Introduction.
The 2030 agenda which is about the sustainable development is a meant to be historical global agreement with an aim to eliminate extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice. It is meant to incorporate every individual in the world. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) are meant to succeed the Millennium development goals (MDGs). With the development of the SDGs, the government is required to develop policies that will help in attaining them. The government may the turn its attention to the business to support them and help them achieve the SDGs. Every government will have priorities that will be used as the driving force toward the attainment of the SDGs. In doing so, the government will want the business to align themselves with it set priorities so as they can make an impact that helps, and does not hinder the country from achieving its goals as by Draper, (2017).
As Storey, (2016) says businesses have to adjust their operational goals to go hand in hand with the country's goals while also trying to help in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The achievement of the SDGs will require that all areas in the society including the government, NGOs and the private sectors (business) act together. The government acts as the main player in the achievement, and the policy that it will set and implement may be a big determinant of the achievement of the SDGs as Storey, (2016) says.
Are there ways that the Government can use in order to succeed in the Sustainable Development Goals?
Although the international system is poorly suited to meet all the challenges, the international community should engage the underdeveloped countries in the most complex way. The SDGs outline the desired destination that the world should be in the next 15-20 years and thus the government should engage in some reforms that will enable attain this goals as by Ugoh, & Ukpere, (2009).
The international community and the government should be able to engage those that are fragile in a long-term strategies that integrate humanitarian and development approaches. They should also be willing and ready to shift their attention away from centralized approach and concentrate on empowering the local systems. The government should also be in the first lane to integrate peace building programs and conflict reduction methods in the process of development. Ensuring that there is a proper leverage financial services and also renovating them will ensure that people that are living in extreme poverty are able to access proper financial services.
How are government policy affecting the business in involvement toward achieving SDGs?
For the government to be able to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals it has to ensure that the goals are embedded in planned activities of each government department. This is to mean that the most effective mechanism for coordinating implementation is through the departmental planning process. The government should, therefore, be able to engage the public and the private sector in the departmental planning process.
The process of adopting the SDGs and setting targets at the departmental level is a delicate political task; it will require that there is a careful and sensitive negotiation. This ensures that there is an inclusive process that ensures that key stakeholders both within and beyond government. The SDGs requires the government to build an effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels as stated by Brewer, Browne, Joyce, & Payne, (2011). The institutions should act as a foundation for achieving the desired outcomes from ending poverty to improving health and combating climate change and its impact.
Poverty Eradication policy on SDGs and Businesses.
The government will also have to work on its policy to achieve progress across the SDGs. The task will not be easy to create the policies, and the government will have to cope. The government should search for effective models to deliver policies. An OECD survey noticed that since 2008 various government have increased the cross-ministerial initiatives. The governments also have created bodies and even agencies that are tasked with assessing how the policies that are created are being implemented.
Governments have also established regulations and policies that are meant to guide business toward the creation of strategies that will work to attain the SDGs. The government is increasingly interested in accounting for the private sector contribution to the development and the SDGs. The policy that is set may work to motivate the private sectors/ the business or may demotivate them. The government may tend to set policies that will ensure that the business leans toward creating strategies that are related to SDGs. For instance, provision of incentives on the number of employee in every organization may work toward either increasing employment or reducing it. Increased employment will mean that there is the reduction in poverty level and vice versa as by No Author Found. (2016).
It is thus clear to note that, the government as the central part in the policy development is also an essential determinant on how the country will respond toward the attainment of the SGDs. The change of the rules and regulatory frameworks by the government usually tend to force the business to change the way they operate, and thus businesses are keenly affected. The government policies may be in various categories that include the economic system, and legal changes as noted by Loayza, & Raddatz. (2010).
The economic policies are the functions that the management provides to the public in the economy. One way is through taxation. Taxation is meant to affect the business costs. A rise in corporation tax has the same consequence as an upsurge in cost. Other taxes may include the environmental tax, VAT tax. The government may use this taxes to turn the business to turn attention to newer strategies.
