There is a light in the world that fuels hope for a future of peace and sustainable development. This is the UN, or the United Nations which, as is already evident in its name, symbolically brings together all the peoples of the Earth and unites them.
United Nations Day, still relevant after nearly eighty years
The UN was officially born on October 24, 1945, with the entry into force of its founding charter. That is why every year, United Nations Day is celebrated around the world: it’s a day for optimism but also, and above all, for reflection on the present state of the world.
That’s because celebrating an event from the past is important, but it’s even more important to grasp its relevance and enhance it. This is especially true at a time of great technological, social, political and economic transformation such as the one we are currently experiencing.
Sustainable development beyond GDP
The theme of this year's United Nations Day, "Prospects for Growth," refers not only to the ways and means needed to foster economic growth, but it also suggests a broader outlook: finding new and more comprehensive criteria for measuring growth.
Today, the most widely used indicator is gross domestic product (GDP), but it is increasingly showing its limits, particularly from the point of view of sustainable development: institutions, companies – above all, those at the forefront– and citizens themselves are realizing the need to take into account not only economic and financial performance, but also other crucial aspects such as the circular economy, the energy transition, and the improvement of people's living conditions. In a word, sustainability, in its three pillars, namely environmental, social and economic.
Jobs, growth and cooperation
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the lodestar by which the UN wanted to guide us toward sustainability for 2030.
Two of these goals are evident in the theme of this year's UN Day: SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the goals).
So the message to be taken up today is a call for solidarity and unity, and this is now more urgent than ever: it’s an invitation to accelerate a path of global cooperation to ensure that our society can continue in a way that is more sustainable for the Planet and more socially just.
United Nations Day and Enel’s values
These are all issues that are broadly reflected in the values and principles underlying Enel's strategy. We have incorporated the SDGs within our daily activities and positioned sustainable development at the heart of our corporate culture.
What drives our daily work and commitment is the desire to build an increasingly sustainable business model that enables us to reach four strategic goals, in line with the same number of SDGs: Affordable and clean energy (SDG #7), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG #9), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG #11), and Climate action (SDG #13).
As a large international energy Group, we work every day, together with people and all Stakeholders to achieve an energy transition that safeguards the Planet and its natural resources: on the one hand, with the generation of electricity from renewable sources, in which we are a global leader, and, on the other, with electrification and the transition to forms of energy consumption, with the ambition of zero CO2 emissions by 2040.
At the same time, people are at the center of our efforts: they are the drivers and beneficiaries of a long-term sustainable development strategy.
A just transition and human rights
Indeed, from a 360-degree sustainability perspective, the energy transition must not only be ecological but also just and inclusive: this is why we apply a Creating Shared Value (CSV) model, whereby value for the company is accompanied by economic and social value for the local area and the communities that inhabit it.
In particular, a just transition means guaranteeing the right to work and safe and decent working conditions at all times: this is precisely what the UN proposes with SDG 8, “Decent work and economic growth,” the underlying principle of which is that no one should ever be left behind.
Therefore, in all the countries where Enel is present, we encourage the constant growth and updating of professional skills both inside and outside the company, with practical initiatives such as mentoring and coaching programs, scholarships, training activities, and skills exchange.
Rights at work involve respect for every person and are principles that we apply in every choice and action, and that we also require of our partners, suppliers, contractors and colleagues. That’s because it is only by being united, in the same way that the nations that founded the UN were, nearly eighty years ago, that we can help build a better world for the present and leave a better one for future generations.