E-learning Course: Business & the 2030 Agenda: Working Together Towards a Sustainable Future.
The main objective of the course is to bring together UN agencies, national governments, academia, civil society and business to address the challenges of poverty. The Conference will be organized for UN delegates, UN staff, the private sector, international financial institutions, top academics and practitioners working on relevant issues, business associations, and relevant civil society representatives. The goal of the conference is to add a sustaining and longer-term outlet from which to engage with constituents, leading to greater learning, exploration of possibilities for partnerships, and development of a Community of Practice – where government officials have a standing resource from which to engage further with the business sector.
This course will guide us through an introductory framework on how to engage and set up partnerships. Interviews with and presentations by UN delegates, business representatives and academics will introduce us to case studies and concrete examples to target specific goals, including inclusive economic growth for poverty eradication; water and sanitation; food security and nutrition; gender considerations; and the protection of refugees and vulnerable migrants.
This course will provide you with an understanding of why the United Nations and the business community are vital to each other to obtain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this course, we will learn about the 17 SDGs, why they matter for business, and why the UN and governments need businesses to successfully implement them.
The main learning objectives are for participants to:
- Understand the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Develop insight into why engaging business in the delivery of the SDGs is crucial for the UN and governments
- Learn why getting involved in the implementation of the SDGs is beneficial for businesses
- Acquire the tools and the framework to engage (as) business as a partner in sustainable development through case studies, including good practices and lessons learned
This course will provide you with an understanding of why the United Nations and the business community are vital to each other to obtain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this course, we will learn about the 17 SDGs, why they matter for business, and why the UN and governments need businesses to successfully implement them.
Module 1: Welcome to the Course
- UNITAR and the SDG Fund
- Introductions (Assignment: why are you taking this course?)
Module 2: The United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
- An introduction to the post-2015 process and the origins of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
- The 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Module 3: Business and the UN: Partners to attain the SDGs
- How engagement with business is serving to implement the 2030 Agenda
- Why working towards attaining the SDGs makes sense for business too
- Working with business from the business perspective
- Identifying the key challenges
Module 3: Business and the UN: Partners to attain the SDGs
- How engagement with business is serving to implement the 2030 Agenda
- Why working towards attaining the SDGs makes sense for business too
- Working with business from the business perspective
- Identifying the key challenges
Module 4: Putting the SDGs into Practice: Concrete Partnership Examples
- Inclusive economic growth for poverty eradication
- Water and sanitation
- Food security and nutrition
- Gender considerations
- Protection of refugees and vulnerable migrants
Module 5: Next steps and further resources
- Final Exam question
- More information
- How to partner with the UN
The course will be conducted in English over a period of 6 months period, organized in modules on different topics. The course will be delivered via UNITAR’s e-Learning platform. This pedagogical tool will help participants meet the course’s learning objectives through a self-paced study routine supported by multimedia, optional and required readings, discussion forums, assessment quizzes, and a wealth of other information.
Beyond diplomats, government officials and representatives of international organizations, the course will also benefit professionals from the private sector, students, and other interested individuals.
General Requirements
Have a good command of the English language
Be computer literate
Technical Requirements
UNITAR recommends the following as a minimum in hardware and software to take our e-Learning courses. Please consult your Network Administrator or Systems person to ensure that you have the following:
Platform: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP or superior; MacOS 9 or MacOS X; Linux
Hardware: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space
Software:
Adobe Acrobat Reader (click here to download for free)
Adobe Flash Player (click here to download for free)
Microsoft Office (Windows or Mac) or Open Office (click here to download for free)
Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or higher (click here to download for free); it works better with Firefox 3.6 or higher (click here to download for free)
Note that JavaScript, Cookies and Pop-ups must be enabled