A rose by any other name

On the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

We all see Durban, and the world, with different maps, models, and perspectives. All maps have keys that describe the map’s features that allow you to navigate the map. Although we endeavour to arrive at similar maps, let us begin by making a set of keys/language to the map common first.

There are two aspects to the title chosen. One being that the title was inspired by the WROSE project by the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (that we at Black Box have begun working on) and its unique SDG context in the waste and climate change sector (SDGs 11, 12 & 13).

Secondly it would be the meaning behind the metaphor in the Shakespeare quote referenced here which implies that what something is (function/utility), is more important than what its name is (form). The Sustainable Development Goals importance does not necessarily stem from the names and themes but from the power behind creating a common language that acts as a galvanizing force for collaboration; a vision that can be shared and made common to many and something that can act as a compass when navigating uncharted territory.

Where did the SDGs come from?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world (UNDP)

SDG resources

The SDG framework is about holding governments and organizations accountable but is also there to inspire greater citizen participation.

Stats SA published a fascinating and comprehensive report on the SDGs as they pertain to our South African National Development Plan and the Vision 2030.

There are strong overlaps between the nine primary challenges in our South African development plan and the SDGs (listed here):

1. Too few people work

2. The quality of school education for black people is poor

3. Infrastructure is poorly located, inadequate and under-maintained

4. Spatial divides hobble inclusive development

5. The economy is unsustainably resource intensive

6. The public health system cannot meet demand or sustain quality

7. Public services are uneven and often of poor quality

8. Corruption levels are high

9. South Africa remains a divided society.

A deeply inspiring line from our Vision 2030 goes like this:

“We are a people who value thoughts and ideas.”

This line is gripping but requires a sense of urgency if we are to realize it in less than 10 years!

The SDG framework has influenced accounting and reporting approaches:

• System of Environmental Economic Accounting — seea.un.org
• Integrated reporting framework — disclosures

For organizations wanting insight into their impact in relation to the SDGs the the B Corp SDG Action Manger (used by the likes of Patagonia and others) is a powerful tool.

Many local organizations (like Mr Price here in Durban) have highlighted the importance of the SDG framework. There is significant potential for leadership development with these themes as the content for discussion and debate.

Interestingly at the African Leadership University (ALU) you can receive a graduate or postgraduate degree in solving a problem that links to one of the seventeen SDGs!

Should you find these challenges alluring then there is the option to make a career out of solving them and to complete the GSB-University of Cape Town Masters (MPhil) in Inclusive Innovation that uses the SDGs as part of the foundations of the course. The focus of the masters is to choose a theme from that of inclusive health, education, energy and digital skills. The dissertation can take the form of a prototype, a framework or a business model. The theme of being more “inclusive” in how we think, act and approach problems may be a defining feature of whether we make progress in tackling these challenges.

Closing thoughts

Is it time for the Bomb Squad (if you’ll allow a Springbok reference) to enter the arena? Have we played all our cards just yet?

Our greatest reserves of wealth do not lie under the ground but do nonetheless require a process of digging deep — they reside within the richness and depth of our largely untapped human capital — as today’s most grave injustice is potential unfulfilled. An urgent process is necessary to discover and uncover the latent potential that we all know resides here.

Maybe what exacerbates the current frustration is the extent to which we daily encounter situations we know could be different and better but where the willpower is lacking; the possibility of that potential being realized being the justice we cling to.

This is the decade of achieving the SDGs. If we do choose to value thoughts and ideas. If we protect and promote the proclivity to reason before resorting to violence. If the good thoughts we harbour overflow into action. If we grow wisdom through our suffering. Then we may defy the prevailing narrative in doing something beautiful and enduring.

In the midst of winter we found there was within us an Invincible Summer (Camus)

This is a difficult and treacherous journey but it is also a shared journey of discovery. With the true voyage of discovery not being in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes (Proust). That whatever winter has in store for us, we can endure it.

So open your eyes and whilst doing that find the space and time to also wake up and smell the roses!

We live in a beautiful country, nestled on the southernmost tip of an extraordinary continent, in a time of unprecedented opportunity:

To find something worth becoming.