The University of Queensland UQ-ALABC Latin American Sustainability Symposium

With the year 2020 drawing to a close, the achievement of the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda is now more critical than ever. However, the only way to achieve this goal is by promoting greater international cooperation and collaboration related explicitly to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the agenda.

While Australia and Latin America (LATAM) are on distinct sides of the globe, continents away from each other, the partnership and knowledge sharing between these two regions in areas of sustainability create cross-border learnings that have a positive impact on both regions as well as the world as a whole. While the achievement of all SGDs is essential in order to achieve a sustainable future for all, this policy brief will focus on the following three SDGs which have a particularly strong link between industry and sustainability. IBF partnered with ALABC and UQ to deliver a digital event showcasing sustainability best practices presented by corporate leaders at Orica, Embassy of Peru, BHP Foundation, South Pole, MMG, Geovia Dassault Systemes, CSIRO and Santos. Delivered to +500 participants across regions, the event aimed to:

• Increase collaboration between government, industry, academia, local communities and civil society to ensure all parties are represented in the decision-making process
• Build channels of trust between governments, communities and businesses to promote transparency and active communication in order to ensure that all input is taken into consideration in the development of commercial activities
• Increase global partnerships to encourage cross-border knowledge sharing and promote innovation