SECTION NAME
Photo: Courtesy of Oliver Wyman
ACCELERATING SUSTAINABILITY
A brief overview of the Oliver Wyman report on the state of Sustainable Development Goals implementation
T
he Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs are a universal call to action to “end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.” The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals by 2030. According to the recently published Oliver Wyman report, countries in the GCC must accelerate their efforts if they are to meet the 2030 SDG targets. Titled ‘A Decade of Action: Delivering Sustainable Development Goals in the Gulf,’ the report looks at why SDGs are critical and why it is imperative for governments in the GCC region, with the active engagement of private enterprise, to strive to meet the goals in time. “The Gulf region is not any different, and progress in addressing these pressing challenges has been remarkably slow,” said Jeff Youssef, Public Sector Partner at Oliver Wyman. “Based on what we have witnessed so far, there is little chance the region’s economies will meet the 17 goals in time, and that will have serious socio-economic implications
24 MAR / APR 2020
across the region. There is no blanket solution to regional responses towards SDGs, but it is imperative that governments and private enterprises in the Gulf come together and accelerate their efforts to ensure a promising future for coming generations.” The Oliver Wyman Group is a New York-based global leader in management consulting with offices in 60 cities across 29 countries and employing more than 5,000 professionals. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, a global leader in insurance brokerage, risk management, talent management, investment advisory, and management consulting. According to the Oliver Wyman report, there are three significant hurdles facing the implementation of SDGs in Gulf countries. First, the institutions responsible for delivering the SDGs must realise that the goals cannot be achieved by government entities or states in an isolated manner. It must be done through a collaborative effort, both between different ministries and agencies in a state, and between states. The resulting implementation must also facilitate expertise sharing on issues such as climate change, depleting natural resources