The Financial Sector as Stewards for the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The best of times, the worst of times:

As in Charles Dickens’ novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, we seem to be living in “the best of times and the worst of times”, with hopefully “resurrection” (after the 1789 French Revolution though) or, in current jargon, societal, economic, technological “transformation”, fitting a modern, inclusive, just, prosperous, fair, peaceful world.

Social justice, nature conservation and economic fairness are essential elements for “the world we want”, as articulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs) for the period 2015-2030. With its 17 Goals, 169 targets and 234+ indicators it is, together with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Addis Action Agenda on Financing for Development, a powerful, global, universal driver for positive change, “leaving no one behind”, “from us all, by us all for us all”.