The business sector reports that its sustainability actions benefit 2 million people
The Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF), presented its fourth report “Acting in the present, thinking about the future”, which brings together the work of chambers and business allies in terms of sustainability, which impact the company performance and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The report brings together the actions of six Cacif chambers and the Association of Renewable Energy Generators (AGER), as well as their allies Center for the Action of Corporate Social Responsibility in Guatemala (CentraRSE), Entrepreneurs for Education (ExE) and Guatemala Global Compact (PG).
The objective of this report is to make visible the positive actions promoted by the organized private sector to promote the sustainable development of the country and support the fulfillment of the SDGs.
Main results
Luis Fernando Leal, vice president of Cacif, said that, for the first time, since 2019, there was a methodology to unify the standardized reporting exercise of the actions of the cameras and allies as a whole on four main lines of action: the development of capacities, the facilitation of responsible businesses, the elaboration of sectorial policies and the actions of participation in public policy.
According to Leal, each of these axes has programs and projects focused on the fulfillment of some specific SDGs, and have a positive impact on the fulfillment of others.
In this sense, in 2021 the organizations included in the report promoted 123 actions related to business activities, oriented in two lines of action: 95 in capacity development projects, and 28 in business facilitation programs. These actions would have reached 2,296 people, 15,441 companies and organizations, as well as improving the lives of more than 800 families.
Regarding capacity development actions, 44% of the reported projects contributed to SDG 2, zero hunger; 4, Quality education; 8, decent work and economic growth; while 60% of responsible business facilitation actions contributed to SDG 3, health and well-being; 12, responsible production and consumption, as well as in numbers 2 and 8.
The business sector also reported the development of 39 sectoral policies on compliance with labor standards, occupational health and safety; and 22 dialogue spaces. And in terms of participation in public policies, he contributed to 36 proposal committees and 13 committees from business chambers.
Luis Morales, consultant for the international firm KPMG, commenting on the importance of reporting on sustainability actions, pointed out that “it is important to note that Guatemala is in position 117 in the regime of 163 countries worldwide, with a score of 61. At the Latin American and Central American level, the country is in last place. I think it is a challenge that we all have as a society to change those numbers”.
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