Charting the Path Forward Faster: Reflections on Climate Week NYC 2023

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 29, 2023 / Workiva

By Mandi McReynolds

Thousands of people came together for Climate Week NYC 2023 last week to discuss and drive progress towards managing climate change. This annual event convenes global leaders to address challenging and complex issues that can only be tackled collectively through public and private partnerships. Collaboration, the critical role of finance and sustainability, and innovation emerged as key themes throughout the sessions.

Progress Calls for Collaboration

In 2015, the Member States of the United Nations adopted The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are a call to action for all countries, businesses, and individuals to collaborate on strategies to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. We are at the halfway point, and the UN reports that only 15 percent of the SDGs are on track for 2030. We cannot afford to delay action any longer, and we must work together to build a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Workiva is committed to doing our part and we hope others will join us. We were one of the first 130 "early movers" to join the UN's Forward Faster initiative, which was unveiled at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit during Climate Week. Forward Faster aims to increase accountability and transparency by having companies publicly commit to five action areas where businesses can make the biggest impact by 2030.

Through the Forward Faster initiative, we have signed on to the "Finance and Investment" action area- pledging to more closely align our corporate investments with UN SDG policies and strategies and to report progress to the UN Global Compact to ensure transparency. The Forward Faster initiative challenges businesses to demonstrate measurable, credible, and ambitious action, with a new emphasis on accountability from all of us as business leaders.

Finance and Sustainability Leadership Working Together

Strong leadership is essential for driving the sort of systemic changes needed to address a sustainable future. One thread that stood out at this year's event was the emphasis on partnership between finance and sustainability leaders within corporations and government to drive impact.

Understanding the power of corporate finance and sustainability working together, Workiva was the first SaaS company to join the United Nations Global Compact CFO Coalition for the SDGs. CFOs are uniquely positioned to reshape the future of corporate finance and investment as a catalyst for growth, value creation, and impact.