DEBATE 1 (AGAINST)

Globalisation has a positive impact on worldwide employment.

1. Raising average incomes - higher in come but greater gap

● Globalization: the process by which businesses or other organizations develop
international influence or start operating on an international scale, result of free trade
(Definitions from Oxford Languages)
● Employment: (Definitions from Oxford Languages)
○ the condition of having paid work.
○ a person's trade or profession.
○ the action of giving work to someone.
○ the number of people who have jobs, or the ability to provide jobs to
other people (cambridge dictionary)
● Worldwide: throughout the world, extending or reaching throughout the world
(Definitions from Oxford Languages)
=> Our group arguments will focus on the “employement” meaning of a condition of having paid
work, the action of giving work to someone, the number of people who have jobs or the ability to
provide jobs to other people, as well as the characteristics related to employment, such as working
conditions,
2. Disagree với statement = not always have positive impact on worldwide employment) và
evidence
- Evidence: Có ng lợi có ng ko, có nc lợi có ng ko
- leads to increased competition between companies, which can result in closures,
offshoring and job losses..
- So far, in developed countries, low-skilled workers have been most affected by
stagnating revenues and / or increasing unemployment due to competition from
developing countries’ workers and also as a result of technological progress. =>
Skilled workers in developed countries are more and more feeling the competition of
their counterparts in developing countries. SESSION-II-DOC-4.pdf
- Wage inequality: free trade may drive up production and labor costs,
including higher wages for a more skilled workforce, which again can lead to
outsourcing jobs from countries with higher wages.
(https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/globalization-
developed-countries.asp)
- The US has the most percentage of outsourced services in the world, with
almost 68% of companies delegating their services. (Outsource Accelerator,
Oct 2021)
- For workers in low-wages countries:
- Working conditions: Lower safety requirements, longer working hours, or a
ban on trade unions, for example, maybe attractive for multinational
enterprises and may spur offshoring. SESSION-II-DOC-4.pdf
- Exporters facing the challenges of the world market, as well as multinational
firms facing cheap imitators from low-wage regions, could, in an attempt to
remain competitive, reduce costs by paying lower wages, hiring children or
by creating conditions. sanitary ware for their workers (https://www.shs-
conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2021/03/shsconf_glob20_07011.pdf )
Many reported unethical business cases from big brands regarding this:
 https://moneyinc.com/5-huge-companies-known-implementing-horrific-working-
conditions/
- According to research by Blanton and Blanton(2016) where they assess the
relationship between globalization and labor rights with a cross-sectional
time series design, as countries increased their political, social, and economic
integration into the global system, violations of collective labor rights
increased as well. Also, In two of the three types of globalization (social and
economic) we found that a similar dynamic existed across countries with
more globalized countries on average having worse labor practices than
countries that are less open to economic and social globalization
Blanton, R., & Blanton, S. L. (2016). Globalization and Collective Labor Rights. Sociological

Forum, 31(1), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12239

3. Jobless issue in developing and developed countries

- If firms and workers fail to match appropriately, the unmatched skilled workers
remain unemployed and the unmatched firms continue to produce low-quality goods.
Trade liberalization raises the skilled wage rate and the successful probability of
matching, which encourages unskilled workers to learn skill but increase the number
of the skilled workers after trade liberalization => The unemployment rate of
skilled workers may increase after globalization. (Inaba, 2016) Link
- In terms of the composition of jobs, the workers in developed countries might suffer
unemployment or loss of income since they are exposed to the technology and the
competition of low-wage workers in developing countries.(Altiner et al., 2018) Link
- An example for negative impact of globalization on employment in EU: Link
(according to European Parliament in 2019)
+ The most vulnerable EU sectors are characterised by a predominance of low-
skilled jobs: textiles, clothing, footwear and leather, basic metals and
fabricated metal products, and manufacturing industries.
+ Manufacturing is the sector that is the most exposed to offshoring because of
competition from low-wages countries.
+ The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to move the production of
critical sectors and products, such as medication, back to Europe.
+ Evidence in EU to rebut
- Morover, globalisation hasn't created a worldwide effect as poor countries haven't
been able to access the benefits of this phenomenon. According to IMF,
4. To conclude we believe that globalisation does not always have a positive effect on

worldwide employment
● Globalization has not created a worldwide effect since many countries are left behind
and have not taken advantage of globalisation.
 ● Gllobalisation can also cause negative effects on employment including job loss, and
offshoring

