Entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It has the potential to tackle the challenges posed by development, in particular, unemployment, poverty and economic exclusion, as well the challenges relating to the environment. The potential of entrepreneurship in meeting the challenges of sustainable development has been evoked in a series of General Assembly resolutions on entrepreneurship for development that will be discussed during the course.
The course is divided into three parts. Part I will provide an overview of entrepreneurship and the post-2015 development agenda and consider the role that entrepreneurship may have in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Part II will involve the presentation of case studies that demonstrate how entrepreneurs can contribute to sustainable development while remaining profitable, using examples from the Empretec Programme of UNCTAD.
The case studies, drawn from seven countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, were carried out in collaboration with UNCTAD Business Schools for Impact. These studies illustrate different business models that encourage private sector-led investment aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, the studies highlight the experiences of selected countries in tackling the urgent challenges and obstacles encountered in their respective communities, as well as the impact on sustainable development produced by the adoption of a hybrid (for profit/not for profit) business model.
Part III of the course will discuss the importance of policy measures, building on selected business cases and examples of policies and programmes that have enjoyed positive results. It will show how policy initiatives can help foster a climate of entrepreneurship for sustainable development, emphasizing the positive role of holistic approaches to entrepreneurship policies and their implementation.
