Global Compact Network India hosts its 15th National Convention
New Delhi, India, India
The following is an article submitted by Global Compact Network India.
NEW DELHI, India, 27 February 2021 — Global Compact Network India (GCNI), a local Network of the United Nations Global Compact, hosted its 15th National Convention virtually on February 4-5, 2021. The overlying theme for the convention focused on ‘Raising the SDG Ambition-Pathways for Sustainable Recovery and Growth”. The convention was graced by Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt of India, Mr. Shashi Shanker, CMD ONGC groups of companies and President, GCNI.
This National Convention of Global Compact Network India stands for collaborative efforts and solidarity where our leaders come together and exchange ideas for a better tomorrow. To step up in the Decade to Deliver, the convention had highly engaging and solution-driven sessions. The business leaders showcased their action plans for more significant action and came together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in time. The convention was attended by eminent personalities including CEOs, CXOs, Heads from the PSUs, Corporates, Academia, Civil Society Organizations and UN entities from across the world.
Mr. Shashi Shanker, CMD, ONGC Group of Companies and GCNI President, extended a warm welcome to all the guests, speakers and participants of the 15th edition of the National Convention. He said that this is the first time that Global Compact Network India is holding a virtual National Convention due to Covid and thanked the digital revolution accelerated by this pandemic. He shared that the Sustainable Development Goals were laid out to provide a comprehensive blueprint to achieve a better and sustainable future for all. "Raising the SDGs Ambition - Pathways and Growth", the theme that GCNI focused on, is a workable strategy that can help us bring positive changes in society, making our businesses more sustainable and societies liveable for our people. On sustainability narrative - Satark Bharat, Sanatan Bharat, sums up India’s commitment to a sustainable future as the country’s climate strategy emphasizes a clean and efficient energy system, resilient urban infrastructure and planned resilient efforts.
Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director at the United Nations Global Compact, gave a special address via video message and said “GCNI players from the businesses and non-businesses are the key participants in the Global effort to achieve sustainable development goals. Every participant has made a promise to adopt sustainable and responsible business policies, under the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact which talk about human rights, labour, environment and the fight against corruption. When companies integrate these principles across supply chains, they accelerate in achieving SDGs". Also, she mentioned that just two weeks ago, Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres announced the UNGC’s new strategic plan (2021-2023) which aims to accelerate business action on the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement underpinned by our 10 principles. The Government, Corporate, Civil Society organizations, Academia, as well as UN agencies, have to collaborate, coordinate, innovate and activate to successfully achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Ministry of Consumer Affairs for the Government of India, said during the Inaugural Session: “To achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, each country has to re-visit its own strategy and see how they can meet these targets. GCNI is indeed doing a wonderful job in contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, yet there is a need for collaborative efforts from all the sectors including Government and Private”.
Mr. Sumant Sinha, India’s First SDG Pioneer and ReNew Power CMD, said: “The concept of SDG Ambition needs to be understood by each sector and organization so that we can form a path to reach our goals. Now is the time to have a concrete plan and sustainable strategies to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs”.
Mr. Vishvesh Prabhakar, MD, Growth & Strategy-Sustainability at Accenture shared that: “The COVID-19 pandemic has further reversed the progress across most of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The report highlights the need for immediate action focused towards sustainable growth and the opportunity to reimagine a more equitable, inclusive and greener world”.
A variety of speakers including CMDs, CEOs, CXOs, Heads from the PSUs, Corporates, Academia, Civil Society Organizations, UN Agencies and experts from diverse sectors shared their insights and best practices for raising India’s SDGs Ambition.
The speakers included Dr. Uddesh Kohli Senior Advisor, UNGC , Mr. Vishvesh Prabhakar, MD – Growth & Strategy-Sustainability, Accenture , Mr. Suresh Narayanan, CMD, Nestle India, Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Former DG & CEO, IICA, Govt of India, Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Former DG & CEO, IICA, Govt of India, Mr. Siraj Chaudhary, MD & CEO, NCML, Dr. H Chaturvedi, Director, BIMTECH, Prof. Raj Nehru, Vice-Chancellor, Vishwakarma Skill Development University, Mr. Deepak Dwivedi, Chairman of the Board & Chief Editor, Dainik Bhaskar Group (Media), Mr. Dushyant Thakor, Vice President, Invest India, Mr. Pablo Varela, Programme Advisor, Global Operations, Young SDG Innovators, UNGC , Dr. Abha Rishi, CEO, Atal Incubation Centre & Chairperson, Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (CIED), BIMTECH, Ms. Achieng Ojwang, Executive Director, Global Compact Network South Africa, Mr. Anirban Ghosh, CSO, Mahindra Group, Ms. Divya Sharma, Executive Director, The Climate Group India, Mr. Abhay Nene, Director - Solutions, FM Logistic, Mr. Vidyut Mohan, CEO and Co-Founder Takachar, Winner of UNEP Earth Award 2020, Mr. Sandeep Roy Choudhury, Co- founder & Director, VNV Advisory Services, Mr. Vinod Pandey, Director – Government and External Affairs, CSR, BMW Group India, Mr. Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, Co-founder and CEO, Sattva Consulting, Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Ms. Naghma Mulla, President & COO, Edelgive Foundation
Ms. Roshika Singh, Senior Country Officer, India – IFC, Ms. Nandita Baruah, Country Representative – India, The Asia Foundation, Mr. Sundeep Singh, Principal Director – Strategy & Consulting, Accenture, Mr. Shankar Venkateswaran, Chairperson, Oxfam India and Dr. Alka Mittal, Director, HR, ONGC, Mr. Roshan Lal Tamak, Executive Director & CEO - Sugar Business, DCM Shriram Ltd., Mr. Shridhar Venkat, CEO, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Dr. Sunita Dube, Chairperson, The MedscapeIndia, Chairperson & Managing Trustee of Aryan Medical & Educational Trust and Mr. Sumant Sinha, India’s First SDG Pioneer and CMD, ReNew Power.
