Hyundai Motor, UNDP sign sustainability pact

Hyundai Motor and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will ally to accelerate progress towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under a new agreement, Hyundai and UNDP will collaborate to create For Tomorrow, an initiative they claim will catalyse progress towards these goals.

The United Nations adopted the SDGs in 2015 as a universal call-to-action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Hyundai and UNDP will support solutions shared on the platform by working with the UNDP Accelerator Labs, a global network of 60 units (expanding to 90 this year). These labs tap into local innovations that help drive sustainable development for the 21st century. The agreement will enable Hyundai and UNDP to crowdsource local innovations and help these solutions scale.

According to a company statement, Hyundai plans engage with local innovators of the millennial and Z generations, as it seeks to enhance its brand from doing well to doing good. 

As part of this push, Hyundai and UNDP launched a dedicated social-media channel (@forTomorrow2030) to promote the project. Under this year’s theme, 'Make Cities Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable', For Tomorrow will accept submissions from October through April, in time for Earth Day on April 22, with project acceleration in the ensuing months.

An online signing ceremony included Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor executive vice chairman; Achim Steiner, UNPD administrator; and Jessica Alba, an actor and activist. 

“The For Tomorrow project ... aims to offer concrete solutions to many of our problems today.” said Chung in a statement. “Hyundai ... will help mobilise that power of cooperation and innovation to engineer sustainable progress for humanity.”