· 6 min read

Contributing to the Sustainable Goals of United Nations

Discover how individuals and organizations can actively support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make a positive impact on global sustainability efforts.

Discover how individuals and organizations can actively support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make a positive impact on global sustainability efforts.

What makes the UN’s SDGs the blueprint for Wehappers’s in supporting startups and NPOs?

‍UN’s Goals

In 2015, the 193 countries of the United Nations Organization have detailed a roadmap towards a significantly improved world by 2030. These 17 Sustainable Development Goals are not just utterly essential targets; they are interlinked keys to resolving the world’s most pressing issues.

Here’s why the UN’s SDGs provide the best guidance for individuals, businesses, and organizations seeking to contribute meaningfully to global prosperity:

‍Universality: These goals apply to all countries, no matter where you are and offer a path to making a difference. Clarity and Focus: Targets and indicators show what needs to be achieved and enable progress to be monitored. Interconnectedness: Efforts to achieve one goal often contribute to the achievement of others. Inclusiveness: Leaving no one behind, fostering equality is an integral part of driving meaningful and lasting change. Long-term Vision: Aligning actions with these goals contributes to building a better world for future generations. Comprehensiveness: Every one can find an area of passion or expertise to which they can contribute.

UN SDG

This common framework allows for collaboration, shared resources, and collective progress – driving every action in the right, most impactful direction.

‍Wehappers contribution

Wehappers aim to support startups and NPOs developing projects in these 17 directions, starting with early-stage founders and local initiatives relying on under-performing web/digital tools .

Wehappers provide technology expertise, brain power, time and financial support to improve their impact.

Let’s give examples of inspiring projects Wehappers might work with to achieve SDG #1, #4, #8, #10 and #17.

SDG #1 No Poverty

Beam develops crowd: funding solutions for homeless people to train up and get into work
NeedsList: provides a real-time needs registry for disaster relief and poverty alleviation
GiveDirectly: enables direct cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty.
Borgen Project: uses digital platforms to combat poverty.
Bankers without Borders: uses technology to connect skilled volunteers with the world’s poorest.

SDG #4 Quality Education

Bridge International Academies ensures accessible education to underserved communities.
Ubongo delivers educational content via TV and radio to Tanzanian children.
SolarSPELL provides digital libraries filled with educational resources for offline usage.
ShikshaSaarthi aims to equalize access to high-quality content for all kids in India
Le Coin du Prof the all-in-one platform for the Maths teachers of tomorrow

SDG #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

‍Laboratoria offers bootcamp programs for women to launch tech careers.
Wave provides employment training for low-skilled African workers.
NairoBits empowers young people in need with digital skills.
Wiracocha Foundation trains women in Andean weaving techniques.
Addis Ideas is an African crowdsourcing app.

SDG #10 Reduced Inequalities

Tarjimly uses technology to improve refugee access to translation services.
PayGo Energy provides clean cooking fuel to households in Nairobi on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Code Your Future a coding school for refugees.
Smart Labour aims to upskill blue-collar labour.

SDG #17 Partnerships for the Goals

Benetech develops software for social good through local partnerships.
Charity Water brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.
Human Needs Project builds self-sustaining urban townships in partnership with local communities.
MyAgro partners with local vendors to help farmers save money for seeds/fertilizers.
Orora Global Inc provides sustainable energy solutions in communities lacking access to electricity.

‍ Spearheading a global charge towards a happier, more equitable world demands a broad understanding of the planet’s ills and knowledge of how to best utilize available technology to cure them. By aligning their objectives with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Wehappers cements their commitment symbolizes a beacon of hope and change.

How can you contribute?

Brace yourself to make a world of difference.

Are you passionate about leveraging technology to tackle the world’s toughest challenges?

Do you believe in the power of collaborative efforts for maximizing global happiness?

If yes, then the Wehappers initiative is where you belong.

Explore our wide array of opportunities designed to boost your contribution towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Engage in our unique community of innovative minds and benevolent hearts. Support and cooperate with early-stage startups and small-scale charity organizations making their mark in critical areas like no poverty, zero hunger, good health, well-being, and more.

Remember, every step, no matter how small, can propel us inches closer to our shared vision. Get involved with Wehappers today and help raise global happiness.

References

Many businesses, cities, and organizations are using the SDGs as a guide in creating their sustainability programs.

Wehappers can refer to other models and frameworks providing alternative perspectives, among which:

  1. OECD Better Life Index: Developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it includes indicators designed to measure quality of life across various dimensions, aligning with several of the SDGs.
  2. World Bank’s World Development Indicators: This is an extensive database offering detailed information spanning various dimensions of development, including environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, and more.
  3. Global Green Economy Index (GGEI): This provides in-depth insights regarding how different countries are progressing towards greener economies, and rates countries on leadership and climate change performance.
  4. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): It is an international independent standards organization that provides a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework, widely used by businesses, governments, and other organizations.
  5. Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA): Conducted by S&P Global, this assessment features a wide variety of industry-specific frameworks to measure the sustainability practices of thousands of companies.
  6. B Corporation (B Corp) Impact Assessment: For private sector organizations, this assessment provides a tool for measuring and improving their social and environmental performance.
  7. Circles of Sustainability: A method for understanding, assessing and charting sustainability, and for project management directed towards socially sustainable outcomes.
  8. Triple Top Line: This model posits that businesses should add value to, rather than just minimize harm to, society and the environment, alongside making a profit.
  9. The Planetary Boundaries Framework: Developed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and other global collaborators, this identifies nine global priorities relating to human-induced changes to the environment.
  10. The Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI): Developed by the UN University’s International Human Dimensions Programme (UNU-IHDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UN Environment), it measures the wealth of nations through an inclusive approach considering social, human, and environmental aspects.

‍ While none of these models are identical to the UN’s SDGs, they each encapsulate unique principles that contribute to our broader understanding and implementation of sustainability. Taken collectively and sometimes even individually, they can substantially augment the efforts directed towards achieving the UN’s SDGs.

Picture credit Duy Pham on Unsplash

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