The government may also use interest rates. The reduced interest rates of borrowing will increase the borrowing capacity of a business and also increase the consumer’s expenditure. An increase in the interest will bring an opposite result. It will also lead to reduced sales by a business. When a government wants to the distribution of the money in the economy, to attain the SDGs, this policy may be used as by Edmonds, & Schady. (2012).
The government spending policy also has a severe effect on businesses. If the government spends more on building facilities such as schools, hospitals, etc. there will be an increase in income in the business that will supply the materials needed in the construction and also in the facilities required. For instance, on completion, the hospitals will need health facilities which business will supply. The same can be said about schools.
The changing political arena in the governments means that there is the change in the legal policies and the business are required to adapt to the new policies. The legal changes that may include the creation of minimum wage for every working person. The policy will help to cope on the issue of unemployment and the Per Capita income of every individual and thus working toward the SDGs goal on the reduction of poverty.
Other policies indicate that a business should cater to disabled people by building ramps. The policy aims to attain equality among employee of every business. Turner et al. (2012) indicates that the government also has policies that are protecting the consumers against the counterfeit products that are harmful to them. The policy also protects the businesses so as they own the copyrights of their products and makes sure that no one else will produce fake products using their names.
The government also defines competition between businesses to avoid unhealthy competition. The unhealthy competition will be the source of illegal practices that will be harmful to the consumer and also the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. It should be noted that many businesses have already captured their progress toward attaining of the SDGs and are now progressing to social and environmental performance as Hassan, (2010,) notes.
Gender Equity and Equality.
Gender parity means being fair to females and males. To guarantee equality, measure are often required to reward for historical and social shortcomings that prevent women and men from else working as equivalents. As one of the seventeen SDGs every government try to make sure that equality is observed. With the governments wanting the private sectors to adopt strategies that promote SDGs, the governments have set policies that work toward that goal.
Allowing people access to the same resources, rewards and even opportunities will work and help achieve workplace equality. The policy of equal pay for the equal amount of work done is meant to ensure this. Also the inclusion of disabled people to the workforce and provision of services that they require at an equal length with other can be considered as equality. The government has detailed that every industry or premises should have a ramp that would make it easier for them to move around.
Attaining gender equality is important not only because of the reason of being fair, but because equity and equality are linked with the country’s economic performance and also the attainment of the SDGs.
Business should strategize on the equality as it is associated with improved national productivity which leads to economic growth, the performance of the organization increases as workers enjoy to work in an equal environment. The business will also be able to attract new talents and thus creating jobs for people. Lastly the organization will enhance its reputation as it works toward the achievement of the country SDGs.
Quality Education.
Education is administered by government bodies and non- profit institutions today. Education contributes to extensive reception of some collective set of morals and also the least degree of mastery and familiarity on most of citizens in a country. When a child get educated it not only help them and their parents but also helps the society at large. The child donates to the wellbeing of the community by encouraging a steady and democratic society as by Cao at el. (2009).
The government has set policies that require every child to attain a slightest amount of education of a specified kind. The policy is imposed on the parents and there is no further government action. Children being able to obtain quality education acts as the foundation to creating sustainable development. It helps improve the living standards while also equipping children with the required tools to develop innovative solutions to the world problems as by Zammar, (2012).
Lack of quality education can be due to lack of adequate teaching personnel, poor schooling conditions, and also equity issues related to opportunities provided. For quality education, there is need for investments from the government, the private sector and the non- profitable organizations.
The SDGs objective number four (quality education) is meant to ensure that the government provides comprehensive and unbiased valuable education and promote a lifetime learning chances for all. The learners should acquire the knowledge and skill that will help promote sustainable development.
The state should take steps to ensure that quality education is realized by every citizen in it country. The government should ensure that the marginalized, vulnerable and the disadvantaged children are not discriminated against a provision of education. The human resources that are needed e.g. teaching and non-teaching staffs, infrastructure necessary should be provided by the government as by Killermann,(2013).
Quality education forms an important part in the achievement of the SDGs. Through the skills that students gains from schools, they are able to contribute to the business which in turn contribute to the economic development of the country. The ‘must attend school’ policy for all children’s is meant to ensure that every student has basic skills that are acceptable in the business market for opportunities and job creation.
