b'AusLSA has spoken to three leading thinkers and practitioners about the role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)in business and how Australian Law firms can benefit from incorporating the SDGs into their strategy and contribute addressing global sustainability issues .Sustainable Development Goals Established in 2015, with a target year of 2030, theareas of great progress, and identifies that with United Nations Sustainable Development Goalsambition, political will, financing and innovation (SDGs) are a set of 17 global objectives developedbreakthrough progress can be made.in response to pressing global challenges facing humanity, including issues such as poverty, climateThe global objectives are an extremely useful change, inequality, environmental degradation andframework for business to review and identify their health and wellbeing.The goals were formulatedmost materials impact across the ESG agenda, through a collaborative process and are designedinclusive of considering the risks and opportunities to engage and encourage multiple stakeholderthey face as the world works towards achieving the groups, including government, civil societycollective outcomes.Business can use the SDG and business to work together towards a moreframework to understand and communicate to sustainable and equitable future. stakeholders where their greatest contributions lie and how their objectives and commitments fit into Each goal is underpinned by a set of specifica global agenda. targets and indicators to measure progress.In 2023, at the halfway point, the UN published aBeing able to represent a businesss sustainability sobering report on progress.The impacts of theefforts in terms of the UN Global Compact and climate crisis, war in Ukraine, lingering effects ofthe to SDGs provides firms with the opportunity the Covid-19 pandemic and weak global economyto demonstrate a contribution to the national and have hindered progress towards the goals.Theinternational SDG agenda as well as the SDG number of people living in extreme poverty rosecommitments of their clients. Being able to measure for the first time in a generation and on presentand report metrics on how particular sustainability trends a staggering 575 million people will remaininitiatives specifically contribute towards the SDG trapped in extreme poverty by 2030.84 milliontargets further benefits relationships with other children will be out of school and its estimatedorganisations with SDG targets. that on present trends it will take nearly 300 years to close gender gaps in legal protection, eliminateAusLSA members also make strategic decisions discriminatory laws and end child marriage.Heatabout the type of business partnerships and waves, droughts, floods and wildfires have becomemarkets they wish to develop and prioritise as a part far too frequent as the world races towards the 1.5of their purpose. This purpose can also demonstrate degree tipping point.Rising sea levels, alreadythe firms values and achieve its purpose. Through locked in, threaten hundreds of millions in coastaltheir working relationships with their clients, law communities.It is often the worlds poorestfirms help to facilitate and deliver many projects and most vulnerable bearing the brunt of theand assist organisations that help deliver on the consequences.However, the report also highlightsSustainable Development Goals and targets.32'