Almost a year ago, the world’s governments came together and made a commitment that will profoundly shape the future of our planet. It was an unprecedented collaborative process, a historic moment of global consensus that could go down as one of the greatest single acts of collective action in history. And chances are you have never heard of it.
It's called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it is a battle plan for planet earth.
The SDGs are 17 goals designed by the United Nations to “end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change by 2030.” They are both a vision and a plan for improved quality of life on earth. With 17 goals, 169 targets and 230 indicators the SDGs are already a remarkable diplomatic achievement for the 180 countries that have signed on, especially when viewed against the complexity of challenges each of these countries face within their own borders.
The goals are truly global, applying to rich and poor countries alike. This is not a case of rich countries telling poor countries what they should do. This is the world telling itself: We are all in this together, we are more interdependent than we have realized and we can only solve our challenges with a focused plan that keeps everyone accountable.
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The goals discuss key pathologies that afflict our planet:
- the low status of women in the world (SDG#5)
- disrespect for human rights and dignity (SDG#10);
- economic instability (SDG#8);
- climate change (SDG #13);
- basic infrastructure needs like clean water (SDG#6);
- and energy access (SDG#7).
More than a litany of problems to be solved, the goals represent a clarion call for unity and resolve in addressing challenges that affect us all. They identify ways to address the conditions that have allowed resentment and hopelessness to fester. They are reasonable, comprehensive, inclusive and achievable. They are also our only global plan. For these reasons, they must be vigorously pursued.
Most observers agree that the previous approach of embracing the UN’s goals - convincing governments to pony up the requested funds - is no longer sufficient. Governments across the globe are financially stressed, and calls for new global taxing regimes have been political non-starters. Even if leaders could come up with the funds, we are not going to win this war by spending money the old fashioned way through top-down plans. Instead, we must create the conditions that unleash human ingenuity and empower changemaking.
The Power of Social Entrepreneurs
I believe that entrepreneurs are the key to unlocking this potential and in particular, social entrepreneurs who are intentional about applying the toolkit of entrepreneurship to solving problems. The ultimate struggle for a better world will be won based on our ability to build new operating systems that can better allocate social, financial and human capital resources to focus on the goals.
One of these new operating systems must be focused on increasing the agency of social entrepreneurs working to solve the goals.
These entrepreneurs, whether they work in small start-ups or NGOs, or as intrapreneurs in government institutions, foundations and large corporations, will be key to creating the innovations and partnerships that will enable us to reach these goals in a resource-constrained world.
To unlock our entrepreneurial potential, we must build and strengthen ecosystems that allow information, resources and trust to flow among the diverse groups that are mobilizing to address the goals. If we do this, we can better align incentives to form durable and strategic partnerships that address the goals with less waste in time and money. Many organizations born in the 21st century already see themselves as vibrant networks that institutionalize co-creation, and that can channel passion and resources into action.
Currently, we devote significant resources to building public markets to support private interests. The same support needs to be given to public markets that support the public interest of the SDGs. Global leadership for the next 15 years will be about meeting the SDGs. We must embrace them as the clearest articulation of our common humanity and common destiny.
Governments that can collaborate with the private sector and civil society groups to support investors and entrepreneurs working on these goals will earn the respect of the world and improve the lives of their own citizens. This is what leadership means today - advancing relentlessly in our global battle plan to achieve the 17 SDGs by 2030.
Ben Powell is an Ashoka Fellow and the founder and CEO of Agora Partnerships, a nonprofit organization working to accelerate the shift to a sustainable and inclusive economy through entrepreneurship.
