For Investors: What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
Contributors
ver the last few decades, the United Nations and countries around the world have worked hand in hand to develop sustainable strategies aimed at tackling many of our world’s greatest challenges – health and education, inequality, climate change, pollution, poverty, and economic growth.
Fast forward to 2015 at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in NYC, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was born, outlining what we now know as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals or “SDGs.” At their core, the SDGs are a playbook through which we can align ourselves in an effort supportive to a sustainable future.
In total, there are 17 Goals with specific key targets and milestones to measure progress. For example, SDG #6 – the goal here is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
There are billions of people worldwide that do not have access to clean water and proper sanitation. While many of us wake up and brush our teeth with clean tap water, wash dishes with faucet water and give no thought to the sewage system every time we flush the toilet, this degree of ease is not the case everywhere. To address such a life critical challenge, this specific SDG is a call to action across the world to improve waste management, water usage, and sanitation. Of course, much of this improvement needs to happen at the government level with policy change. But, as our population continues to grow, the need for access to clean water and sanitation becomes more and more imperative.
The last SDG, #17, is about strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development. Currently, worldwide challenges we face are just that – worldwide. We are not insulated from the challenges that underdeveloped or developing countries face. Here in the United State, there are communities that do not have proper access to clean water and sanitation either. This is a global issue that deserves global attention. This final SDG is simply about creating greater interconnected resources and partnerships to ensure our world collaboratively addresses the severity of what we face. This isn’t just a subject that might of interest to ESG investors or investor in general, but everyone that is concerned about doing right for the world and business.
For more information on the 17 SDGs, you can visit the United Nations SDGs site.
Vahanian & Associates (“Vahanian”) created this presentation for its website. Any other distribution of this presentation is strictly prohibited. While the content presented is believed to be factual and up to date, it is based on information obtained from a variety of sources. Vahanian believes this information is reliable, however, it has not necessarily been independently verified. Vahanian does not guarantee the complete accuracy of all data in this blog post, and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of Vahanian as of the date of publication and are subject to change. This blog post does not constitute personalized advice from Vahanian or its affiliated investment professionals, or a solicitation to execute specific securities transactions. Vahanian is not a law firm and does not intend for any content to be construed as legal advice. Readers should not use any of this content as the sole basis for any investment, financial planning, tax, legal or other decisions. Rather, Vahanian recommends that readers consult Vahanian and their other professional advisers (including their lawyers and accountants) and consider independent due diligence before implementing any of the options directly or indirectly referenced in this blog post.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss, and different investments and types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. There can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, including those undertaken or recommended by Vahanian, will be profitable or equal any historical performance level. Any index performance data directly or indirectly referenced in this blog post is based on data from the respective copyright holders, trademark holders, or publication/distribution right owners of each index. The indexes do not reflect the deduction of transaction fees, custodial charges, or management fees, which would decrease historical performance results. Indexes are unmanaged, and investors cannot invest directly in an index.
