Accelerating inclusive growth to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be at the centre of the deliberations and actions of the Responsible Business Forum, said Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Performance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration Jeff Radebe in his opening address at the 2017 forum in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“This is both practical and urgent. What we think, what we plan and how we respond to decisive actions to [meet] the challenges we face in South Africa and across the globe will be at the centre of our deliberations in this forum over the next two days. Our world is looking for better answers, for better transitions and for the better world we so desperately desire,” he said.

To achieve this, he said it was important for government to work closely with the private sector and civil society.

“Since the launch of the SDGs we now have unprecedented opportunities to accelerate inclusive growth in Africa. I am very pleased that the forum will examine all SDGs in depth and in case studies,” Radebe said.

He said even though living conditions had improved over the world, more needed to be done.

“We need such forums to share the challenges from across the globe. For South Africans, [our biggest] challenge has to do with unemployment. Our country has to create jobs and increase levels of income through productivity and inclusive growth,” explained Radebe.

He said that there was no shortcut and added that it was important to develop an economy that worked for everyone.

“Change for the better and change sooner rather than later is a must. Together all of us can take the necessary steps so that humanity cannot fail people,” he concluded.