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Subscribe to access the latest contracting opportunities from international development projects, now with an annual financing volume exceeding $200 billion. These opportunities are financed by Multilateral Development Banks, aid agencies, government organizations, other International Financial Institutions, and select United Nations entities.

We aggregate information from these sources and publish a wide variety of procurement announcements, contract awards and notification of early project information in the development arena. Our advanced search features and email alerts facilitate our subscribers’ timely and easy access to business leads in one platform.  

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Global Goals for people and planet

The Sustainable Development Goals provide a powerful aspiration for improving our world — laying out where we collectively need to go and how to get there.

The SDGs Explained for Business

In September 2015, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better future for all — laying out a path over the next 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. At the heart of “Agenda 2030” are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which clearly define the world we want — applying to all nations and leaving no one behind.

The new Global Goals result from a process that has been more inclusive than ever, with Governments involving business, civil society and citizens from the outset. We are all in agreement on where the world needs to go. Fulfilling these ambitions will take an unprecedented effort by all sectors in society — and business has to play a very important role in the process.

More about Sustainable Development

All Companies Can Play a Role

No matter how large or small, and regardless of their industry, all companies can contribute to the SDGs. While the scale and scope of the global goals is unprecedented, the fundamental ways that business can contribute remain unchanged. The UN Global Compact asks companies to first do business responsibly and then pursue opportunities to solve societal challenges through business innovation and collaboration.

Global challenges – ranging from climate, water and food crises, to poverty, conflict and inequality – are in need of solutions that the private sector can deliver, representing a large and growing market for business innovation. In the rush to transform business models and systems for the future, integrity and values will have a huge role to play. For companies wanting to advance the SDG agenda, the job starts by acting responsibly – incorporating the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact widely into strategies and operations, and understanding that good practices or innovation in one area cannot make up for doing harm in another.

See What You Can Do

How the UN Global Compact Helps

Through our Making Global Goals Local Business campaign, we are spreading the word that companies that do business responsibly and find opportunities to innovate around sustainability will be the business leaders of tomorrow. To move from awareness to action, the UN Global Compact offers participants an extensive toolbox including next-generation solutions platforms , an online UN Business Action Hub and resources that will help your business take action to achieve the SDGs.

While the SDGs are universal, they will very much be addressed at the national level. As countries establish and enact national plans for achieving the SDGs, the Global Compact’s Local Networks in over 85 countries provide the platform for business to engage with stakeholders from Government, the UN, civil society and communities to map a shared approach.

Join the UN Global Compact

From our Library

Making Global Goals Local Business: Responsible business in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact 2018 Toolbox

The SDG Compass

THE 17 GOALS

Publications

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Do you know all 17 SDGs?

Implementation Progress

Sdgs icons. downloads and guidelines, the 17 goals.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,  adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, including the  UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

• In June 1992, at the  Earth Summit  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted  Agenda 21 , a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.
• Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the  Millennium Summit  in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.
• The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the  World Summit on Sustainable Development  in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitments to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.
• At the  United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, Member States adopted the outcome document  "The Future We Want"  in which they decided, inter alia, to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs to build upon the MDGs and to establish the  UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development . The Rio +20 outcome also contained other measures for implementing sustainable development, including mandates for future programmes of work in development financing, small island developing states and more.
• In 2013, the General Assembly set up a 30-member  Open Working Group  to develop a proposal on the SDGs.
• In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process on the  post-2015 development agenda . The process culminated in the subsequent adoption of the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , with  17 SDGs  at its core, at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in September 2015.
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction  (March 2015)
• Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development  (July 2015)
• Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  with its 17 SDGs was adopted at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in New York in September 2015.
• Paris Agreement on Climate Change  (December 2015)
• Now, the annual  High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development  serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.

Today, the  Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)  in the United Nations  Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)  provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including  water ,  energy ,  climate ,  oceans ,  urbanization ,  transport ,  science and technology , the  Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) ,  partnerships  and  Small Island Developing States . DSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.

