9.1 The Sustainable Development Goals

Globally, there is growing attention on the environmental performance of organisations and their sustainability efforts, as well as the incorporation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their strategy.

The SDGs are a set of 17 goals, created by the United Nations in 2015, to enhance sustainable development globally. These goals can have significant implications for financial management as they provide a roadmap for creating a sustainable future.

By aligning financial decisions with the SDGs, organisations can contribute to achieving the goals, while also promoting financial stability and resilience. For example, investments in renewable energy can help to address climate change (SDG 13), while also creating new economic opportunities and enhancing sustainability (SDGs 8 and 11).

In addition to investment decisions, responsible financial reporting and accounting practices can help to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of financial resources, which is important for achieving many of the SDGs, such as SDG 16.

Overall, the SDGs provide a framework that can be useful for integrating sustainability into financial decision making, which can help to create a more just, equitable and sustainable future for all.

If you are interested in reading more about this, take a look at the UN’s Global Compact [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] website and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.