DEBATE 2 (FOR)
DEBATE on ECONOMIC GROWTH/DEGROWTH
Production/Consumption models

1. Definition + Statement 1
● Economic Growth:
○ The expansion of the output of an economy is usually expressed in terms of
the increase in national income. Nations experience different rates of
economic growth mainly because of differences in population growth,
investment, and technical progress (A Dictionary of Business and
Management (5 ed.) by Oxford University.
● Economic De-growth:
○ It has been defined as an equitable downscaling of economic production and
consumption to assure that society’s throughput — resource use and waste —
stays within safe ecosystem boundaries (Kallis 2011; Schneider et al. 2010).
● Production
○ Economic production is an activity carried out under the control and
responsibility of an institutional unit that uses inputs of labour, capital, and
goods and services to produce outputs of goods or services (OECD).
● Statement 1
○ Economic growth -> raise investment -> production - (Social and
Behavioral Sciences 219 ( 2016 )).
■ According to research by Social and Behavioral Sciences, it is
indicated that economic growth encourages firms to invest, in order
to meet future demand. Higher investment increases the scope for
future economic growth – creating a virtuous cycle of economic
growth/investment.
 ■ A 1% increase in saving rates increases economic growth by 0.50%.
An increase of 1% in consumption expenditures increases economic
growth by 0.41%. Link
2. Rebuttal + Statement 2
- Idea 1: Economic growth increases average income → higher consumption →
higher production. (Pettinger, 2019) Higher average incomes. Economic growth
enables consumers to consume more goods and services and enjoy better standards of
living. Economic growth during the Twentieth Century was a major factor in
reducing absolute levels of poverty and enabling a rise in life expectancy.

- Rebuttal: Degrowth is not a good option for developing countries. (Pettinger,

2020)
+ Degrowth may seem a good idea for advanced western economies, but for
those in developing economies with widespread poverty, economic growth
and higher output make a significant difference to living standards.
+ Some have criticized degrowth for placing too much emphasis on economic
growth, when the real key is not reducing growth, but promoting growth
 which helps the environment. For example, supporters of the Green New
Deal argue, investment in renewable energy can lead to higher growth and a
better environment.

3. Rebuttal + Conclusion:
- Rebuttal idea:
+ Environmental Issues: Money can be spent on protecting the environment.
With higher economic growth a society can devote more resources to
promoting recycling and the use of renewable resources. The Kuznets curve
suggests that initially economic growth worsens the environment, but after
a certain point of growth, the damage to the environment will fall.
+ Improved public services. Higher economic growth leads to higher tax
revenues and this enables the government to spend more on public services,
such as health care and education e.t.c. This can enable higher living
standards, such as increased life expectancy, higher rates of literacy and a
greater understanding of civic and political issues.
+ Also, you mention that it can increase waste in consumption and many
people are in poverty, however, as Bich Tram mentioned earlier, for
those in developing economies with widespread poverty, economic
growth and higher output make a significant difference to living
standards.
- When economies grow, states can tax that revenue and gain the capacity and
resources needed to produce, provide the public goods and services that their
citizens need, like healthcare, education, social protection and basic public
services.

- Further to benefits provided by the state, inclusive growth brings wider material
gains. Growth creates wealth, some of which goes directly into the pockets of
employers and workers, improving their wellbeing. As people earn higher incomes
and spend more money, this enables people to exit poverty and gain improved living
standards.

