Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) is a global event aimed at discussing sustainable development issues.
The latest edition was held on 19 and 20 September via livestream and included more than 300 speeches and presentations, with topics ranging from climate change to economic development, all focused on discussing and finding possible solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The two-day event brought together professionals from the private sector, government, and civil society, as well as students and faculty members from universities around the world. In addition, a set of plenary events included speeches and conversations from other spokespersons such as heads of state, UN officials, CEOs, economists and academic professionals working in the field of sustainable development.
Among the many different panels and plenaries that during this year’s ICSD addressed a very diverse range of topics, there were also highly relevant points for the financial services sector, concentrating on the importance of digitalisation and partnerships for sustainable development and on its relationship with risk reduction.
Digitalisation indeed plays a key role in sustainable development, no matter the sector you apply it to. It contributes to sustainability through all initiatives, projects and tools that are aimed at improving performances in the various fields they are made use of. Among the different applications of digitalisation there is a wide range of opportunities, ranging for example from smart cities and sustainable mobility to e-finance and industry 4.0.
Sustainable development and risk reduction are strictly connected. As COVID-19 taught us, it is important to adopt a holistic approach in case of emerging risks and unforeseeable global events such as a pandemic. Innovative approaches applied to disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM), and COVID-19 response are more and more relevant and top of mind for researchers and professionals.
When it comes to promoting sustainable development, partnerships between different organisations are also fundamental. In order to meet Sustainable Development Goals, it is necessary to collaborate and work across sectors, combining different skills, experiences and best practices. The commitment to sustainable development must come from all institutions and effective partnerships should be built also between public and private sectors. By working together and sharing expertise, opportunities, responsibility and resources, partners are able to face the complex challenges coming ahead, especially in terms of socio-economic and environmental problems.
At RGI Group we strongly believe in the importance of fostering sustainable development through digitalisation, as sustainability and innovation represent some of our core values. Our commitment is to create and offer value in a sustainable way – for both our company and the world we operate in. Collaborating with different players is part our DNA and through our technological solutions and our attention to ESG issues and strategic partnerships, we seek to provide innovative products to our clients while promoting a sustainable approach.