Follow DSDG on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/sustdev  and on Twitter at  @SustDev .

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Every year, the UN Secretary General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

Please, check below information about the SDG Progress Report:

• SDG Progress Report (2023)
• SDG Progress Report (2022)
• SDG Progress Report (2021)
• SDG Progress Report (2020)
• SDG Progress Report (2019)
• SDG Progress Report (2018)
• SDG Progress Report (2017)
• SDG Progress Report (2016)

Please, check here for information about SDG indicators and reports: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs#

Additionally, the Global Sustainable Development Report is produced once every four years to inform the quadrennial SDG review deliberations at the General Assembly. It is written by an Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General.

• Global Sustainable Development Report (2019)
• Global Sustainable Development Report (2023)

SDGs Icons. Downloads and guidelines.

• Download SDGs icons according to guidelines at this link .
• Please send inquiries to: United Nations Department of Global Communications

Browse through the Interactive 2024 Report of the UN Sustainable Development Group

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Business Innovations Group Update Nine

The Business Innovations Strategic Results Group (BIG) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group is tasked with delivering and building on the Secretary-General’s UN Reform targets and proposals, that seek to maximize programmatic gains through efficient and high-quality back-office operations. This BIG Update 9 is provided to keep UN staff and leadership informed of the progress and next steps towards jointly delivering the envisioned benefits of co-location and common operations in UN country teams (UNCTs).

Previous Updates and background are now available here .

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This report published in conjunction with Harvard's Kennedy School and Business Fights Poverty , entitled,  Business and the United Nations: Working together towards the Sustainable Development Goals: A Framework for Action  outlines the business and development case for increased UN business engagement as well as recommendations on the ways that the UN can work more effectively on this shared imperative.

There is a renewed emphasis across the United Nations on partnering with responsible businesses to deliver sustainable development on the ground. This report offers fresh perspectives on a variety of topics including improving the climate for partnership design, co-creation, combining complementary skills, and developing solutions to harness the full potential of what business can bring to the development table.

This publication focuses on insight and best practices culled from interviews with business leaders which are designed to help both the private sector, the UN, and other practitioners learn from each other. These business leaders represent a selected group of companies from several regions of the world and a variety of industries that are part of the SDG Fund Private Sector Advisory Group .

The report is divided into three chapters:

• Executive Summary and Imperative for Action
• The Framework for Action
• Agenda for Action

For more information on partnerships with the SDG Fund, please contact Teresa Burelli ( teresa.burelli [at] undp.org ).

Below is a collection of company case examples and perspectives from members of the SDG Fund’s Private Sector Advisory Group.

Ardilla Lulle

BBVA Microfinance

Sahara Group

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Below you can find some reports, books, articles, toolkits and websites that can provide insight on the role of business in sustainable development and its engagement in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Books and articles

Christina Gradl and Beth Jenkins (2011): From Inclusive Business Models to Inclusive Business Ecosystems. CSR Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School. Sets out strategies and structures for strengthening inclusive business ecosystems, looking at over 170 cases. http://snipbfp.org/1h92uYm

Jane Nelson, Beth Jenkins and Richard Gilbert (2015). Business and the Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Success at Scale. Business Fights Poverty and Harvard Kennedy School’s CSR Initiative. Looks at critical enabling conditions that must be in place to align business incentives and capabilities in favour of success at scale. http://snipbfp.org/1LOOkZZ

Jane Nelson (2002). Building Partnerships: Cooperation between the United Nations System and the Private Sector. United Nations and Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum. Reviews the obstacles and opportunities of cooperation between the UN system and business, including over 150 examples. http://snipbfp.org/1PdJPcL

Jane Nelson (1996). Business as Partners in Development: Creating Wealth for Countries, Companies, and Communities. United Nations, World Bank and Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum. Sets out a framework for the role businesses can play as partners in development, through core business activities, philanthropy and engagement in policy dialogue. http://snipbfp.org/1ORicXx