- Besides, degrowth in some countries

Numerous other country studies show the power of growth in reducing
poverty and they are developing strongly:
+ China alone has lifted over 450 million people out of poverty since 1979.
Evidence shows that rapid economic growth between 1985 and 2001 was
crucial to this enormous reduction in poverty.
+ India has seen significant falls in poverty since the 1980s, rates that
accelerated into the 1990s. This has been strongly related to India’s
impressive growth record over this period.
+ Mozambique illustrates the rapid reduction in poverty associated with
growth over a shorter period. Between 1996 and 2002, the economy grew by
62 per cent and the proportion of people living in poverty declined from 69
per cent to 54 percent

- Conclusion:
 - In general, economic growth occurs as a result of increases in the production of goods
and services. Increased consumer spending, increased international trade, and
businesses that increase their investment in capital spending can all impact the level
of production of goods and services in an economy.
Possible statements:
https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/164203/economics/degrowth/#:~:text=In%20a%20more%20'ne
gative'%20sense,rates%20of%20growth%20are%20good.

https://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/economic-growth/benefits-growth/
 DEBATE 3 (AGAINST)
Free Trade/Protectionism - Innovation

Firstly, Definition:
● Free trade: Agree w gr 6
● Protectionism: Protectionism is defined as government policies that restrict foreign
commerce in order to benefit home industry. Protectionist policies are typically intended to
boost domestic economic activity, but they can also be enacted to address safety or quality
problems..(Investopedia)

Secondly, Rebuttal: According to research by Quing et al. (2016), in certain circumstances,

increasing competition as a result of trade liberalization might reduce enterprises' motivation to
develop. (Link)
● They discovered that trade liberalization-induced rivalry had a favorable influence on
innovation in sectors near to the world's technical frontier, but a detrimental impact on
innovation in sectors further from the world's technological frontier..
○ The effect of trade liberalization on invention and utility model innovations is
negative and statistically significant, with the former having a bigger effect.
We agree that free trade does promote innovation in some cases, but not in every case.

In an article by Merrit in 2016, because of the entrance of foreign enterprises into local markets,
nations that practice free trade tend to specialize in areas where they have advantages and rely
on other countries for other industries, which can lead to over-specialization.(Link)
○ In these cases, their innovations would most likely be related to their advantages
and their specialization in
○ => This leads to The flip side of specializing in certain sectors, which is
dependent upon those sectors. A country may excel in manufacturing widgets and
devote its industrial base to becoming the world's leading widget provider.
Everything is fine until another nation produces a widget that is just as good. Worse,
technological advancement may mean that the world no longer requires widgets at
all..
Many nations, for example, would have limited incentives to develop in sectors
dominated by large foreign rivals, such as the smartphone markets dominated
by Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, and others.
Whereas such a change may have previously affected one section of the
economy, perhaps a major portion, it can now have disastrous consequences for
the whole economy.
○ Given the hazards of global downturns and an over-reliance on foreign
commerce, maintaining some self-sufficiency is considered as a prudent
economic policy. As a result, the company may avoid being in the same scenario
as Sri Lanka.
■ Example: Sri Lanka just defaulted on its national debt at the end of May
2022, as they primarily focus on service and import the majority of their
essentials from other nations.
 Argument 1: In terms of comparative advantage theory, the infant industry should be
motivated by protectionism to ensure innovation within such industries.

The comparative advantage theory mentioned that

The capacity of an economy to produce a certain item or service at a lower opportunity cost than its
trade counterparts is referred to as comparative advantage.

Also, According to Professor Arthur from Rutgers University,

● The infant industry: https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/6911/alevel/examples-of-
protectionism/
○ New manufacturers in developing countries may lack the economic and financial
resources, as well as the technology, physical equipment, and research and
development experience, to innovate and compete with older, established
enterprises in rich countries => Disincentive to innovate

=> In order for newborn industries and new businesses to obtain market share and a
competitive advantage over well-established firms, governments must provide short-
term support mechanisms for these baby industries until they reach a level where they
can compete with international enterprises => Protectionism
● It may also be argued that a developing country must safeguard its newborn industries in
order to diversify its economy => encourage local enterprises to innovate so that every sector
has national products that can be produced internally in that country.

=> => Firms should strive to develop boldly in various local markets, not scared to
battle with large rivals in competitive industries such as the smartphone or social media
industry, where there are many overseas giants such as Apple, Samsung,...
This is the consequence of the collaboration of governments and businesses.

