Microsoft Bolsters Efforts to Expand Decent Work Opportunities

Microsoft has doubled-down on their commitment to helping the world achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. The company is specifically working toward Target 8.2, which focuses on using technological innovation to achieve higher levels of economic productivity. Microsoft emphasizes in their 2021 SDG Report that promoting decent work is not only critical for SDG 8, but is also key in alleviating poverty and promoting good health. As an organization that employs over 150,000 people globally, Microsoft views itself as being in a prime position to bolster equitable and inclusive growth.

Microsoft believes that a key part of expanding decent work opportunities is increasing human capital. In line with this idea, the company launched Microsoft Career Connector to help job seekers enter the tech industry. This program followed the company’s 2020 Global Skills Initiative, which set a goal of helping 25 million people across the globe gain digital skills. Microsoft developed game-based learning for younger students and has partnered with LinkedIn in developing Career Coach, an app for students in higher education to discover their career path and build the necessary skills for that career. Microsoft is also working to expand human capital in developing regions, particularly through their 4Afrika Initiative that they launched in 2013. Through the initiative, Microsoft is investing in African areas to increase internet access and bolster startups. Ultimately, the company aims to help African communities expand their existing markets and find technological solutions to locally relevant issues.

To advance economic opportunities, Microsoft has formed several strategic partnerships in the past few years. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Microsoft partnered with the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other technology companies, like IBM, to create the Global Skills Academy. The academy focuses on increasing opportunities for digital upskilling and helps people gain access to training materials that will benefit their employability. Part of the Global Skills Academy curriculum comes from Microsoft Learn for Students and Educators, which provides entry-level technology courses and works on building professional skills, targeting the Middle East and Africa.

To read more about how Microsoft is working to ensure every person can succeed in the digital economy, click here.

"Digital Services and Green Transition"

Acting as a side event for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum (September 28 – October 1), the panel on “Digital Services and Green Transition” took place in Geneva on September 29 at 7PM CET. This event brought together leaders in the private sector with representatives from the WTO to discuss how digital services can help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what policies are needed to usher in this transition. Panelists explained how digitization is already expanding the possibilities for a green future and suggested steps the WTO can take to help multilateral efforts in the digital/green transition.

This event, which was organized by the Association of French Large Companies (AFEP), ICC France, and the U. S. Council for International Business (USCIB), stimulated powerful discussions about data protection, energy efficiency, and the role of the WTO. ICC France’s Emmanuelle Butaud-Stubbs moderated a productive panel that included Ambassador Manuel Teehankee (the permanent representative of the Philippines to the WTO and chairperson for the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment), Ambassador Tan Hung Seng (the permanent representative of Singapore to the WTO and co-chair of the Joint Statement Initiative on the e-commerce negotiating committee), USCIB’s Brian Lowry, Deputy Director-General of the WTO Jean-Marie Paugam, Sonepar’s Tanguy Griffon, and Representative Director for ICC in Geneva Crispin Conroy. This accomplished panel emphasized that there is hope for the future, but that “the road is still long.”

Based on the panel’s discussion, the private sector has made significant strides in increasing digital efforts to promote more sustainable progress in individual industries. Examples were provided on how the agricultural and energy sectors have used innovations in technology to reduce waste and increase efficiency, such as data collection and analysis on crop yields and estimates of carbon production in construction.

Alternatively, the public sector has been slow in responding to technological developments. The WTO still follows the UN classification system for businesses and technology that was established in the 1990s, making some policies vague and outdated. One suggested solution was to take a more holistic approach to the regulation of goods in order to simplify the process and make it more business friendly.

The panel enabled an open dialogue between the public and private sectors which produced constructive ideas for future development. This multilateral discussion revealed hope for sustainable development and clearly defined a path for achieving a greener globe.

To watch the panel, click here.

UNGA 76th Session Features a Climate Focus

The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) is now well underway and is featuring significant discussion of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). As a part of the Decade of Action, a UN call to action initiated in 2020 to make reaching the Goals by 2030 a possibility, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened the second ever SDG Moment. The SDG Moment, which ran from 8 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST on September 20, featured a speech from Secretary-General Guterres, debate by UN officials on COVID-19, and a performance by BTS, a popular K-pop group.

Leading into the UNGA, Secretary-General Guterres aimed to strengthen multilateral efforts to achieve the SDGs by proposing a plan titled “Our Common Agenda.” This ‘Agenda’ includes making vaccine distribution more expansive and equitable, creating the conditions for sustainable recovery to help in the elimination of poverty, championing equal rights for women and girls, and committing to net zero emissions by 2050. In order to reach net-zero emissions, Mr. Guterres asked for member states to dedicate $100 billion to climate action, an amount that the UN estimates could cause a direct economic gain worth trillions of dollars.

Climate action remained the topic of discussion of discussion as world leaders addressed the assembly. Most notably, Zeljko Komsic, the chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, announced to the other leaders that “the climate crisis is no longer a warning situation.” President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar echoed this sentiment, “call[ing] upon each state to act in an equitable fashion and commensurate with their polluting activities.”

General debate is schedule to run from September 21 to September 27, featuring over 100 Heads of State. High-level events that will accompany the general debate include the UN’s first Food Systems Summit on September 23, the High-Level Dialogue on Energy on September 24, and the High-Level Event on Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Elimination on September 28. Each of these events will include a focus on how states can work to achieve the SDGs.

To watch the UNGA general debate, click here for the UN’s live feed.