Among the aims of this years International Womens Day, which falls on 8 March 2018, is a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Therefore, it seems an apt time to showcase the launch of the IFoA policy campaign on sustainable development goals (SDGs), which will be running throughout 2018 and beyond.
The SDGs are a group of 17 global goals set by the United Nations. They cover a range of social and economic development matters, with the aim of eradicating all forms of poverty, fighting inequalities, and tackling climate change in all countries, both developed and still developing, by 2030.
The financial services industry has a vital role to play in helping to tackle the SDGs. With many actuaries working within this industry, it is a great opportunity to explore how actuarial work is relevant to the SDGs.
Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
We had great success in 2017, with the Intergenerational Fairness initiative, which brought together many experts from government, think tanks, academia and industry to deliver a clear message to policymakers.
This is a live issue, and one we must grapple with, if we do not want to leave future generations with potentially insurmountable environmental and social consequences.
Intergenerational fairness, and now the SDGs, are great examples of where the traditional skillset of actuaries can be applied to the policy agenda.
Long-term thinking and the application of a risk management approach can help policymakers and financial services to take appropriate action.
Many of you may be contributing to the SDGs through work that you are already doing. I hope by raising awareness of this campaign, we can promote the sharing of ideas, provide a forum for innovation and develop evidence-based analysis that demonstrates how the work of actuaries can contribute to these ambitious goals.
Once again, we want to bring together a range of expertise to develop clear messages on what action is needed from within our communities if the goals are to be achieved. This is the first time the IFoA has undertaken a project of this scale, calling on members and other experts from all over the world to join us.
To find out how to help the IFoA to address the question of 'How are actuaries relevant to the sustainable development goals and how can we contribute to the goals being met?' please visit: bit.ly/2CWe8GO.
We welcome your views and suggestions.
Marjorie Ngwenya is the president of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries