November 22: Experts have urged entrepreneurs to include sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their respective businesses.

Speaking at a discussion programme on the ‘Role of Private Sector in Sustainable Development in Nepal’ on Tuesday (November 21) in the capital, Valerie Julliand, resident coordinator of United Nations in Nepal, said that internalizing the SDGS in business will enhance the goodwill of the business enterprise.

 “Sustainable goals are business with ethics,” she mentioned during the programme jointly organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Global Compact Nepal, KOICA Alumni Association of Nepal (KAAN) and United Nations Development Project (UNDP).

“SDGs is a more holistic approach to development,” said Swarnim Wagle, vice chair of the National Planning Commission (NPC). Differentiating millennium development goals (MDGs) from SDGs, he said that MDGs are simple and time-bound while SDGs are quantifying. Similarly, explaining the different layers of implementation of the SDGs he added that the public sector needs to lead sectors such as agriculture, health, transportation, education while the private sector needs to lead industry, energy, housing andtourism sectors. Stating that the SDGS are national responsibility, he urged for coordination between different layers of government and coordination among the public and private sectors for the implementation of the SDGs.

Meanwhile, CG Foundation is coming up with 43 new initiatives to meet the SDGs.,said Nirvana Chaudhary, managing director of Chaudhary Group. Similarly, addressing the demands of the private sector to reform and amend policies, joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry (MoI), Pradip Koirala, made commitment to reform the policies that are obstructing the works of the private sector.