Last week, during 74th United Nations General Assembly, the SAP Next-Gen program brought a diverse group together at the SAP Leonardo Center in New York City to inspire action to scale impact for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Pledging Support for the UN SDGs
On September 24, the UN Global Compact launched the 2019 Young SDG Innovators program in the U.S., led by the Global Compact Network USA, which supports U.S.-based entities as they engage with and advance the SDGs in alignment with the Ten Principles of the Global Compact. Young SDG Innovators is a 10-month program that equips teams of young professionals with the skills and tools they need to tackle the complex challenges that SDGs present.
During UN General Assembly week, the UN Global Compact hosted an evening reception at SAP, bringing together representatives from UN Global Compact participant companies, Global Compact Local Networks, civil society, and the UN to recognize practical business actions and partnerships in the U.S. that support the SDGs.
Adaire Fox-Martin, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, leading Global Customer Operations, spoke at the reception, emphasizing that SAP is proud to be a participant of the UN Global Compact and actively supports the efforts that help scale the SDGs. She also spoke about the progress and growth of the SAP social intrapreneurship program that, for the past four years, has been helping SAP employees develop a portfolio of sustainable, shared-value impact ventures that aim to improve the lives of over 1 billion people.
Scaling Impact for the UN SDGs
On September 23, Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G), hosted workshops on sustainable special economic zones, accelerating its Africa GreenCo partnership and advancing the Zero Emission Bus Rapid-Deployment Accelerator partnership. P4G also recognized innovative public-private partnerships for green growth for zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production (circular economy).
P4G also presented its first-ever P4G Champions Award to SAP and Ann Rosenberg, senior vice president and global head of SAP Next-Gen, SAP University Alliances, and UN partnerships at SAP, for outstanding support of P4G’s mission to drive green growth and climate action.
“P4G shares a joint passion with SAP to tap the power of public-private partnerships to advance action on the SDGs,” said Ian de Cruz, global director of P4G. “We were pleased to join with the Consulate General of Denmark to host ‘Winning Together: Sustainability in Action’ at SAP, bringing together heads of governments, corporate leaders, impact investors, creatives, and citizen activists to address the critical next steps needed to deliver on the SDGs.”
“Winning Together” featured remarks on uniting to advance the UN SDGs from Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea; Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the UN; and Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark. President Moon announced that his government will host the P4G Seoul Summit in June 2020.
Youth Harness Technology for Climate Action
Earlier this month, SAP Next-Gen hosted the Reboot the Earth youth climate hackathon in New York City, the last regional competition in the global Reboot the Earth program organized by UN Technology Innovation Labs (UNTIL) in collaboration with SAP.
“The young climate action troops inspired government leaders, corporate executives, startup founders, academic thought leaders, and purpose-driven citizen activists with their climate solutions and their passion for positive change during the UN Youth Climate Summit on September 21, and at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23 at UN Headquarters,” said Dianne Dain, a Global Partnerships analyst for UN Technology Innovation Labs.
Building on the momentum of these purpose-driven partnerships, SAP Next-Gen hosted additional activations during UN General Assembly week, highlighting new collaborations that focused on educating, investing, and measuring impact for the world’s 2030 agenda; thinking globally and acting locally to achieve the UN Global Goals; and showcasing the power of sports for good.
