EAUC-Scotland sign open letter to Scottish Government calling for action on SDGs

30th January 2018

EAUC-Scotland has signed an open letter to Scottish Government bodies asking them to evidence their commitment to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Scotland. The letter was issued by a national network co-ordinated by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), and is available in full here.

Scotland’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Network – along with organisations and individuals across the country – issued the open letter to Scottish political parties, parliamentary committees, the Scottish Cabinet, Scotland’s Secretary of State and all 32 local authorities.
 
The letter calls on these key decision makers and institutions to show their commitment to delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Scotland by publishing the specific actions they are taking that relate to the 17 critical areas reflected in the SDGs.
 
The purpose of the letter is to raise awareness of the SDGs at strategic level, encourage a sense of responsibility from institutions and key individuals, and map out where existing activity is and track progress over the coming years.
 
The letter has 300 signatories from across the private, public and third sectors, including Scotland’s International Development Alliance, Glasgow Caledonian University, WWF, Business in Community Scotland, UN Global Compact UK (representing some of the UK’s largest businesses that are signatories to the UN Global Compact), HIV Scotland and SCVO.
 
SDG Network Co-ordinator Paul Bradley said:

“The SDGs are the closest the world has come to a plan to end extreme poverty, tackle inequalities and combat climate change, and Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to sign up in 2015. Now entering our third year of action, this letter presents an opening for civil society, business and government to come together to make sure that actions are taken in Scotland to see that the SDGs are achieved.”

Professor Pamela Gillies, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, said:

“Glasgow Caledonian University signed the SDG Network’s open letter because we feel the SDGs provide a powerful framework for collaborative action to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.  At the university, we have ensured that the SDGS form the foundation of our Research Strategy. Across the university, from fair fashion to access to health we are using our applied research to work across disciplines and sectors to promote sustainability and social impact.”

 
Signing the open letter is one of EAUC’s many actions to raise awareness of and show support for more action on the Sustainable Development Goals, including being core to the development and launch of the global SDG Accord for Universities and Colleges in 2017.