Faced with global concerns about increasing vulnerability of the global system and its sustainability, private companies are asked and encouraged to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through multi-sectoral partnerships. Implementing the SDGs will require coordinated and collective efforts by all stakeholders to move the world forward towards a shared vision as set out in the SDG goals and targets. Business diplomats representing the interests of enterprises are crucial to ensure a mutually beneficial participation of business in the implementation of the SDGs. Propositions are made in this chapter to outline the requisite competencies needed to implement business diplomacy both at the organisational and managerial levels in the context of SDGs implementation.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the difficulty of measuring and monitoring of human trafficking within the context of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenges that come with monitoring an invisible crime such as human trafficking within the SDG context are due to the fact that the indicators pertaining to human trafficking fall into the category of “difficult to define and collect” type of data. This paper sheds light on these measuring difficulties and makes recommendations how to overcome them.
This article addresses one of the most debated aspects of immigration namely the question – does welcoming migrants and refugees affect positively or negatively the national dynamics of employment? It offers a policy analysis of the effects of migration and labour market conditions and policies in host countries and discusses opportunities for migrants to enter a host countries’ labour markets. The reasons for high migration are known and linked to violence, persecution, human rights violations and persistently high level of poverty in many parts of the world reaching very high levels over the last three years and resulting in millions of refugees and migrants crossing international borders with thousands of lives lost during the dangerous passing of borders and seas. On the other hand, in many European countries, a growing number of economic sectors are being affected by the potential threat of a shortage of semi-and low skilled workers. Taking Switzerland as an example, fewer young people attend professional schools thereby reducing the potential supply of a semi-skilled work force. The future short fall of semi-skilled and low-skilled work force will further increase due to the ageing of the Swiss population which in turn will impact the demand for semi-skilled and low skilled workers. Refugees and migrants could potentially find jobs in segments of the Swiss labour market thereby providing mutually beneficial solutions for all parties concerned that is a) for refugees and migrants seeking employment and asylum, b) for the aging population of host countries requiring care delivered by a low and semi-skilled work force and c) for public and private sector enterprises finding labour for economic sectors in need of qualified and motivated labour force.
Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu
Referring to the 2030 Agenda terminology, this paper offers an analysis of the cross-sector relevance of SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and how decent work, employment and economic growth had a positive or less effective impact on other sectors such as Health- using 2030 Agenda terminology – (SDG 3), Education (SDG 4); Rural Development and poverty reduction (SDG 1 & 2), Trade (SDG 17); environment (SDGs 6,13,14,15) and governance (SDG 16). Looking back at what was successful or less successful in regard to intersectoral application of Decent Work to the PRSPs this article provides lessons learnt which is very relevant for the current question of how to implement the SDGs. Most of the SDGs are interdependent and need to be made interactive and the International Organizations holding respective sectoral mandates need to engage in meaningful collaboration rather than continue with old habits of defensive hording of territory.
Saner, R.; Grimm, J, (2011); “Umweltkonflikte und Nachhaltigkeit in Lateinamerika: Verhandlungen zwischen Unternehmen, NGOs und Regierungsstellen” (Environmental conflicts and sustainable development in Latin America: Negotiations between enterprises, NGOs and Governments); Südwestdeutscher Verlag für Hochschulschriften SHV; Saarbrücken, (283 pp).
Ida Manton and Raymond Saner, Diplomacy Dialogue, CSEND, Geneva-Skopje, 2017
As our world is globalizing by the day, so are the threats to security. The methodology for mutual cooperation suggested in the Helsinki Final Act is no longer enough and does not bring many of the existing conflicts to an end. The good faith of Helsinki that expected the countries to”…equally endeavour, in developing their cooperation, to improve the well-being of peoples and contribute to the fulfilment of their aspirations through, inter alia, the benefits resulting from increased mutual knowledge and from progress and achievement in the economic, scientific, technological, social, cultural and humanitarian fields”. What needs to be taken into consideration are the challenges when countries do not fulfil these expectations. This paper will look into the reasons for such non-compliant behaviours and offer ideas for possibilities to change such practices of non-compliance.
Report on OSCE Confidence Building in the Economic and Environmental Dimension published on 13 December 2017
Drafting Group: Christian Nünlist (principal author, Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH, Zurich; Juhana Aunesluoma, Network for European Studies (NES), University of Helsinki & Benno Zogg, CSS, Zurich.
Published by OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions, Vienna, December 2017, 37 pages
Ida Manton, representative of Diplomacy Dialogue in Skopje, contributed to this report by providing constructive feedback on an initial draft version of this report as member of the academic reflection group.
It is widely accepted that the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda) for the benefit of least developed countries will require boundary spanning by United Nations agencies, G20 countries and leading development nongovernmental organizations. Realization of the Sustainable Development Goals also requires cross-sector cooperation and crossinstitutional cooperation among international organizations mandated by G20 members to implement their own development strategies for the poor.
However, international organizations are not sufficiently equipped to deal with the cross-sector and cross-institutional cooperation needed to achieve the goals, commonly known as the SDGs. They also are often not at ease in cooperating with leading nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations – even when operating in the same policy space.
Raymond Saner, „Mit der Erschöpfung kommt der Frieden in Syrien“ (Peace in Syria once warring parties reach exhaustion)
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), interview von Raphael Rauch, 10th April 2017