It has been just over two years since the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development officially came into force. These SDGS – also known as Global Goals – call for action from all countries to work together to promote prosperity and protect the planet.
Goal 9 is to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” and highlights how inclusive and sustainable industrialisation is the primary source of income generation, which in turn leads to increased standards of living for all. To quote the UN “without technology and innovation, industrialization will not happen, and without industrialization, development will not happen.”
It is clear then that the ICT industry has an important role to play in achieving the SDGs – not simply as a means of supporting organisations as they endeavour to innovate and compete on digital frontiers – but as incubators and developers of the technologies that drive industrialization and development across all societies.
This includes helping to ensure that all countries have Internet access by 2020, safeguarding children from the risks of the digital world and the mining and analysis of data relating to environmental and ecological patterns. Three seemingly diverse initiatives, but all inter-related and each with the potential to have a global impact.
Infradata’s mission is to build a secure and connected future – for all. Our people have expertise in working with both the private and public sector around the globe to build and manage the digital and communications infrastructures which connect people and foster innovation. Our industry reach encompasses manufacturing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and utilities and media and broadcast to name but a few. All of these have a role to play in ensuring that the prospects of both people and the planet are enhanced.
One of the guiding principles here at Infradata is our commitment to partnership which also reflects Goal 17 - to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. Not only do we partner with cutting edge technology companies to deliver pioneering solutions; we also facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices amongst different countries, industries and communities. As much as the projects we deliver are tailored to the needs of individual organisations, the skills and insight we gain are relevant to all and are utilised as such.
Goals such as eliminating poverty and zero hunger might seem like unattainable targets, and for some, it is difficult to see the link between what we do in our everyday lives and global ambition. But we all have a part to play in promoting the sustainable development agenda – however small. For Infradata, that means being at the forefront of what technology has to offer and replicating that success on a global scale.