The Director General of the Spanish Association for Standardisation, UNE, and Vice-President of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), Javier García, took part on Thursday 13 February in the session “Aligning Business and Private Finance with the SDGs”, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ISO; it was moderated by
Dr. Şebnem Şener, Director of Private Finance for the SDGs at UNDP;
This event serves as a prelude to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which will take place from 30 June to 3 July 2025 in Seville—an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and support the reform of the international financial architecture.
During his speech, Javier García presented the relevant role of global standards to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the key involvement of the private sector and attracting further funding to these projects.
In the words of the ISO Vice-President: “When we create clear and recognised international guidelines for all, we make it possible for any company anywhere in the world to steer its efforts towards sustainable development; global standards are transformational tools that help companies align their operations with the SDGs.”
Dr. Şebnem Şener, Director of Private Finance for the SDGs at UNDP, said; “The ISO/UNDP standards on management systems will furnish companies with a structured and globally recognised approach to ensure that their sustainability efforts have a real impact."
During his speech, Javier García presented the first global standard containing guidelines to help organisations worldwide achieve the SDGs, available in Spanish as UNE-ISO/UNDP PAS 53002. In addition, he underscored the development of the future ISO/UNDP 53001 Standard which will establish the requirements for implementing an SDG management system, a tool that will allow sustainability to be embedded in business practices. Both standards are the result of the global alliance between ISO and UNDP.
The event was also attended by: Kirsten Brosbøl, former Minister of Environment of Denmark, founder and executive director of 2030beyond;
Karen Vardanyan, co-founder and co-executive director of Creatella Impact;
Setyo Budiantoro, Director of the Pillar of Economic Development at the National Secretariat for the SDGs of the Ministry of Planning for National Development, Republic of Indonesia; and Ana Peña, Global Manager of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ferrovial.
Ferrovial and its commitment to the SDGs
Ferrovial's strategy seeks to promote the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to meet a challenge:
developing sustainable infrastructures that generate a socio-economic impact in the communities in which they are located.
Ana Peña, Ferrovial's Global Manager of Sustainability and Climate Change, is actively involved in the UNE Committee on Sustainable Development Management Systems of the United Nations (CTN-UNE 343), which channels Spain's position and influence in the international ISO committee in this area.
In addition, since 2020 Ferrovial has been certified by AENOR as a business that measures its contribution to the SDGs. This certification highlights the company's Sustainability Strategy and ESG actions, stepping up its commitment to the SDGs.
