- Coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we summarize (below) the main contributions of the social initiatives of ACCIONA Energía to the Agenda 2030.
On 25 September six years ago, the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations became the framework for the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of Agenda 2030, the most ambitious approved to date by the international community to act collectively around common goals. As part of the Social Impact Management (SIM) of its projects, ACCIONA Energía contributes to Agenda 2030 through the implementation of 125 initiatives to benefit communities in the areas located in and around its projects.
SDG 4: Quality education
Contributing to achieving inclusive and quality education continues to be a priority in ACCIONA Energía’s social initiatives around the world. This year, scholarship programmes are continuing in Australia, USA, Mexico and South Africa. In Mexico, students also have the opportunity to attend English language courses funded by ACCIONA Energía.
Educational programmes likes those in South Africa are also continuing in the fields of literacy and mathematics and science, as are the STEM programmes in USA. A new one has been added in Poland, consisting of the creation of an online platform that offers, among other things, training for teachers in remote learning techniques.
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
Another priority objective of the social initiatives of ACCIONA Energía is to contribute to the economic development of the communities where the company operates, through the promotion of production and skills training. In Chile programmes to boost tourism and to generate skills and training around the revalorization of waste and the creation of new products from it are ongoing. In Mexico, the “Aprende, emprende y Acciónate” programme has been started, providing training on entrepreneurship. A number of programmes are in place in South Africa to foster entrepreneurship, as well as in hydroponic cultivation to feed livestock and support bee-keepers.
SDG 3: Health and wellbeing
Ensuring a healthy life and promoting social wellbeing are necessary to achieve sustainable development. Bearing in mind that India has been one of the most heavily impacted countries by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of the number of deaths and daily cases detected, ACCIONA Energía has worked with the communities located near the Bannur, Tupadahalli and AWELP wind farms to combat the health emergency by providing medical supplies to hospitals and health centres in the area. Other initiatives aimed at fulfilling this SDG include a support programme for senior citizens in Poland and the “Fútbol+” socio-sports programme in Chile, a country in which a space to carry out rural health campaigns is also being set up.
Initiatives like these become particularly important at a time when, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “we are facing the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetime”.