DAVAO CITY — Private businesses, now more than ever, were asked to step up in their role to help solve societal issues, a leader from the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) said during a sustainability event organized by Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower).
Neha Das, a UNGC senior manager for global operations in Asia and Oceania, explained that while there is significant progress from the business community, there is still a long way to go to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“Everybody needs to come together to achieve the SDGs. It’s not just the government or private sector’s responsibility. We have all to pitch in,” Das stated in her speech on the latest episode of AboitizPower’s #BetterTogether sustainability series.
The series aims to raise awareness of the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) challenges and encourage conversations and actions for more sustainable practices within the company. The latest episode, viewed by over 200 AboitizPower employees and leaders, sought to emphasize and further understand the impact of attaining the SDGs and the collective action needed to advance sustainability.
In her talk, Das also provided an overview of the SDGs and emphasized how the 17 goals belong to everyone in helping resolve the world’s social, environmental, and economic inequalities.
The UNGC aims to advance the global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders in creating a better future for all. This is being done by supporting companies to do business responsibly within their strategies and operations, with a strong emphasis on collaboration to help accelerate the global SDGs.
The 2030 global agenda represents a comprehensive lens to provide businesses with a clearer path for inclusive and sustainable development that should be embedded in every aspect of their operations and programs. To propel the global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create a better future for everyone, the UNGC intends to help companies understand and promote how responsible business should be within a national context.
According to Das, big companies having sustainability policies is not enough as the supply chain also impacts the world.
“Now we have to take action also extended to our companies, take it to our stakeholders, take it to our peers, and take it to our supply chains,” she added, as she urged businesses to “work together and enable the scale of the actions.”
Companies can bring value by delivering sustainable and measurable impact to the world’s ongoing challenges. The first step is for businesses to make a dent in specific goals connected most closely to their sector.
AboitizPower President and Chief Executive Officer Manny Rubio shared that as one of the country’s leading energy providers, the three goals the company can deliver the most significant impact on are SDGs 7, 10, and 11. He identified SDG 7, which seeks to ensure affordable and clean energy, as closest to the company’s heart.
“We remain committed to our growth strategy and already have 1,000 MW of disclosed projects,” Rubio said. “Most importantly, through our distribution utilities’ sitio electrification programs, we want to light up the entirety of our franchise areas and provide much-needed electricity to every household.”