E.g. Japanese automobiles industry

Thanks to the observed protection policy and the development of the Japanese
automobile industry, which did develop domestic automobiles that is much suitable and
affordable to the consumers, it is possible that the Japanese policy of protection worked for
the development of its auto industry

Toyota, honda, suzuki, yamaha,...

After 1955, the Japanese government limited automobile imports in order to encourage the
Japanese auto industry, which drew harsh condemnation from neighboring countries.
http://www.crosscurrents.hawaii.edu/content.aspx?lang=eng&site=japan&theme=work&subt
heme=INDUS&unit=JWORK065

E.g. North Korea or Russia being independent at the moment and not relying on other
countries

Argument 2: Free trade does not enhance innovation in small firms and developing countries
● Only firms with large sales can afford to pay for innovative activities. Therefore, when
trade liberalization occurs, firms with expanding sales (exporters) innovate more, while
others (non-exporters) have to lower their investment.
 ● Grossman and Helpman (1993) show that a country with a small endowment of human capital
will stay away from R&D activities that are skill intensive in response to trade liberalization.
Indeed, according to these authors, these countries (mostly developing countries) are at
the wrong side of the comparative advantage in R&D and will invest less in innovation.
● Example: China joins WTO. Manually matching three data sets (i.e., tariff data, patent filing
data, and firm-level data), we find that trade liberalization reduces firms’ overall innovation:
overall patent filings fell in industries experiencing more liberalization upon WTO
accession relative to those having less liberalization. Meanwhile, with detailed information
about the innovation type of each firm (i.e., invention, utility model, and design innovation
● According to China’s patent classification), we are able to uncover differential effects of trade
liberalization on innovation. Specifically, we find that the WTO accession significantly
reduced firms’ invention innovation and utility model innovation (with the former
experiencing the larger effect),
● For entrepreneurs, it is hard for them to compete in the market. Here protectionism will
defend new innovation to grow until the point that it can hold its own against the
competition.

Argument 3: Increasing trading and exporting with outsiders can lead to brain drain

This can from 2 sources:

exporting citizens for higher education.
collaborating with foreign firms.
→ Lose the sources of innovation to foreigners’ hands

Protectionism (Summary)

Rebuttal:
- Due to having foreign firms’s appearance in the domestic markets, countries following
free trade tends to focus on specializing in some particular industries where they have
advantages in, and rely on other countries for other industries (Over-specialization)
- Also, The incentives to innovate would be low when it comes to markets with big foreign
competitors

Argument 1: In terms of comparative advantage theory, infant industry should be

motivated by protectionism to ensure innovation within such industries.
- New manufacturers have a difficult time competing against well-established, well-funded
companies in developed countries => demotivate to innovate.
- In developing nations, in attempting to diversify their economy, they must protect its
infant industries => encourage domestic companies to innovate

Rebuttal:
- increase competition due to trade liberalization → negative impact on innovation in
sectors that are distant from the world’s technological frontier.
- increased competition due to trade liberalization dampens firms’ incentives to innovate

Arguement 2:
 Free trade does not enhance innovation in small firms and developing countries
- Only firms with large sales can afford to pay for innovative activities
→ when trade liberalization occurs, firms with expanding sales (exporters) innovate
more, while others (non-exporters) have to lower their investment.
- A country with a small endowment of human capital will stay away from R&D
activities that are skill intensive in response to trade liberalization.
→ these countries (mostly developing countries) are at the wrong side of the
comparative advantage in R&D and will invest less in innovation.
- For entrepreneurs, it is hard for them to compete in the market. Here protectionism
will defend new innovation to grow until the point that it can hold its own
against the competition.

