By Karel van Oosterom – Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In 2015, I was privileged to be present during the conclusion of the historic agreement on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the heart of this comprehensive global agenda are the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting prosperity while protecting the planet and tackling climate change. In 2016, I felt equally honoured to give formal consent to the Paris Agreement on climate change in the name of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I vividly remember the positive vibes among diplomats, civil society and private sector representatives on both occasions.
The private sector has a key role to play in translating sustainable development and the climate change agenda into concrete action. That is what our son Gustaaf van Oosterom has taught me. Four years ago, Gustaaf concluded in his master’s thesis that businesses have to move from ‘doing no harm’ to ‘doing the right thing’, if they are to assume their responsibility in realising Agenda 2030. In other words: move from corporate social responsibility to contributing to the SDGs. In his view, both moral and economic reasons make this shift imperative for businesses to achieve long term sustainability and profitability.
‘Doing the right thing’ requires a concerted effort among government agencies, companies and knowledge institutes to work together. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, we need to raise our ambitions, now more than ever. No country nor business can rise to the sustainability and climate challenges alone. Collaboration is needed on every level.
This is exactly what the Netherlands endeavour and encourage together with the UK as part of our North Sea Neighbours partnership. I am happy to witness ample examples of such creative, innovative and sustainable Dutch-British public-private cooperation on a wide range of issues. Just think of the partnership between Royal Haskoning, Van Oord and the North Norfolk District Council providing flood protection to British towns on the east shore while building with nature. In addition, together with Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, Dutch companies Alfen and Allego supply publicly available charge sockets for electric vehicles. Similarly, the City of Amsterdam has placed the concept of Doughnut Economics, developed by British economist Kate Raworth from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, at the heart of its long-term vision and policy-making for post-COVID recovery. There are many more examples: from scale-up’s, SME’s to large corporates that have joined hands with government agencies and knowledge institutes to move to ‘doing the right thing’.
I invite you to add to these examples. To put words into action. To enhance prosperity while protecting the planet. The Dutch Embassy in the UK stands ready to partner with you; to support you showing the value of your business-driven innovations, your responsible business conduct and your smart solutions. The recent Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) and upcoming World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF+Climate) – both hosted by the Netherlands – as well as the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) are among many events that create momentum for such public-private cooperation. So let’s strengthen the existing cooperation as North Sea Neighbours, inspire others and together ‘do the right thing’.