Giving Compass' Take:

• Mike Scott reports that coronavirus is reinvigorating interest in SDG No. 17, partnerships for the goals, creating an opportunity for a collaborative future. 

• How can funders best build on this interest and grow partnerships? What partnerships could best advance your work? 

• Learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The principles of cooperation that underpinned SDG No. 17 five long years ago remain as valid as ever. Around the world, businesses and governments have been quick to step up calls for a revival of multilateralism as the best route for tackling both the pandemic and the still ongoing climate crisis. Calls are growing for coordinated efforts to embrace best practices for stemming and then reversing the march of the pandemic. At the same time ministers and CEOs are stepping up calls to deliver explicitly green economic recovery packages, which can ensure the world learns the lessons from this health crisis and puts itself on track to meet its sustainable development goals.

The SDGs in general, and SDG No. 17 in particular, are suddenly back in vogue.

Because it is so wide-ranging, and because many of its targets are explicitly aimed at governments and civil society, it can be tricky for businesses to see how they can contribute. And yet, as the global economy makes a start on the long road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic with many organizations pledging to build back better, it may be the most important goal of all.

"It's interesting to discuss SDG No. 17 at the moment," said Hans Daems, group public affairs officer at Hitachi Europe. "Everyone is looking at what they can do to help deal with the situation we're in."

That help ranges from companies already involved in supplying essential equipment and products to health services and pharma groups refocusing their attention on finding a vaccine, to engineering groups such as Mercedes and Dyson joining forces to design new ventilators. Logistics companies have put their disaster response skills to good use and furloughed airline cabin crew have been serving meals to beleaguered health workers.

Read the full article about SDG 17 and coronavirus by Mike Scott at GreenBiz.