Challenges and opportunities for the compliance of the 2030 Agenda
The year 2023 marks the halfway point established by the United Nations Members to comply with the 2030 Agenda, which seeks to build an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable world. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent major challenges for all the actors involved in their fulfillment, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has empowered many of them.
One of the social indicators with the greatest impact after the arrival of the pandemic was the increase in poverty worldwide. The United Nations estimated that 93 million people around the world entered the category of extreme poverty, while by the end of 2022, approximately 95 million more people could be in this condition.
Likewise, it reported an increase from 3.3 to 3.6 billion people living in situations highly vulnerable to climate change, which is why international guidelines have been established regarding the actions that all sectors must follow to achieve more sustainable nations worldwide.
In this context, the participation of the private sector becomes fundamental to face the common challenges of today's society. If companies align their business strategies with the SDGs, they can have a positive impact on sustainable development, with special emphasis on poverty, health, education, climate change and environmental care.
However, adhering to the 17 SDGs is not enough. The actions of the private enterprise must be added to those of the different levels of government and civil society, as well as the different workers' organizations, including unions, universities, academia and other relevant actors, in search of comprehensive solutions to the challenges facing society at the global, national and regional levels.
An example of the benefits of joint work between two actors is the Public-Private Partnership (PPP/P3), which integrates resources from both the public and private sectors, encourages citizen participation, and prioritizes social and environmental factors in order to finance and develop comprehensive, high-impact, long-term projects.
Given its effectiveness, at Marhnos we develop infrastructure projects under this scheme (P3) to contribute to the construction of well-being in the communities where we operate, through sectors such as education and public health, guaranteeing access to fundamental rights in Mexico and Peru, as well as promoting the economic development of cities and communities through road connectivity in Mexico and Guatemala.
At the halfway point for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, cooperation between governments, private initiative and civil society has become a priority. Only working together, through strategic alliances, with common objectives, will generate solutions to the greatest challenges to build a sustainable world, with a dignified life and opportunities for all.