Michael Porter, Greg Hills, Marc Pfitzer, Sonja Patscheke and Elizabeth Hawkins (2012). Measuring Shared Value: How to Unlock Value by Linking Social and Business Results. FSG. Illuminates how companies can use measurement to unlock additional value for their business and society. http://snipbfp.org/1PYNmJS

UN (2015). The Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development. Sets out a global framework for financing the SDGs. http://snipbfp.org/1LuoKJt

UNDP (2009). Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor. Provides strategies to overcome common obstacles to providing business opportunities in low income communities. http://snipbfp.org/1VzbggQ

UNDP (2004). Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor. Report by Commission on the Private Sector and Development. Makes recommendations to spur entrepreneurial ventures to serve and employ low-income people. http://snipbfp.org/1M9X34Y

UNIDO and UN Global Compact (2014). Engaging with the Private Sector in the Post-2015 . Agenda Summary of consultations held in 20 countries throughout 2014. http://snipbfp.org/1LrxAt7

UN Global Compact LEAD Task Force on UN-Business Partnerships (2011). Catalyzing Transformational Partnerships between the United Nations and Business. Reviews the recent history of such partnerships, and makes recommendations for enhancing their effectiveness and scale. http://snipbfp.org/1jvyby7

World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks (2015). From Billions to Trillions. Outlines a vision by the development banks for supporting and financing achievement of the SDGs, including by mobilising private investment. http://snipbfp.org/1k5yorI

World Economic Forum, Harvard Kennedy School and Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (2005). Partnering for Success: Business Perspectives on Multistakeholder Partnerships. Focuses on innovative partnership approaches between companies, government bodies and civil society organisations to address key development challenges. http://snipbfp.org/1iX5lFX

Peter Diamandis (2015). Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World. Discusses how advancing technologies and bold entrepreneurs offer the potential to tackle major global challenges at scale. http://diamandis.com/bold

David Elkington (2008). The Power of Unreasonable People. Identifies unconventional entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world’s most pressing economic, social and environmental problems. http://snipbfp.org/1MTn3nP

David Grayson (2014). Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz. Explores how highly creative social innovators are improvising alliances across, as well as beyond, their companies to produce products and services for poor segments of society. http://snipbfp.org/1M9Xmg6

David Grayson and Jane Nelson (2013). Corporate Responsibility Coalitions: The past, present and future of alliances for sustainable capitalism. Provides an overview of business-led coalitions at the global and national level or focused on a specific industry sector or issue dedicated to scaling up responsible business practices and development impact. http://snipbfp.org/1OCko5s

Michael Porter and Mark Kramer (2011). Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review article arguing that companies need to redefine their purpose as creating “shared value” — generating economic value in a way that also produces value for society. http://snipbfp.org/1L9hvCa

C.K. Prahalad (2004). Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Explores the growing markets and entrepreneurial opportunities found among the billions at the base of the economic pyramid. http://snipbfp.org/1OglHH9

Erik Simanis and Duncan Duke (2014). Profits at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Harvard Business Review article examining why many multinationals’ projects to address social issues fail to make profit. It argues two key challenges are underestimated: changing consumers’ behaviour and changing the way products are made and delivered. http://snipbfp.org/1KoWplT

Andy Wales, Matthew Gorman and Dunstan Hope (2010). Big Business, Big Responsibilities: From Villains to Visionaries: How Companies are Tackling the World’s Greatest Challenges. Shares how the world’s best known brands are contributing to international development, not as philanthropy but as a core part of business strategy. http://snipbfp.org/1hjG4od

GRI, UN Global Compact and WBCSD (2015). SDG Compass: The Guide for Business Action on the SDGs. Explains the SDGs and how they affect business, outlining tools and knowledge to put sustainable ways of working at the core of business. http://sdgcompass.org/

Jane Nelson and Dave Prescott (2008). Business and the Millennium Development Goals: A Framework for Action. Provides a framework for how companies and business coalitions can work with the UN, governments and civil society to help achieve the MDGs. http://snipbfp.org/1PdNIOR

