Giving Compass' Take:

• Benjamin Bellegy talks about the SDGs as a common language for collaboration in his opening remarks for the SDG Philanthropy Platform Side Event to the UN General Assembly.

• How can donors focus their giving around the SDGs?

• Read about achieving local impact using the SDGs.

What is happening this week around us is critical. While governments and decision-makers are running their usual discussions and negotiations at the UN General Assembly, multilateralism and democracy are under attack and the next generation is starting to show resistance and mobilizes millions of people across the globe for the climate. Business as usual is not an option.

We know that the complexity and scale of the global challenges we are facing call for the invention of new ways to collaborate within and between sectors. It calls us urgently to review our lens and methods to act in synergy, as elements of a broader ecosystem, not focused on our own individual and organizational success, but focused on our collective impact.

Whether it is to co-design solutions and narratives, whether it is to share and disseminate knowledge on what works or not, whether it is to take innovations to scale, or to influence policy, the existence of strong and interconnected networks of actors, platforms for multi-sector collaboration, cross-sector bridges and a common language are key ingredients if we really want transformation.

The SDGs are first and foremost a common language. How do we ensure that the SDGs are not just a list of “empty words”, and ensure that it becomes a powerful vehicle for collaboration? The foundation of all collaboration and change at scale is common language. Therefore, beyond the skepticism or indifference that sometimes prevails in philanthropy communities when it comes to the SDGs, we must cherish this common frame and use it in very concrete ways to engage our sector in collaboration and in constructive policy influence.

Read the full article about using the SDGs to engage in collaboration and policy influence by Benjamin Bellegy at Philanthropy in Focus.