Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx: the SDGs Sample Clauses

Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx: the SDGs help link local challenges to global challenges The SDGs and the Agenda 2030 framework address a broad array of societal issues, giving space for a large set of actors to converse, collaborate and dis- agree. Thus, the role of the TD researcher in such a context is especially interest- ing. Interactions between academia and SDG practice entail a special role for the researcher, for example, by actively critiquing the behaviour of industrial com- panies based on their sustainability performance. That being said, such critical distance must be balanced with the TD principle of treating stakeholders’ world- views as knowledge inputs (x.x. Xxxx et al., 2012). We do not own the truth as researchers and scientists when operating in the TD domain: we are legitimate actors in an ongoing knowledge debate. In practice, actors in a decision-making setting framed by the SDGs typically represent different interests. In a workshop I co-organized in October 2017, as part of the Polytechnic Society, I observed a representative from the organization Transparency International promoting goal number 16, which deals with account- able institutions, as a way to counteract corruption. In the same meeting, several business representatives talked about goal number 12, focusing on the issue of responsible production and consumption. What I learned is that actors tend to promote a few goals linked to their own organizational interests. This creates a setting defined by negotiations, with each participant arguing their viewpoints. Interestingly, even though actors promote different interests, it is possible to link their lines of reasoning. This can be accomplished, for example, if a work- shop facilitator emphasizes a holistic understanding of the framework during discussions. Indeed, the role of actors collaborating based on a common platform is reflected in SDG number 17, which focuses on the partnerships between govern- ments, the private sector and civil society to reach sustainability outcomes. In my research, SDG number 17 was used actively by companies and other actors in the private sector, to facilitate collaborative projects. I have experienced the frame- work as a means for myself to ease the communication with Xxxxxx’s representa- tives through linking the local activities of Plasto to global societal challenges.