transition to net zero

3. Unite all sectors behind a plan to build a stronger and more resilient economy

Alison Rose, Chief Executive of the Natwest Group said: "The coronavirus pandemic is having an enduring impact on the way we live our lives and on our economy. But it also gives us an opportunity to address deep-rooted inequality and to level-up prosperity across the UK and make sure that nobody is left behind. Doing nothing to address these issues is no longer an option.

Now is our opportunity to embrace the transition to a low carbon economy, which in turn will unlock job opportunities in all parts of the UK and put us on a path to meet our net zero commitments."

"As a business, our purpose is deliberately aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, because they set the benchmark of a world we should all try to create for people and the planet. We are committed to championing the potential of people, families and businesses throughout the country so that the communities we serve can thrive."

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Published on: 10th June 2020