As part of its commitment to help to make the Ibero-American community more robust and cohesive through international promotion, the General Ibero-American Secretariat (SEGIB) regularly publishes research and reports, such as these latest two publications. The first is about the role of companies in creating a more sustainable economy, and the second discusses the rise of the fourth sector in Ibero-America.

The first[1] lays out the results of a survey conducted in February on the role of companies in sustainable development. 3,550 citizens from 11 Ibero-American countries[2] give their opinion of the role that companies and the private sector can and must play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in creating a fairer and more sustainable economy.

90% of those surveyed expressed a high degree of engagement with climate change and inequality, while 67% believe that companies should make a contribution to the SDGs. In addition, 72% of participants blame governments for poverty and inequality, with only 8% attributing the problem to the activity of companies.

The second paper was drawn up in conjunction with the Instituto de Empresa (IE)’s Center for the Governance of Change (CGC) and analyzes the current situation in seven Ibero-American[3] countries of companies with a social purpose: those which look beyond simple economic profits and endeavor to tackle environmental and social problems using market forces. They give more weight to the social good and respect for the environment than to capital, are committed to sustainable growth and interested in inclusive ownership and governance; there are over 170,000 of them, generating 6% of Ibero-America’s GDP and providing employment to nearly 10 million people.

These companies are the best allies of governments, NGOs and corporates in achieving SDGs, but they need a favorable ecosystem to allow them to make their desire for a triple impact a reality. To this end, the study contains recommendations and proposals for public policies that are designed to create an appropriate ecosystem for the fourth sector[4].