Building a better future through the COVID-19 recovery programmes
Today our Co-Chair Lord Jack McConnell has signed a letter calling on the Prime Minister to use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create a socially just and green recovery from Covid-19.
The letter, which has been coordinated by the UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD) and UN Global Compact UK, and signed by over 150 leaders from business, civil society and public life, recommends that the Government:
Use the SDGs to unite all sectors behind a plan to build a stronger and more resilient economy
Use the SDGs to prioritise the most vulnerable in our society and level-up regional and societal inequalities.
Use the SDGs to build coherent policies for a healthy planet and to aid the transition to net zero
We agree that the SDGs provide us with a ready-made, internationally agreed framework, which also works at national, regional and local levels. The framework also works alongside and reinforces existing plans and commitments. The SDGs enable Government to work cross-departmentally and with stakeholders to create programmes and policies that are coherent with the needs of our economy, society and environment both domestically and internationally.
In its immediate and longer-term response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK should champion and implement an approach to sustainable development that puts people and planet first, does not prioritise growth at the expense of the poorest countries and people, and is fully in accord with commitments made under the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
By using the SDGs as the framework for recovery, we will be able to build a healthier, greener and more equal world.