Later today (25 September), the United Nations will adopt 17 Global Goals to end extreme poverty and build a better world by 2030.
Earlier this week, I took part in an event hosted by Standard Chartered Bank in Brunei to publicise the Global Goals – also called the Sustainable Development Goals. Visiting humanitarian advocate d’Arcy Lunn described the impact achieving these new goals would have on eradicating poverty and improving global health. It was great to see Standard Chartered taking a business lead in raising awareness of the Global Goals among its employees, clients and its many external stakeholders. The Bank – well known for its corporate social responsibility initiatives – is running this campaign globally.
The Global Goals build on the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in 2000. Both the UK and Brunei were strong supporters of the MDGs which have helped to halve poverty and improve living standards around the world over the past 15 years.
The Global Goals follow 2 years of worldwide discussion, led by a United Nations high level panel co-chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron. As a major international donor – we commit 0.7% of our national income each year to aid and development – the UK will be working to deliver results in innovative ways, involving our health service, the private sector and a range of government departments, particularly the Department for International Development.
Image credit: Borneo Bulletin
For more information on the Global Goals visit www.globalgoals.org