- Increasing trading and exporting with outsiders can lead to brain drain. This can from 2
sources:
+ exporting citizen for higher education.
+ collaborating with foreign firms.
→ Lose the sources of innovation to foreigners’ hand

Meanwhile, protectionism allow developing countries to preserve theirs ideas by lowering

the external pressure

CONCLUSION:

Free trade is supported by the concept of innovation’s sources and comparative and competitive
advantage theory. Moreover, free trade does seem to help small firms and developing countries by
generating the flow of information, new knowledge, and expertise, especially during and post the
pandemic. However, Protectionism argues the opposite for the context of infant industry, small firms
and developing nations. Therefore, Free trade and Protectionism do have their own pros and cons, the
two of them should meet in the middle to take out the most advantages, rather than debating and
choosing the only one best.
 DEBATE 4 (AGAINST)
In the new normal: Business as usual vs. New Business models and systems

1. Introduction + Definition + Statement 1: Covid đã ảnh hưởng gất nhìu lên old business
method zà covid vẫn đang tiếp tục diễn ra —> không làm theo cách cũ được - Bistram
Context: The UN’s Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to the COVID
19 Crisis warns that “The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis: it is affecting
societies and econ-omies at their core. While the impact of the pandemic will vary from
country to country, it will most likely increase poverty and inequalities at a global scale,
making achievement of SDGs even more urgent.

Assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on societies, economies and vulnerable groups
is fundamental to inform and tailor the responses of governments and partners to recover from
the crisis and ensure that no one is left behind in this effort.

Definition:
Economic growth is an increase in the production of economic goods and services, compared
from one period of time to another. It can be measured in nominal or real (adjusted for
inflation) terms. Traditionally, aggregate economic growth is measured in terms of gross
national product (GNP) or gross domestic product (GDP). (Investopedia, 2021)

The new normal: The language of a 'new normal' is being deployed almost as a way to quell
any uncertainty ushered in by the coronavirus. It contends that things will never be the same
as they were before — so welcome to a new world order. By using this language, we
reimagine where we were previously relative to where we are now, appropriating our present
as the standard. (World Economic Forum)

BAU work is any ongoing set of tasks that absolutely needs to be done on a regular basis to
keep things running. Hence, BAU has no foreseeable end date. Employees doing BAU work
are usually the first to see which processes are no longer working and would require some
changes.

New paradigms are rooted in the idea of paradigm shifts, in which technology or new
findings completely change the way people think about or interact with a subject.

Statement 1: Covid has caused many negative impacts on the way of doing business,
thus, BAU no longer satisfies the new normal context.
In the latest McKinsey Global Survey on economic conditions, respondents cite the top 3
effect of covid-19 on economic growth are: inflation, geopolitical instability and supply chain
disruption, and they are expecting to worsen till June 2022. Yet these 3 factors are crucial for
any business, thus, it is proved that only firms that change and adapt the new normal with new
business systems can continue to develop. Such as remote working or apply more technology
to analyse and manage risks.
 WHO also emphasis that the fight against covid-19 is a long or an endless fight. There aren't
any evidence proved that covid will be fully cured and prevented permanently. Therefore,
going back to the old normal is extremely dangerous.

Moreover, according to Forbes, coming to the new normal era, customers and employees expects
more. Therefore, BAU is no longer meet the market demand yet the new business model also brings
new benefits. The details are explained in the next statement.

2. Rebuttal + Statement 2:
Rebuttal:
● Returning to “business as usual” will not deliver a sustained long-term economic
recovery. (source)
● Unemployment rate still remains the same if new things such as hybrid working
mode, and digitalization don’t exist.
○ 1-1 interaction are restricted during the covid pandemic so everything must
be moved to online mode. If businesses and countries don’t adapt then they
could be eliminated
 ● More skillsets are required due to the online working environment and governments
of many countries do support their firms on saving costs via policy & programs -> It
doesn’t mean if it’s costly then we shouldn’t do it

Statement 2:
After the Covid pandemic, customers and employees expect more. New business models
and systems focus on digitalization, hybrid working model utilizing technological factors
can lead to an increase in labor inputs -> push the economic recovery (Source) (Forbes)
● Customer and employees expect for humanity.
○ Within the framework of the pandemic, we’ve seen how being nimble is
vital. Zoom is the obvious example of a company that had to and did a 180-
degree shift when consumers found themselves working from home.
○ A Forrester study found the following shifts:
■ We've seen how important it is to be quick in the face of a pandemic.
Zoom is an apparent example of a firm that had to make a 180-degree
turn when consumers began working from home.
■ "Automation is proving to be vital for firms to address post-pandemic
economic issues, but it necessitates an employee-sensitive strategy,"
according to the research.
■ Most businesses regard lifetime learning, monitoring employee
apprehension, and choosing how to handle post-pandemic distributed
resources to be uncharted ground.
● Pushing digitalization economy: Across developed economies, digitization
improves productivity and has a measurable effect on growth
● Digitization and hybrid working accelerates economic growth and facilitates job
creation: The widespread use of digital technologies and services by consumers,
enterprises, organizations, and governments has emerged in recent years as a key
economic engine that promotes economic development and job creation (Chinoracky
& Corejova, 2019) (Source). There is a link between economic growth and the digital
economy (Park & Choi, 2019)
● Digitalization and hybrid working model enhance productivity: Flexible work
options, such as hybrid working, remote working, or digital nomadism, are becoming
more common, as are job structure and performance requirements. Our research
shows that technical flexibility is a major enabler of flexible employment.(Source).
○ Save time and money on traveling to the physical office
○ => Have more time to work and work more efficiently
○ Both employers and knowledge economy workers stand to save money with
hybrid work. (source)
○ All of the businesses that help facilitate this new model—such as technology
companies and office designers—have an opportunity to increase their
revenue. (source)
● Evidence: Global merchandise commerce has already reached pre-pandemic levels,
thanks to high demand for electrical and electronic equipment, personal protective
equipment, and other manufactured items. Manufacturing-based economies
performed better throughout both the crisis and the recovery era.(source)
● One technique to measure the impact of the epidemic and its recovery is to compare
traded volumes to what would be expected over a similar period in 'normal'
circumstances, accounting for both the trade collapse in the early stages of the
 pandemic and the rebound after late 2020. There was a shortage in trade flows
compared to what may be predicted based on the pattern to June 2020. After
June, trade flows improved and were above-trend by November 2020. => rapid
economic recovery after implementing a new company strategy, even if recovery
is not uniform across all sectors

3. Rebuttal + Statement 3 (optional) + Conclusion

Rebuttal:

Conclusion

BAU New paradigms

Since the workers have not yet needed to adapt
to the new system after the pandemic period,
Business as usual will create a stable and safe
source of income instead renovate to the new
paradigms, which can be very risky
Covid has caused many negative impact on the
way doing business, thus, BAU no longer
satisfies the new normal context. coming to the
new normal era, customers and employees
expects more -> BAU can’t meet the demand.

The labor market is affected by the pandemic =>
causing many negative effects for the workforce
such as an increase in the unemployment rate.
According to the normal business model, the
labor force participation rate will gradually
recover and increase because workers have not
yet needed to adapt to the new system after the
pandemic period=> improve the economy.
Returning to “business as usual” will not deliver
a sustained long-term economic recovery ->
New business model and systems focus on
digitalization, utilizing technological factors can
lead to the increase in labor inputs -> push the
economic recovery

Business as usual will create a stable and safe

source of income instead of the risk of having to
renovate the system => from which the profit
saved will contribute to promoting the
development of the economy.
 PRESENTATION
SDGS in Vietnam

I. Sustainability definition:
● Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources for the
future.
○ The United Nations defined sustainable development in the Brundtland Report as
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. It assumes that resources are finite, and so
should be used conservatively and carefully to ensure that there is enough for future
generations, without decreasing the present quality of life. A sustainable society must
be socially responsible, focussing on environmental protection and dynamic
equilibrium in human and natural systems.
● The 3 Pillars of Sustainability (TWI, 2022):
○ The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: environmental, social and
economic—also known informally as profits, planet, and people. These are in
particular relevant to corporate sustainability, and efforts made by companies.
■ Environmental protection is the most frequently discussed element. It is
concerned with the reduction of carbon footprints, water usage, non-
decomposable packaging, and wasteful processes as part of a supply chain.
These processes can often be cost-effective, and financially useful as well as
important for environmental sustainability.
■ Social development is about treating employees fairly and ensuring
responsible, ethical, and sustainable treatment of employees, stakeholders,
and the community in which a business operates. This may be achieved
through more responsive benefits, like better maternity and paternity benefits,
flexible scheduling, and learning and development opportunities. For
example, business should operate using sustainable labour, which involves
fairly-paid, adult employees who can operate in a safe environment.
■ Economic development is probably the simplest form of sustainability. To
be economically sustainable, a business must be profitable and produce
enough revenues to be continued into the future. The challenge with this form
of sustainability is achieving an equilibrium. Rather than making money at
any cost, companies should attempt to generate profit in accordance with
other elements of sustainability.
○ Focussing on social and environmental sustainability in addition to economic
performance is an approach frequently referred to as the Triple Bottom Line
II. Sustainability Framework and SDGs
● Sustainability framework
The most well-known frameworks are: (Sustainability Knowledge Group, 2018)

○ Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

○ Sustainbaility Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
○ Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
○ ISO26000
○ The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)
 ○ United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
○ Accountability AA 1000 Series of Standards
○ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The common goal of all these frameworks proves that they are collaborating and not competing. GRI
is focused on the company’s impacts on the world and the SASB on the world’s impacts on the
company. Moreover, GRI and IIRC have announced a collaboration that will help organizations to use
both frameworks in order to provide insights into value creation and drive transparency. Also, the
Corporate Reporting Dialogue is the IIRC initiative to bring all these frameworks under the same
umbrella as a response to market demands for coherence and comparability between these
frameworks. Yet, the establishment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has
transformed the universe of relevant sustainability developments by providing globally accepted
guidance for all sustainability frameworks and a common goal.

● SDGs 17 goals and Immunisation (Gavi The Vaccine Alliance, 2019) and The
Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2021):

NO
POVERTY HEALTHY CHILDREN & FAMILIES = INCREASED PROSPERITY

Immunisation provides a platform for delivering nutrition interventions and

work hand in hand with good nutrition to help reduce child mortality.
Vaccine-preventable diseases could tip children into a malnourished state as
they impair the absorption of essential nutrients. Malnourished children are
more likely to die from infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, measles and
pneumonia, many of which can be prevented by vaccines.

ZERO
HUNGER IMMUNISATION + NUTRITION = HEALTHIER FAMILIES

Immunisation and good nutrition go hand in hand. Vaccine-preventable

diseases often tip marginally nourished children into a malnourished state.
Malnourished children are more likely to die from infectious diseases such as
diarrhoea, measles and pneumonia, many of which can be prevented by
vaccines.

GOOD HEALTH
AND WELL-BEING IMMUNISATION = HEALTHY LIVES & WELL-BEING

Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives and

promote good health and well-being. Every year, vaccines save 2-3 million
lives, and millions more are protected from disease and disability. It
routinely reaches more households than any other health service and brings
communities into regular contact with the health system. This provides an
effective platform to deliver other primary health care services and upon
which to build universal health coverage.

QUALITY VACCINES = IMPROVED LEARNING

EDUCATION Immunisation increases educational attainment since vaccinated children
learn more while they are able to go to school and perform better, positively
 impacting on cognitive development as well as long-term productivity.
Moreover, schools are a platform for health promotion, delivery of vaccines
and other health services. The benefits flow both ways: children of educated
parents have a greater chance of being immunised and well-nourished and
thus enjoy better health.

GENDER IMMUNISATION = EMPOWERED WOMEN AND GIRLS

EQUALITY Immunisation is a gender-equal intervention. Globally, girls and boys are
immunised at similar rates. However, there are variations at sub-national
levels and in some countries because a range of different barriers inhibit
women’s ability to access healthcare for their children. Gavi supports
countries to make focused efforts to identify and address gender-related
barriers to immunisation services, such as through training female health
workers, as empowering women is critical to improving child vaccination
coverage.

CLEAN WATER WASH + VACCINES = LESS DISEASE

AND SANITATION
Vaccines, along with clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), are
proven interventions to prevent diarrhoeal diseases, a leading cause of child
mortality in developing countries. Investments in oral cholera and rotavirus
vaccines, WASH and health systems form an integrated approach to help
eliminate diarrhoeal disease.

