Learn how NIRAS engages with the Sustainable Development Goals
Through the more than 2,000 projects that NIRAS’ experts help implement in well over 100 countries on an annual basis, we contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are publishing a series of brochures explaining how we work with SDGs that are most significant for our business.
NIRAS’ continued efforts to ensure sustainable development are in line with the SDGs and support each partner countries’ Agenda 2030. In every sector we ask ourselves if we can introduce new services where we – together with our partners and clients – can contribute to this global development agenda.
Since the signing of our first development cooperation contract almost half a century ago, NIRAS has stayed true to its core mission of contributing to a better, more equal, and stable world. We do this by designing, implementing, and managing projects and investments that underpin economic development, enhance livelihoods, reduce inequality, improve education and health, and build environmental resilience.
We incorporate the UN Sustainable Development Goals in all our work, measuring our impact on society and the environment and linking all project results directly to their contributions to one or several of the SDGs. Through NIRAS, our clients can systematically monitor and assess the achievements of their investments.
Following are some brochures outlining how our projects contribute to the SDGs that are most significant for our business.
How NIRAS supports SDG 2
Producing enough food for a growing global population remains one of the key challenges our society is facing today. With close to half a century of experience successfully implementing large, multi-sector programmes in agribusiness and agricultural value-chain development, we directly contribute to enhancing the availability of food on a global scale. We currently support more than 50 projects that directly contribute to SDG 2 at different levels, either through agribusiness development, food safety promotion, public sector engagement or awareness raising activities. Read about six examples from Kenya, Lao PDR, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 2
How NIRAS supports SDG 4
Education and training are well-recognised prerequisites for inclusive and equitable societies. At NIRAS, the achievement of SDG4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning, is at the heart of what we do in our education and skills development projects. As the focus has shifted away from access towards quality of education, and the emphasis has broadened beyond inputs to outcomes of learning, we are determined to ensure our work contributes to improving the quality of education and training and making learning more equitable. Take a look at six selected examples of our work in the field.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG4
How NIRAS supports SDG 5
With a longstanding tradition of working with Scandinavian donors such as Sida, DANIDA and MFA Finland, NIRAS has been at the forefront of promoting gender equality around the world. As a cross-cutting goal, SDG 5 must be promoted in every area in which we work, be it agriculture, governance, energy or any other sector. We facilitate and support more than 40 projects worldwide which have gender equality as their main objective. In this booklet, we showcase six to illustrate how our work promotes equal rights and opportunities for both women and men.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 5.
How NIRAS supports SDG 6
Looking back on our extensive experience and collaborative approaches with cross-sectoral players, NIRAS has been ensuring a holistic and integrated approach is applied to water-related programmes since our foundation in 1956. Expertise from fields like institutional development, training and education, health and well-being, results-based management, and economic, environmental and social assessment as well as gender and human rights are incorporated into the projects we manage. In our approach to integrated water resource management, we fully recognise the multi-disciplinary tasks involved and administer projects wisely, ensuring they are of economic benefit to society, while giving all stakeholders equal consideration.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 6.
How NIRAS supports SDG 7
The presence of energy in its various forms, particularly since industrialisation, has been a key driver of change in modern society. Continuous advancements in this sector enable nations to progress from developing to developed status. However this growth and advancement has come at a significant cost to our natural resources, and immediate and urgent corrective action needs to occur to ensure we stop depleting these precious resources while supporting the vision of prosperity for all. Looking at six examples from around the world, learn how NIRAS has been playing an important role in this transition story, offering tailored solutions to and collaborating with governments in their pursuit of a cleaner, more efficient, and informed energy sector management.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 7.
How NIRAS supports SDG 8
A cross-cutting goal that aims to promote “sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all”, SDG 8 is a fundamental goal for NIRAS. NIRAS supports more than 50 projects worldwide which directly contribute to SDG 8. In this booklet, we showcase six from: Serbia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Ghana, Mozambique, and Mali to illustrate how our work promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth and directly contributes towards SDG 8 while also impacting other SDGs.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 8.
How NIRAS supports SDG 9
By building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industries and fostering innovation, NIRAS is contributing to the achievement of inclusive economic growth, environmental sustainability and other targets covering SDG 9. This booklet showcases six ongoing or recently concluded projects, highlighting our competence in infrastructure, industrialisation and innovation in Southern Africa, Latin America and South East Asia.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 9.
How NIRAS supports SDG 13
SDG 13 focuses on three of NIRAS’ core areas of intervention: climate resilient practices, policy and planning, and capacity development. Our extensive experience in combining these topics means that we have a strong advantage when it comes to developing case-specific and effective interventions that contribute to SDG 13. Whether we are implementing projects in agriculture, the environment, water, governance, education or any other area of intervention, we carry with us our knowledge and dedication to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Learn from six selected examples.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 13.
How NIRAS supports SDG 15
Well-functioning ecosystems are the basis for all major lifeforms and crucial to living healthy human lives. NIRAS works towards maintaining biodiversity on land, and protecting the livelihoods of those dependent on it, by implementing projects that include activities supporting SDG 15 – protecting and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. NIRAS currently has nearly 100 projects worldwide that support agriculture, forestry, the environment, and climate change initiatives through a variety of methods, including ecosystem and biodiversity protection, the management of resources, and policy development. Here we share six from Mongolia, Kenya, Belize, the Andean region of South America, and Vietnam.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 15.
How NIRAS supports SDG 16
SDG 16’s focus on “promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providng access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels” is at the very core of NIRAS’ work in strengthening good governance and democratic processes. We support and implement numerous projects worldwide that directly contribute to the targets of SDG 16. In this booklet, we present six cases showcasing the diversity of our approach, from global peace responses to specific cases in Bangladesh, Mali, Mozambique, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Tanzania. Each demonstrates how NIRAS works towards the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies in a variety of contexts and through a broad range of measures.
Download How NIRAS supports SDG 16.