Speaking at the convention, Ms. Shabnam Siddiqui, Officiating Executive Director of the Global Compact Network India said that the theme of the convention put emphasis on the concrete actions that businesses and other stakeholders need to adopt in order to impact the SDGs and create economic value for the Nation. She quoted that “the Convention is a universal call for action that will set the stage for inclusivity and equitable growth. It will surely pave the path for sustainable recovery along with economic and social development with the help of the community of key and influential leaders”.
One year ago, we were not prepared for the Covid Pandemic even if we have been talking about it 15 years ago like H1NI, Ebola, SARS, etc. If we carry out good collaboration, create good systems to contain the outbreak and develop partnerships at the National and International levels to upscale our health capacity, it will prove beneficial; Health has to be given its due importance, we have to move out of silos. All the things that happened show that India has the capacity to take it forward, says Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS.
Energy storage for corporations is essential and they must concentrate on DISCOMs, providing green tariffs and reducing resistance, says Ms. Divya Sharma, Executive Director of The Climate Group India.
This is the time when Industries must talk about decarbonization, electric vehicles, afforestation, CSS, Energy sector reform and DISCOMs. E-vehicles prices must be competitive and DISCOMs must have a clean energy grid — this can help in driving decarbonization through energy sector reform and demand for clean energy, says Mr. Anirban Ghosh, CSO of Mahindra Group.
The world has talked a lot about the Sustainable Development Goals but this is the time for India to talk about SDGs literacy; this initiative will help us not only take our best efforts to the villages but also contribute directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals with an active engagement of all the sectors, says Mr. Deepak Dwivedi, Chairman of the Board & Chief Editor, Dainik Bhaskar Group.
Raising the SDGs Ambition — Pathways for Sustainable Recovery and Growth — is a very important subject and therefore private entities and Governments should come together on this subject. Achieving the 17 SDGs is an urgent call to action to all countries; Global Partnerships can help achieve the SDGs ambition, says Mr. Suresh Narayanan, CMD of Nestle India.
Some Learnings & Recommendations
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The MSME sector saw its work diminish by 35 percent. There was a huge digital gap in the business model structure as some were comfortable with the virtual/remote way of working but most were not. Digitalization is a big thing and with the growing importance of resilient infrastructure promoted by the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" campaign, we have to think of and reimagine business models to cope with challenges such as the Covid pandemic.
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Public-Private Partnerships had positive impacts at the State, National and Industry levels and MSME has become the backbone of India. Building the capacity of a more vulnerable ecosystem is important, whether it be the financial capacity or the digital capacity of ecosystems to strengthen and improve MSME.
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Investment in Healthcare, equipment and logistics, which became important during the Covid pandemic, gives a new perspective on the ecosystem from an infrastructure point of view.
Topics covered by the multiple plenaries and sessions on SDGs
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Commitment for Sustainable Recovery: Opportunities for socio-economic well-being and growth for the most vulnerable
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Young SDG Innovators Programme India Chapter: KICK OFF
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Flattening the climate curve – Driving decarbonization through energy sector reform and demand for clean energy
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Self-Reliant and Sustainable India: Opportunities to revitalize and grow 12 priority sectors
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Solving for widened poverty, hunger and health: The need now more than ever
Impact/Outcome of National Convention
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Over 2000 delegates from Government, Corporate, UN Agencies, Civil Society organizations and representatives from Academia and environmental agencies attended the Convention and benefitted from the insightful knowledge and experiences shared by the global leaders from different sectors.
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Special Session on Young SDG Innovators Programme -YSIP: India's Chapter Kick off.
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The launch of the GCNI-Accenture white paper on “Raising India’s SDG Ambition- Pathways for Sustainable Recovery and Growth” was a unique feature of the National Convention.
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The leaders from businesses, non-businesses and Governments showcased their best practices and a way forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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The Convention leveraged industry deep dives and leaders' insights to identify innovative solutions to drive SDG ambitions in the wake of business disruption caused by the Covid-19.
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Uncovered opportunities to drive self-reliant, resilient and sustainable economic growth.
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Discussions on how decarbonization, energy sector reforms and sustainable supply chains can drive the green economy.
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Discussions on how disruptive, tech-based business opportunities can accelerate India’s SDG ambition.
For more information please visit the GCNI National Convention link:
https://www.globalcompact.in/15th-national-convention/index.html
GCNI-Accenture White Paper on “Raising India’s SDG Ambition- Pathways for Sustainable Recovery and Growth: