Guillaume Lafortune
on being Solution-Oriented
Be solutions-oriented and open to collaborations.
This is Guillaume Lafortune’s piece of advice for regenerative leaders. He adds an extra reinforcement, by offering a quote attributed to the French chess player Xavier Tartakover:
“Nobody ever won by giving up”.
Guillaume shares the story of Tartakover, who became the first French Grand Master in chess (when the title was created in 1950), and who was known for his perseverance and creativity on the chessboard (and who was also a member of the French resistance during WW2).
He believes that winning a chess game can be similar to “winning” at sustainable development.
Guillaume Lafortune is the Vice President and Head of the Paris Office at the United Nations - Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). He works on SDG data, policies and financing, including the preparation of the Sustainable Development Report. He firmly believes in structured engagement with civil society and scientific networks to provide comparable and robust statistics for better policies, some sort of “survival kit” in the era of fake news & post-truth environment we live in. More specifically, he summarizes this in an adapted version of a quote by the U.S. engineer W. Edwards Deming:
“Without GOOD data, you’re just another person with an opinion”.
I interviewed him on Zoom three years ago for Community Index Magazine and I was surprised to discover such a friendly and open person. You can just tell that he is passionate about surfing the waves of sustainability! We had a long conversation about their initiatives – SDSN Europe, SDG Academy, The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs, but also about happiness, bees, the Jungle Book, the impact of the pandemic on biodiversity. Not your usual chat with an economist.
I remember one thing he mentioned:
“When you look at the countries that have progress regarding the SDGs and those that do rank first in the World Happiness Report, you can easily observe a correlation. There might be a link between sustainable development and the social democracies models that favor wellbeing, social protection or health in all its forms.”
It seems sustainability can really make you happier, give it a shot!
Thank you, Guillaume, for being Data Driven!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Guillaume Lafortune
Company / Institution: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Title: Vice President & Head of Paris Office
Website: https://www.unsdsn.org/
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-lafortune-91816a91/?originalSubdomain=fr
Country of origin: Canada and France
Country you currently live in: France
Your personal definition of Sustainability: The definition of sustainable development provided in the 1987 Brundtland Commission report is very good: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Main business challenge you face: Multiple short-term crises represent major distractions for strengthening global cooperation needed to address the major challenges of our time, including sustainable development and climate change. Balancing short-term responses and the need for long-term planning and investments is a challenge these days. The same for global cooperation at a time when multilateralism seems very fragmented.
Main driver that keeps you going: Be able to explain to my two children / toddlers that I have done my best to maximize their long-term well-being by promoting science-based policies and investments now for sustainable development. Science is clear. A lot depends on what we do during this decade.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Science and data driven.
The trait you most value in others: Respect, modesty and understanding.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Surfing (in a sustainable way!)
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey: Define clear and ambitious targets and timelines. Then set up a strategy to achieve them and monitor progress regularly.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: That sustainability is only about climate policies. Sustainability, epitomized by the Sustainable Development Goals, promotes systemic transformations that cover three bottom lines: economic prosperity, social justice and environmental action. Ambitious climate action cannot be achieved without ambitious socio-economic policies and investments in human capital, in developed and developing countries alike.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
“Nobody ever won by giving up.”
This is attributed to the French chess player Xavier Tartakover (Polish and French national). He was referring to winning a chess game, but that can apply also to achieving sustainable development.
Tartakover became the first French Grand Master in chess (when the title was created in 1950), was known for his perseverance and creativity on the chess board, and was also a member of the French resistance during WW2.
Books that had a major impact on you: Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Must-reads for any Sustainability professional: The Age of Sustainable Development by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: “Beyond: An African Surf Documentary.”
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts etc. you visit frequently: A French Podcast/TV Show called “C Dans l’Air” where experts and journalists discuss major news items during 1-hour+ almost every day. Otherwise, I read the Financial Times and Le Monde Diplomatique for global news and analyses.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing:
John Lennon - “Imagine”
Maroon 5 - “Nothing Lasts Forever”
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Nepal and the Himalayas. Sri Lanka also.
Global Sustainability Voices you recommend us to follow:
Globally: Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)
In France: Philippe Dessertine (Sorbonne University) and Laurence Tubiana (European Climate Foundation).
Trends in Sustainability we should keep an eye on: Sovereign SDG Budgeting & Bonds
Best places for business networking (online or offline): Major summits and events at the United Nations. In my view, the UN should remain the main convening venue for strengthening multilateralism and moving towards global goals. The Summit of the Future in September 2024 should be an important moment to reaffirm the UN Charter, reinvigorate multilateralism and boost the implementation of the global goals for sustainable development.
Events we should attend: The UN High-Level Political Forum and SDG Summit in 2023, but also the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) organized each year by the SDSN.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: With two toddlers, this is a period in my life where I am enjoying family time and love to watch my kids grow. I continue to play football in a team each Saturday and exercise 2-3 times a week, in nature when possible.
Sustainable Development courses / trainings / certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: All the SDG Academy courses (but I am a bit biased here!)
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The SDGs are technically feasible and financially affordable. The real issue is not the achievability of ambitious goals, but the need to take the goals seriously, get organized to achieve them, embark on intensified problem solving, and mobilize the resources needed for their achievement.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Politics of the rich countries and of major countries to join in an internationally coordinated response to achieve the SDGs.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Be solutions-oriented and open to collaborations to achieve sustainable development.
Quote that inspires you:
Lester B. Pearson was Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his crucial contribution to the deployment of a United Nations Emergency Force in the wake of the Suez Crisis. The Suez Crisis involved in 1956 Great Britain, France and Israel against Egypt, and the Soviet Union threatened to use atomic weapons against the assailants.
The “innovative” diplomatic solution proposed by Lester B. Pearson, the first deployment of the blue helmets, helped separate the warring parties and to restore peace. There are at least two quotes attributed to Lester B. Pearson in the 1950s and 1960s that resonate to this day!
On solving global problems:
“We must keep on trying to solve problems, one by one, stage by stage, if not on the basis of confidence and cooperation, at least on that of mutual toleration and self-interest.”
On wealth inequalities:
“If a man has an apartment stacked to the ceiling with newspapers, we call him crazy. If a woman has a trailer house full of cats, we call her nuts. But when people pathologically hoard so much cash that they impoverish the entire nation, we put them on the cover of Fortune magazine and pretend that they are role models.”
Your own quote that will inspire us:
