2024 OVERVIEW
This report reflects GCNSA comprehensive progress during 2023 and highlights the Strategy and Plans for 2024.
Programmes Overview 2024:
In this Annual Report, GCNSA presents highlights of achievements and progress on key delivery areas during 2024. We continued to support companies in scaling their impact on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In a difficult year with relatively slower growth, we made remarkable progress on the programmatic front, creating segmented value and new offerings for SMEs, while still delivering to the large company base.
We now have an SME Hub on the website, where SMEs can can conduct sustainability self- assessments, understanding their starting points and being connected to available resources to aid implementation. I urge all SMEs to access the Hub for sustainability learning, improvement and risk management.
Programmatic Offerings
Our highlight of the year was the Private Sector Voluntary National Review on the SDGs for 2024, which we delivered to feed into South Africa’s National Report. Reflecting the most recent SDG data and insights from SA companies, the VNR Report is an important document that continues to shape our engagement and delivery to key sectors. It is also serving as a base knowledge document for the B20 SA Taskforces, as they develop the relevant policy papers to be presented to the G20. In the VNR Report, participating companies ranked the following SDGs as top priority: SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 13 on Climate Action; and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, signaling where we should see increased business action.
Our Accelerator on SDG Innovation for young professionals remains a priority and a favorite for many participating companies. As the VNR research confirms, Innovation is where business sees the greatest opportunities, especially in the changing global landscape where sustainability has become a must-have despite notable pushbacks. In this regard, as GCNSA, we are keen to now elevate this Accelerator from incubation to a scaled-up Programme that can drive greater impact by supporting more young people and budding entrepreneurs.