Seres (2012). Impact Measurement Tools. Enables companies to measure the value of social responsibility in their organisations to allow better targeting of activities and evaluation of results in socio-economic terms. http://fundacionseres.org

WBCSD (2008). Measuring Socio-Economic Impact: A Guide for Business. Helps companies understand their contribution to society in order to inform operational and investment decisions, and conversations with stakeholders. http://snipbfp.org/1Z1y0uj

UN Global Compact and Oxfam Poverty Footprint Tool: An assessment tool that takes a people-centered approach to look at business impacts (both positive and negative) on the multi-dimensional aspects of poverty. http://snipbfp.org/1k5xDPm

Business Call to Action: Launched by the UN in 2008, showcases commitments of member companies to advance core business activities that are inclusive of poor populations and contribute to the SDGs. http://businesscalltoaction.org

Business Fights Poverty: The world’s largest online practitioner community on business and international development sharing the latest peer-to-peer insights on harnessing business for social impact, including a dedicated zone on the SDGs. http://businessfightspoverty.org

Business for 2030: An initiative of the United States Council for International Business, showcasing business’ past and continuing contributions to sustainable development through the prism of the SDGs. http://businessfor2030.org

Global Business Alliance for Post-2015: Composed of major international private sector organisations, setting out private sector messages on the SDGs. http://gbaforpost2015.org

The Partnering Initiative: An independent non-profit dedicated to driving cross-sectoral collaboration for a sustainable future, providing training, tools and publications on how to build effective partnerships. http://thepartneringinitiative.org/

UN-Business Action Hub: A platform, developed by the UN Global Compact Global Hand and 20 UN agencies, to foster greater collaboration between business and the UN to advance UN objectives and the SDGs. https://business.un.org

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Advances knowledge, practice and collaboration between forward-thinking companies and the UN to solve today’s toughest global challenges.

The UN recognizes that the private sector is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Similarly, corporations are expanding their sustainability leadership and aligning their business models with the new SDG Agenda. Collaboration across sectors is more critical than ever and BCUN is, alongside UN entities such as the UN Global Compact, a unique facilitator for corporate engagement at the UN and on the SDGs.

Bcun members receive targeted opportunities to connect with the un network and contribute their expertise and perspectives. members participate in substantive dialogue with un and un foundation leaders, as well as the diplomatic and expert community about major global priorities – including climate, global health, gender equality, the role of technology and global cooperation. bcun works to ensure that private sector voices and perspectives are represented in a timely manner at significant un-led policy initiatives, including high-level panels and high-level meetings of the un general assembly. and members enjoy visibility opportunities for their sustainability leadership at key meetings and events., “without the private sector we will not have the necessary innovation, we will not have the necessary capacity to discover new markets, new products, new services and to be able to develop new areas in the economy. without the private sector, we will not create enough jobs, we will not bring enough dynamism and stability to the societies that need to be enhanced with the implementation of the sustainable development goals. ”.

— ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL

Fifth edition of the LDC Handbook published

The Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category contains comprehensive and authoritative information on criteria defining the category, graduation procedures, and international support measures for LDCs. This revised edition reflects recent developments in the LDC category, including refinements to the LDC criteria and the progress of several countries towards graduation from the category. Moreover, it contains updated information on international support measures, including on “smooth transition” provisions for countries graduating from the LDC category The Handbook, prepared by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), is intended for government officials, policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders interested in the LDC category.

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Global economic growth improves but ‘downsides’ lurk

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The global economic picture has improved since January, but vulnerabilities remain, the mid-year update of the World Economic Situation and Prospects report published on Thursday has revealed.

The world economy is forecast to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2024, up from 2.4 per cent projected at the start of the year. Growth will reach 2.8 per cent in 2025, representing a slight increase.

These changes are mainly due to better-than-expected performance in some large developed and emerging countries, notably Brazil, India, Russia and the United States.

Inflation down, wages up 

Inflation is also down from the 2023 peak, said Shantanu Mukherjee of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), presenting the report to journalists in New York. 

“In developed countries, tight labour markets are seeing wage increases for some parts of the population and also drawing people into the labor force, which is important,” he added. 

However, the outlook is only cautiously optimistic in the face of higher-for-longer interest rates, debt sustainability risks and continuing geopolitical tensions.  

Islands at risk 

Ever-worsening climate shocks are also a challenge, threatening decades of development gains, especially for the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). 

Even though prospects for SIDS are being revised upwards to about 3.3 per cent each year, Mr. Mukherjee said this is still below the pre-pandemic average, meaning that “lost ground is still not being made up.”  

In the case of Africa and LDCs in general, prospects are revised downward to about 3.3 per cent growth in 2024. 

Concern for the continent  

“This is particularly worrying because Africa is home to about 430 million living in extreme poverty and close to 40 per cent share of the global undernourished population,” he explained. Furthermore, two-thirds of the high inflation countries listed in the report are on the continent. 

“At the same time, cause for concern is that African governments’ room to maneuver is also shrinking,” he continued. 

“In 2024, over a quarter of public revenues on average in this continent went towards interest payments. That's again about 10 percentage points more than the average over the years immediately preceding the pandemic.” 

For developing countries, on average, the debt situation is not as dire, but he was concerned that investment growth continues to fall. 

These “downsides” are further compounded by risks such as inflation, which is both a symptom of the underlying fragility and a concern on its own. 

Break the ‘resource curse’ 

The report also contains a special section on critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper, that are essential for the transition to clean energy. 

Countries that possess these resources will, however, need smart policies, as well as effective implementation capacities to reap the benefits. 

Mineral-sector driven grown has in the past often been associated with environmental damage, stunted development of other sectors, poverty, conflict and other adverse outcomes collectively known as the “resource curse”. 

“It is imperative for developing countries to design and implement well-targeted and timely economic, social, and environmental policies to optimize the benefits of their critical minerals endowments and avoid another cycle of resource curse,” the report said.

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Economic and Social Council Opens Operational Activities for Development Segment

(Note: Due to the financial liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations and the resulting constraints, this meeting was not covered.)

The Economic and Social Council today opened its segment on operation activities for development.

The opening featured a video message from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and remarks from Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, Li Junhua, Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Tarek Ladeb, Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council responsible for the operational activities for development segment.  Afterwards, the Council then held a high-level dialogue on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 75/233 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system.

Later, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, in her capacity as Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, presented the report of the Chair on the Development Coordination Office and the Resident Coordinator System.

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• aec2024-concept_note.pdf pdf (3.3 MB)

2024 African Economic Conference - Concept Note

aec2024-concept_note.pdf

May 20, 2024

The 2024 African Economic Conference (AEC 2024), jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the United  Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is planned with the theme “ Securing Africa’s Economic Future Amidst Rising Uncertainty ”. It will be held at in Gaborone, Botswana, from 23-25 November 2024.

Doanload the concept note to read more. 

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A BRIEF GUIDE TO BEGINNING AND EXPERIENCED BEEKEEPERS OF ...

This short manual, developed as a result of field trips and surveys of apiaries in pilot areas in Karakalpakstan, with the involvement of an international exper...

Investment Case for Tobacco Control in Serbia

Tobacco is a health and sustainability concern causing death, disease, environmental damage, economic loss, and widening social disparities. This report highlig...

UNDP Regional Programme for Africa | Annual Report 2022

Africa is a dynamic continent. 1.4 billion people. 54 countries. Enormous diversity in natural and built landscapes, animal and plant life, cultures, cuisines, ...

Shaping Development Policy Formulation in Zambia: Strateg...

This digest highlights our strategic support towards the formulation of Zambia’s Eight National Development Plan (8NDP), along with its Provincial Implementatio...

Business and Human Rights in Africa: Spotlight Report 202...

In 2023, UNDP accelerated its work on business and human rights in Africa, with noteworthy achievements in implementing programmes and activities owing to strat...