At the ISO’s Annual Meeting 2024 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, the ISO/UNDP guidelines for contributing to the UN SDGs were officially released. This inaugural freely available document was set to guide organizations in accelerating their response to the SDGs.
With only six years remaining, there were increasing calls to intensify efforts and rapidly advance progress towards the SDGs. According to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, only 17% of the SDG targets were on track to be achieved globally by 2030.
ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica noted that the new guidelines, developed by an international group of experts convened by ISO member Danish Standards, aimed to transition businesses and organizations from SDG alignment to SDG action.
“These guidelines enabled all types of organizations – whether public or private, large or small, new or established – to place SDGs at the core of their operations,” Mr. Mujica said.
“For the first time, we had a unified approach for businesses and organizations to align their strategies with the SDGs and document their progress towards achieving them.
“The guidelines offered practical advice for integrating sustainable development into all functions and investment decision-making processes.
“There was a growing global urgency for businesses to contribute more towards the SDGs, and collaboration was critical for driving action. ISO was proud to partner with UNDP to accelerate SDG progress.
“These guidelines complemented existing sustainability standards by holistically aligning organizational strategy, operations, and decision-making with the SDGs.”
In September 2023, ISO and UNDP had signed a landmark Statement of Intent, marking their commitment to collaborate on standards initiatives that would enhance sustainability efforts across public and private sectors.
The new ISO/UNDP guidelines for the SDGs represented the first major outcome of this strategic partnership.
Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator, and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, emphasized that achieving the SDG targets by 2030 required collective action from all sectors, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities.
He highlighted the critical role of the new ISO/UNDP guidelines in helping organizations understand their contributions to the SDGs and how they could be most effective.
“These guidelines were set to unlock greater contributions to the SDG targets by aligning business purpose, strategy, and results with societal needs,” Mr. Neto said.
“They provided essential tools for implementing national SDG plans, enabling contributions from both the private sector and governments. Additionally, they reinforced accountability for organizational impacts on people and the planet while enhancing business performance.”
Danish Standards, the Secretariat of the Technical Committee for the guidelines, stated that the recommendations would help organizations broaden their approach to sustainable development.
“The guidelines showcased various business models and new ways of working, both internally and externally, that would accelerate innovation and allocate resources more effectively,” Tina Helsted Vengsgaard, Director of Standardisation at Danish Standards, said.
“By implementing the recommendations, organizations could anticipate and manage risks and opportunities related to sustainable development more effectively.”
