Social Value Blog
SDG progress – Zooming in on Inequality
Despite progress made over the last 20 years to reduce the numbers of people living in extreme poverty1, inequality has been on the rise across the globe for several decades now. In January 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold) the UN warned2 that rising inequality was affecting more than two thirds of the globe as economic gaps have continued to grow at a disproportionate rate to the progress made to reduce extreme poverty. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic being shown to have pushed 119-124 million people back into poverty and chronic hunger3 it is clear, that the persistent challenge of inequality is not going anywhere. It is a complex situation, but one that we’d like to dedicate this first out of three blogs to and share insights from the progress that the SDGs highlight.
World Refugee Day: How Can The Social Value Movement Help Tackle The Issues Of Forced Displacement?
World Refugee Day falls each year on 20th June and is dedicated to refugees around the globe. It is an international day designated by the UN to celebrate the strength and courage of those who have been forced to leave their homes behind, to build empathy and understanding for their plight, and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Child Labour Is On The Rise: How Can SROI Help Us Measure Impact And Tackle Child Labour?
For the first time in two decades, the number of children being put to work has risen – to 160 million worldwide, representing an increase of 8.4 million over four years – while millions of other are at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Day Of Living Together In Peace: Building A Sustainable World Of Peace, Solidarity And Harmony
16th May marks the UN’s International Day of Living Together in Peace – a day dedicated to the promotion of peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. The Day “aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.”
But how do we realise this vision? And how can the social value movement support this utopian objective?
Equality, Wellbeing, And The SDGs: How Can We Address The Issues Of Covid-19 And Achieve The SDGs By 2030?
While overcoming the pandemic will certainly be an impressive feat and a demonstration of what we can achieve together if we set our priorities straight, it will not be the time to fall back into complacency. Continuing our work is not only vital to tackling the large-scale challenges of climate change and inequality but also to avoiding another devastating virus outbreak in the future. No country is on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and the pandemic has made the prospect of this even less likely. Although the future may currently seem bleak, we must hold firm in our convictions and not let the pandemic derail our vision of a more equitable and sustainable world for all. If we stop now, at defeating Covid-19, it is merely the equivalent of fixing a leaky faucet in a burning building.
World Health Day 2021: Building A Fairer, Healthier World
April 7 of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day. From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization. This year, World Health Day is focussing on “Building a fairer, healthier world”.
We Can’t Achieve Social Value Without Achieving Social Justice
Social justice is central to the social value movement, and now more than ever it’s vital that we as a community stand up for social justice, equality and human rights.
To say the last few weeks have been difficult for our planet would be an understatement, to be honest, stating the last year’s been difficult would be too. Social justice has come into the spotlight, as it has many times before in human history, and we owe it to us and all future generations to not let this moment escape from us.
Reducing Income Inequality
Valuation, especially of social and environmental outcomes is always guaranteed to elicit strong opinions from the “you can’t put a monetary value on everything” to the “you cannot make good decisions unless you know how important things are to people”. But either way, interest is growing….
Zero Discrimination Day: The Growth Of Inequalities Worldwide
‘…in 2015, all countries pledged to reduce inequality within and between countries as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. But it is not yet one that the world has delivered on.’
Reports from the UN show that inequality is growing for more than 70% of the global population. At a time of crisis, when the world has been ravaged by COVID-19, we need to move beyond promises to achieving social justice worldwide and move forth to achieve it….
World Day Of Social Justice 2021
In this blog, Social Value International’s Director of Impact, Dr. Adam Richards, reflects on the World Day of Social Justice 2021 and on the importance of the social value movement in combating inequality. While the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare and deepened existing inequalities, including the growing digital divide within, between and across developed and developing countries, it has also shown us that rapid and meaningful change is possible when we set our minds to it.