Meaningful Collaboration
Sustainable Development
Who we are.
SDG17 is a small consultancy service underpinned by the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #17 which highlights an international focus on the importance of effective collaboration among key stakeholders to achieve sustainable, community-led outcomes.
SDG17 operates with a sound understanding of the complexities involved in remote environments, balancing stakeholder needs while navigating intricate policies and legislative frameworks. SDG17 has an unwavering commitment to mentorship, and the establishment of cohesive alignment between important stakeholders to consistently achieve exceptional outcomes, even under challenging circumstances.
Highly developed strategic planning skills, strong analytical capabilities and expert negotiation and relationship building skills enables SDG17 to address complex socio-economic problems within agreed timelines and budgets.
Capabilities
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Stakeholder Engagement
Actively cultivated collaborative partnerships with East Kimberley communities to promote sustainable development and business transition. Supported post-mining transition objectives for the Argyle Diamond Mine Closure initiative, ensuring that the needs and perspectives of local stakeholders were prioritised in the transition process. Focus on meaningful partnerships and collaboration to build community resilience and support long-term environmental and economic sustainability.
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Business Development
Increased the share of site-based contracting spend for local Indigenous businesses by 400% through effective internal influencing and adaptation of procurement processes to support Indigenous entrepreneurship and long-term business sustainability. Exceeded projections for local employment and training outcomes, reflecting a purposeful dedication to community development and sustainable partnerships.
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Collaboration and Partnerships
Successfully established a collaborative partnership between Rio Tinto, the Western Australian Government and Traditional Owners to support Indigenous business startups and capability development. This tripartite relationship activated critical startup funding to enable a number of small Indigenous businesses to quickly capitalise on the contracting opportunities available in the Argyle Diamond Mine Closure project.
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Land Management and Technology
Led the successful development of a nationally significant land and cultural management technology project. Expert facilitation of this complex multi-stakeholder project, establishment of fit for purpose corporate structure/governance, and continued focus on ensuring beneficiaries of the system were appropriately engaged, has resulted in long term growth and sustainability of the system.
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Nature Based Tourism
Establishment of a successful tourism business in the East Kimberley which rapidly scaled up to cater for up to 14,000 customers per year primarily due to a strong focus on quality customer service and eco-tourism principles. Transitioned to leading local stakeholder engagement, conservation and training for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Strategic Relationship Building
Outcomes Focussed
Leadership Advanced Negotiation
Project Development
What separates us from the rest
Social Impact
Business Management
Economic Development
Risk Assessment
Performance Evaluation
Team Leadership
Corporate Governance
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Projects
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Indigenous Business Development - Argyle Diamond Mine
This initiative aimed to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of mine closure by fostering Indigenous business capability and capacity growth over a five-year period. As a result, 20 businesses, including nine startups, experienced substantial growth, with Indigenous business revenue soaring by 400%. This entrepreneurial growth has facilitated local training and employment opportunities, contributing to enhanced long-term regional socio-economic conditions.
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Local Capability Fund - Joint Collaboration Argyle Diamond Mine Closure
Enhanced Indigenous business capabilities through a partnership between the West Australian State Government, Rio Tinto, and a Traditional Owner representative organisation. This collaboration resulted in the establishment of small "Local Capability Funding" grants tailored for small businesses associated with the Argyle project. As a result, business development was accelerated, leading to increased local training and employment opportunities, ultimately improving long-term socio-economic conditions in the region.
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The Keeping Place - Indigenous Organisations and Communities - Australia
The objective was to create a secure and user-friendly GIS-based technology solution tailored for Indigenous organisations to facilitate the repatriation of cultural knowledge, manage land, and enhance educational connections. This initiative, known as The Keeping Place, has garnered funding support from three major resource companies in collaboration with the National Trust and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation. As a result, improved access to cultural resources and better land management practices are helping to ensure that Indigenous Australians are increasingly empowered to determine their own destiny in relation to their land and culture.
Delivering long term sustainable socio-economic outcomes driven by community aspirations is something that I have become very passionate about after many years working in this sector.
I believe that to build resilient and sustainable communities where current and future generations have an opportunity to thrive, it is critical to start with deep and focussed listening and learning from the people living in these communities. This can then be followed by expert leveraging of collaborative partnerships between key stakeholders to support the implementation of targeted socio-economic initiatives that have real impact.
Steve Sharpe, Director - SDG17 Pty Ltd
