SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The organization that brings together in Spain the entities adhered to the United Nations Global Compact (UN) for corporate social responsibility this Thursday described the work of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands for the achievement of its 2030 Agenda as “very significant in recent years “.
Representatives of the same organization also highlighted other previous work carried out, such as the presentation in 2018 of the document prepared by the Parliament of the Canary Islands on the Canary Islands Strategy for Sustainable Development and the publication in 2019 of 232 indicators by the Canary Institute of Statistics, for thereby measure the archipelago’s performance on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
After Madrid and Catalonia, the Canary Islands was the region where the most companies participated in the Global Compact survey, with 148 inquiries in 2020.
Of these, 76% stated that they were implementing actions related to some of the SDGs, as Vanesa Rodríguez, the director of Communication and Institutional Relations of the aforementioned entity, said during a telematic intervention at the table with representatives of the field of work held at the morning of November 25.
The survey also yielded other conclusions, such as that 77% of the Canarian companies consulted believe that the implementation of the SDGs can help their entity better adapt to changes or that 19% believe that the pandemic of COVID-19 can help integrate the SDGs into business strategy.
Among the 17 objectives that make up the United Nations SDGs, the most worked by Canarian companies, according to the Global Compact Spain survey, are number 5 (equality between genders), number 3 (guarantee a healthy life and promote well-being for all), 13 (climate action) and 8 (decent work and economic growth).
However, the study carried out by the Global Compact also suggests that there is still a wide margin for action and improvement.
31% OF COMPANIES DO NOT KNOW THE SDGS
Thus, for example, 31% of the surveyed companies admit that they do not know what the SDGs are, compared to 28% who declare they know them in depth.
In this way, as happens on a national scale, among Canarian companies the establishment of quantifiable objectives and specific training in SDGs are two aspects on which work should continue.
The Global Compact Spain advised Canary companies to increase efforts to set public and measurable objectives, as well as to train employees on the SDGs, “two key actions to achieve an organizational culture around the 2030 Agenda.”
In the session on Thursday, in the morning session, with the scope of the company also participated the Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Olivera; the Deputy Minister of Employment, Gustavo Santana; the general director responsible for the drafting of the 2030 Canary Islands Agenda, David Padrón; the head of Environmental Policies of the UGT union in the Canary Islands, Agustín Melián, and Paola Bonilla, of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs.
These members of the table were joined by others linked to the business and trade union world of the Canary Islands.