The recruitment of teachers/ trainers policy is meant to ensure that there are enough and qualified teachers in every school that will help student. The retention of this teachers by the government should ensure that the steady flow of learning in each and every institution is not hindered or disrupted due to sudden movement of teacher from one school to another as according to Killermann,(2013).
Equality in education should also be considered in order to give opportunity to every student. The girl child should also be allowed the same opportunity to her choice of skills that she would like to attain without being discriminated in anyway. Creating equality policy in schools will keep the spirit of equality among the involved party and thus ensuring it vibrates throughout their lives into various field and business they venture.
Provision of clean water and sanitation.
Water supply and sanitation strategies should be able to produce circumstances that are able to hold sustainable expansion of available of services of adequate quality as by Bartram et al. (2014) in doing so, it contributes to poverty elevation, enhanced health results, and also the sustainability of economic growth. Cairncross, Bartram, Cumming, & Brocklehurst, (2010) denotes that the private participation, tariff policy and reforms to the public sector utilities are meant to improve the economic effectiveness and financial sustainability of the service providers. Also they play part in maintaining the environmental sustainability of service provision while also contributing to SDGs.
Water supplies and sanitation services are mostly decentralized and thus formulating of policies and also implementing them requires careful assessment as noted by Bartram, & Cairncross, (2010). The policies should be able to address service delivery, while also ensuring availability of actual harmonization amongst the institutions that are accountable for availing the services.
Government seeks to improve the routine of the publically owned and operate service providers so in order to meet the demands of their customers. Private participation has been sought with an expectation of introduction of efficiency in operations and investment. The government can also be prompted to put into place rules that will control the private sectors such as more price insightful prices and also clearer cut strategy and supervisory objectives as by Wallace, (2017). Reforms in the sector will also provide an opportunity to improve environmental mistake and also check on the association concerning the economic and environmental regulations. This is measured in terms of standards, institutional roles, and the decision making process. The important thing is to be able to maintain the environmental principles steady and economic and social strategies and guidelines and also agreement is within the monetary volume of the operators, client base, and management. Failure to achieve this can lead to criteria requiring funds that cannot be funded by consumer fees or government transfers.
Transferring some shares accountability to the private operative will lead to a certain level of development from the cash that is generated from the operations. The private sector may not include the major investments but may include the provision of meters, rehabilitation and there will be the addition of the subordinate distribution system.
The Public-private partnership in the “water supply and sanitation” sector will need civic financing due to the challenges in coming up with tariffs for cost covering levels, or due to social or other goals that cannot be through cross subsidies. The government should therefore consider for the full range of private sector. The private sector both domestic and regional that are qualified should be given an opportunity to compete for public-private partnership as by Hunter, MacDonald, & Carter, (2010).
The water supply and sewerage network services have significant health and environmental impacts. Therefore, there should be policies that guide the supply. The policy that places the segment on a financial foothold that is sound and will produce better resources for funding in system expansion.
The approach of the government toward the SDGs differ from one government to another. For instance, Belgium, as far as it government is concerned there is a huge reliance on the existing institution to help in achieving the goals. In the other hand Germany has handed the ministry of Environment and building, the ministry of International Cooperation to deal with the SDGs issue. Also the Federal Chancellery in Germany is in the lead for the national implementation of the SDGs as by Minniti, (2008). Germany recognizes the national Sustenance Development strategy as the main work frame to implementation of SDGs at every federal level. In Belgium the SDGs takes place through the structures that are in charge of Sustainable development and also the development cooperation.
Conclusion.
The SDGs are a set of abundant and important tests faced by governments, global organizations, civil societies, and other business all over the world. Operating as one unit will help in the addressing of the issues in the next few years. The collaboration of the private sector, and the public sectors can work toward achieving the SDGs. Fundamentally it will be down to the government to tackle SDGs implementation at the national level; there can be a significant movement without the contribution of businesses. The policy that is set by the government will act to decide the part that is played by businesses.
Businesses have been instrumental in the process of poverty reduction in the past since the pre-industrial civilization. Businesses have created jobs, produced tax receipts that are essential for redistributive government policy, brought about exchange of one person’s labor for another’s in a more justifiable way and thus helping to reduce poverty.
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