BBVA joins the #Act4SDGs campaign

Since the approval of the 2030 Agenda in 2015, the bank has worked to align its corporate management and business with the SDGs. In this regard, Pledge 2025 is anchored in BBVA’s efforts to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

With this pledge, BBVA is contributing to the fight against climate change and committing to sustainable development. Through this initiative, the bank aims to mobilize €100 billion by 2025 to fight against climate change and promote the development of sustainable infrastructure. It also includes mitigating BBVA’s environmental footprint and involving the entire sector to promote sustainable development.

The BBVA Microfinance Foundation’s contribution to achieving the SDGs also stands out. By providing financial services and support to low income entrepreneurs, the foundation has a direct impact on 11 of the 17 goals. Its contribution is especially prominent in SDG 1, SDG 8, and SDG 5, as 60 percent of the 2.1 million people the foundation supports in five Latin American are women.

Given its wide range of philanthropic and business activities, as a whole, the BBVA Group contributes to all of the SDGs.

Adopted by the United Nations, the SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 goals include new fields such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption and peace and justice, among other priorities.

The goal of this campaign, and the reason BBVA is joining it, is to help act as a loudspeaker through its own commitment to contribute to the SDGs, and obtain a multiplier effect so that people become familiar with the SDGs and take action.

The #Act4SDGs initiative is a communication campaign coordinated by the Spanish Global Compact Network. Its launch coincides with the fourth anniversary of the approval of the 2030 Agenda on September 25, 2015. The United Nations is holding a large international event to review the accomplishments over the past four years and roll out new initiatives.

With actions of this kind, the Spanish Global Compact Network and its member organizations also aim to contribute to the country goal of all citizens being familiar with the SDGs by 2020, which was established by the High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda, which reports to the Presidency of the Spanish Government.

It has been four years now since the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed the 2030 Agenda, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with all 193 member states, including Spain voting in favor. “Don’t leave anyone behind” is the heart of the agreement. The SDGs aim to end poverty and hunger, reduce inequality and address urgent challenges like climate change.

In order to accomplish such an ambitious agenda, it was agreed that everyone would need to do their part: governments, companies, civil society and citizens around the world. Its strength comes from the universal nature of the agreement and the ambition of its 169 targets. Attaining them requires unprecedented effort from all sectors of society; and companies have a highly important role to play in this mission. Achieving the SDGS requires combining the force of the public and private sectors, investors and civil society.

For the first time, the United Nations recognizes companies as fundamental actors to attain its global goals: “Private business activity, investment and innovation are major drivers of productivity, inclusive economic growth and job creation… We call on all businesses to apply their creativity and innovation to solving sustainable development challenges,” declared the international organization.

Spanish Global Compact Network

UN Global Compact is an international initiative whose mission is to create an international movement of sustainable companies to build the world we want. Its strength lies in its unmatched ability to unite companies with other actors working to promote sustainable development: governments, civil society and the United Nations. With over 12,000 members in more than 160 countries, it is the largest corporate social responsibility initiative in the world. In addition, it has a UN mandate to promote the SDGs in the private sector.

UN Global Compact has operated in Spain since 2004 through the Spanish Network. It is the local network with the most signatories, putting it at the top of the different UN Global Compact networks on a global scale. Currently, 1,542 institutions have joined, 669 of which are members.