CATÓLICA-LISBON presented on March 20 the conclusions of the fourth report of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Observatory, marking the culmination of four years of joint work between academia, companies and institutions, at a particularly relevant moment for reflecting on the role of sustainability in today’s context.
The event, held at CATÓLICA-LISBON, brought together business leaders, academics and representatives of international organizations to assess the progress achieved and discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the final stretch of the 2030 Agenda.
In the opening session, Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, highlighted the importance of this report as a contribution to understanding how SDGs are being integrated into the Portuguese business landscape, “to identify best practices and strengthen the collective commitment to a more sustainable, inclusive and responsible economy.” She emphasized that sustainability is far from being a passing trend. The data presented by the Observatory confirms this reality: 82% of large companies and 67% of SMEs consider the integration of SDGs relevant to their strategy, reflecting a structural shift in how organizations approach value creation.
This work, developed in partnership with Fundação “la Caixa” and Banco BPI, results from an ongoing effort in analysis, capacity building and collaboration, positioning the Observatory as a true catalyst for change and a tool to support informed decision-making.
Over the past four years, more than 60 large companies and 130 SMEs have joined this initiative, contributing to the collection of a substantial body of data, the conduction of over 140 interviews and the analysis of more than 250 sustainability reports. This effort made it possible not only to identify structural challenges, such as capacity building, operationalization and strategic alignment of the SDGs, but also to document around 200 best practices, demonstrating that the path toward a more sustainable economy is being built in a concrete way.
More than just numbers, the Observatory has established itself as a platform for knowledge, learning and sharing, with a direct impact on corporate strategies, helping organizations align priorities, measure progress and turn intentions into action.
In his intervention, Filipe Santos, Dean of CATÓLICA-LISBON, framed the role of the SDGs within a global context where priorities shift rapidly, warning against the risk of losing focus amid economic, political, and social “noise.”
“As priorities change and the noise around us increases, we tend to lose our way, and when we lose our way, we lose sight of the essence. The essence is that, 15 years ago, humanity came together (…) and stated that if we want sustainable development, we must focus on these 17 goals and their indicators. For that very reason, we cannot afford to be distracted by the noise and agitation of daily life. We must stay focused to ensure we are moving toward these goals. Because if we concentrate on short-term issues that seem critical at the moment and lose sight of what is essential, we will end up lost anyway,” he stated. In this context, he also highlighted the decisive role of companies as the main driving force for achieving the 2030 Agenda in the coming years.
The international dimension of the debate was further enriched by the contribution of Wim Vermeulen, Professor at Vlerick Business School and an expert in responsible communication and corporate credibility. He reinforced the importance of business and institutional decisions being grounded in purpose and climate responsibility. Vermeulen stressed the need to distinguish between momentary distractions and structural priorities, using the metaphor of the “two wolves” to illustrate that each organization must choose which values to nurture, whether the wolf of immediate gain or the wolf of sustainable legacy.
He also highlighted the strategic role of climate adaptation as a risk management tool, the importance of transparent and credible corporate communication and the uniqueness of European values, such as solidarity, cohesion and respect for science, which enable companies and citizens to remain focused on long-term solutions even in times of uncertainty.
Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, reinforced this message through a video, emphasizing the urgency of integrating sustainability as a driver of corporate competitiveness. He noted that the transition is no longer driven by activism, but by economics, cost curves, competitiveness and risk pricing. His message underlined that sustainability has moved beyond being merely an ethical or moral obligation to becoming a critical factor for value creation, growth and business leadership, requiring bold decisions to turn intentions into concrete results.
The event concluded with remarks by Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), who reflected on the current state of the 2030 Agenda. In a global context marked by multiple interconnected crises, he emphasized the importance of not postponing action on sustainable development, even in the face of geopolitical and economic challenges. On the contrary, he argued that this context makes the agenda even more relevant. Highlighting that sustainable development goes beyond the environmental dimension, he reinforced principles such as interdependence, cooperation, and intergenerational solidarity. He also warned of the current gap in meeting targets: only one-third of the goals are on track, and the world remains far from the trajectory needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
“We are at a moment where we either move forward or fall back, and there is no room for hesitation,” he stated, underscoring the urgency of accelerating implementation. Despite the challenges, he stressed that solutions are within reach, namely through aligning global financing with sustainable development, implementing policy reforms, building capacity to deliver on the goals, strengthening evaluation and learning processes, and pursuing “a reform of international institutions that focuses on global public goods, in their regulation, protection, and financing, rather than solely on a territorial logic that no longer matches the scale of today’s challenges or the capacity to address them.”
In this way, the event marked not only the presentation of the fourth report’s findings but also the launch of a new cycle for the Observatory, focused on accelerating action and preparing for the post-2030 period. In an increasingly complex global context, the event demonstrated that sustainable development requires continuous commitment, effective collaboration and leadership capable of transforming knowledge into concrete action, reinforcing the role of companies as key agents of change.