Athalos supports UN calls for business to move from strategy to delivering on the Global Goals

United States of America

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 25 September 2019 — Organized today on the sidelines of the inaugural SDG Summit, the fourth annual SDG Business Forum convened business, Government, civil society and the United Nations to discuss concrete solutions to move from commitments to action to deliver on the Global Goals.

Co-hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and the United Nations Global Compact, the Forum — now in its fourth year — gathered nearly 600 stakeholders to dive deep into sustainable financing, the future of business and scaling ambition for a sustainable world.

In her keynote address, H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “The Global Goals have been gaining traction around the world, reflecting their universal nature. However, the bottom line is that we are still not on track. And the urgency of achieving the goals — of which ambitious climate action is a part — demands that we pick up the pace.”

“There is still time for us to get on track. And there is a very solid base for this optimism, including a committed global movement — including many of you in this room — ready to move to another level,” she added.

H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that there is still time to get the world back on track to delivering the Global Goals.

Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, echoed the Deputy Secretary-General’s call for urgent action, encouraging all stakeholders to consider ways in which they can step up efforts for a better future for all. “It is encouraging to see how the buy-in across Governments and stakeholders — including from business and industry for this universal agenda — remains strong. Yet, recent reports show that we are still far from achieving the SDGs at the global level, by their target year.”

Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, emphasized that being an impactful sustainable business means fully integrating sustainability into core business strategy.

The panel discussions during the SDG Business Forum focused on ways for companies to tangibly integrate the SDGs into their financing, operational processes and internal decision-making. Panelists also shared views on the changing landscape of business as it contends with global changes.

Paul Polman, SDG Advocate and Co-founder of Imagine, emphasized that the Global Goals provide a significant opportunity for responsible business.

Commenting after participating in the session, CEO & Co Founder of Athalos, Martijn van der Ven, said “The next decade should see us create a world that is more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous. In order to get there, We, all must adapt strategies now, smartly but quickly to deliver not only financial results, but positive social, inclusion and environmental outcomes as well. Building cross-sector connections with a focus on identifying and creating opportunities in which all financial and human capital flows advance our resources and enable more effective investing for the global good. This means new thinking, new products and new types of services to make society truly and wholly inclusive. It also means moving towards basing all of our key decisions around global impact and the SDGs, whether purchasing, developing a product, recruitment, establishing partnerships or supporting through CSR. So this session and these conversations are timely”.

Martijn van der Ven, Founder & CEO of Athalos, highlights setting the business barometer through the Global Goals.

Mr van der Ven further commented, “The barometer for us at Athalos is now impact and the SDGs and are doing enough to play our part in achieving the UN’s SDGs 2030Agenda. As a CEO, I have a responsibility to embrace this new wave of thinking and lead by example so I’ve already taken the charge in embedding the SDGs within our business to support the United Nations.

The SDG Business Forum was supported by the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Italian Republic along with the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, the International Organisation of Employers and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It took place on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.

About Athalos

We are committed to help world leaders achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Harnessing mobile for sustainable development involves applying innovation, resources and expertise to pursue the business opportunities inherent in building a greener, more equitable and inclusive society.

Our strategic plan focuses on supporting outreach and engagement for key areas including poverty alleviation, democratic governance and peace building, climate change and disaster risk, and economic inequality. Through our digital services, we provide support to governments to integrate the SDGs into their national development plans and policies, to businesses building stronger links and ties with their communities, start up companies delivering social impact and with charitable organizations and NGOs to reach a broader network of supporters and donors. This work is already underway, as we support many countries in accelerating progress already achieved under the Sustainable Development Goals, CSR and Donor outreach.

For more information, visit our website at www.athalos.com

Zubair Anwar-Bawany | Director Global Partnerships and Social Impact for Athalos B.V.| cell: +44 7821 430 264 | email: Martijn van der Ven e-mail zubair-csr@global-donation.org | PO Box 3040, 2130 KA Hoofddorp, The Netherlands I www.athalos.com