17 October 2017
2030 Vision Partnership Will Advance Use of Digital Technology in SDGs
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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The UN Global Compact has released a publication that summarizes opportunities and challenges for digital technology to advance the SDGs.

The report presents the 2030 Vision partnership, which will connect businesses, NGOs and governments with the technology and expertise necessary to realize the SDGs.

In 2017, the partnership will address themes related to health; food and agriculture; and transport, infrastructure and logistics.

October 2017: The UN Global Compact has released a publication that presents a vision for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of digital technology. The report summarizes opportunities and challenges for digital technology to advance the SDGs, and discusses the 2030 Vision partnership to be formally launched in December 2017.

The report, titled ‘Uniting to Deliver Technology for the Global Goals: 2030 Vision,’ contends that digital technology will play a critical role in helping to realize the SDGs. The report highlights analysis from the Global e-Sustainability Initiative and Accenture showing that digital technology could generate US$2.1 trillion additional annual revenue in 2030 from solutions with a positive impact on the SDGs, which will require deployment of digital technologies to address crucial human needs, such as health and energy.

2030 Vision will serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration to better understand digital technology’s potential to advance the SDGs.

The report explains that, while digital technology is already supporting democratized and decentralized access to energy, finance and education, the scale of the impact these technologies could have on production, employment, health and prosperity is not yet fully understood. Thus, 2030Vision will serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration in order to better understand digital technology’s potential to advance the SDGs and further the technology sector’s role in supporting the efforts of other industries to do the same. In this regard, the report underscores the importance of: private sector collaboration and innovation; further deployment of digital solutions across such sectors as healthcare, agriculture, logistics, energy, finance and education; putting in place the necessary electricity and connectivity for such technology; and cross-sector dialogue on the opportunities and risks of such technologies.

Each year, 2030 Vision will focus on a selection of themes that support the SDGs. In 2017, the themes are: health, which will help realize SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing) and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), among others; food and agriculture, which will contribute to SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 15 (life on land), among others; and transport, infrastructure and logistics, which will help achieve, inter alia, SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).

2030 Vision is a partnership that connects businesses, NGOs and governments with the technology and expertise necessary to realize the SDGs. Founded and chaired by Arm Holdings, a semiconductor and software design company, 2030 Vision is a partnership that includes the UN Global Compact, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the British Council, the New York Academy of Sciences and others. [Publication Landing Page] [Publication: Uniting to Deliver Technology for the Global Goals: 2030Vision]

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