AFFORDABLE AND EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT = CLEANER ENVIRONMENT

CLEAN ENERGY
Immunisation brings newer, cleaner and more sustainable technology to
developing countries’ health systems. For instance, Gavi’s cold chain
equipment optimisation platform gives countries access to solar and energy
efficient refrigeration, which is not only more reliable and cost-effective but
also more environmentally friendly. Our support includes vaccine
monitoring devices that ensure optimum energy usage and reduce wastage.

DECENT WORK HEALTHY POPULATION = MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE

AND
ECONOMIC Investment in human capital can dramatically strengthen a country’s
GROWTH competitiveness. Vaccinated, healthy children grow into a productive
workforce and become strong contributors to the economy. In addition,
healthy children free up parents’ time so they are able to work. In Gavi-
supported countries, every US$ 1 spent on immunisation generates US$ 54
in broader societal benefits of people living longer and healthier lives.

INDUSTRY, HEALTHY VACCINE MARKET = INNOVATION

INNOVATION
AND Gavi makes vaccine markets work better by attracting more suppliers,
INFRASTRUCTURE dramatically reducing vaccine prices and ensuring more equitable and
sustainable access to vaccines and other innovative products that meet
developing countries’ needs. Since our inception in 2000, we have
contributed to a significant increase in new manufacturers supplying
vaccines for Gavi and the majority of the vaccine doses we procure are
manufactured in developing countries.

REDUCED BETTER HEALTH = INCREASED EQUALITY

INEQUALITY
Immunisation protects the health of communities, reduces the number of
 people forced into poverty, and gives children an equal chance of a healthier
and more productive future. By focusing on the underserved communities
and unimmunised (“zero dose”) children in the poorest and most
marginalised populations, especially the urban poor and those living in
remote rural settings and conflict areas, Gavi brings immunisation and
primary health care services to those furthest behind.

SUSTAINABLE IMMUNISATION = HEALTHIER CITIES

CITIES AND
COMMUNITIES By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population will be living in urban areas.
The number of people living in slums or informal settlements has also grown
to over 1 billion, many of whom lack access to basic health services.
Strengthening urban immunisation programmes protects them against the
increased risk of disease outbreaks and is an opportunity to bring integrated
preventative services to urban and underserved communities.

CLIMATE ACTION VACCINES = MITIGATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

The impact of climate change cuts across health and well-being, livelihood,
and security of people, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable
communities, such as people on the move. Immunisation is critical to
building people’s and systems’ resilience to and reducing the risk of
outbreaks due to climate-sensitive diseases, such as yellow fever, cholera and
Ebola, particularly in urban, fragile and post-disaster settings.

PEACE, JUSTICE STRONG HEALTH SYSTEMS = LONG-TERM STABILITY

AND STRONG
INSTITUTIONS Effective, safe, and people-centred health systems are the backbone of social
institutions in every country, and immunisation is often the first point of
contact between these systems and the population. Through Gavi support,
countries’ efforts to improve equitable access to vaccines contributes to
building public trust, stronger social cohesion, peaceful and inclusive
societies.

PARTNERSHIPS INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP = UNPRECEDENTED PROGRESS

FOR THE GOALS
Leveraging the comparative advantage of each partner, the Vaccine
Alliance’s innovative public-private partnership model has transformed
global progress by accelerating equitable and sustainable access to vaccines
both at scale and pace. Since 2000, Gavi support has helped countries
immunise more than 760 million children. This has helped to reduce deaths
from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 60 per cent and played a key
role in halving the under-five mortality rate in those countries.

III. Quest for Sustainability - What’s next?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, quest is a long search for something that is difficult to find, or an
attempt to achieve something difficult.
=> Understand it as challenges that they have to face in the current context and mention some way
that we could do to overcome the difficulties and achieve the Sustainable Goals.
● Why we need Sustainability:
○ There are many benefits to sustainability, both short-term and long-term.
○ For us as a whole: we cannot maintain our Earth’s ecosystems or continue to
function as we do if more sustainable choices are not made. If harmful processes are
 maintained with no change, it is likely that we will run out of fossil fuels, huge
numbers of animal species will become extinct, and the atmosphere will be
irreparably damaged. Clean air and nontoxic atmospheric conditions, growth of
resources that can be relied upon, and water quality and cleanliness, are all benefits of
sustainability (TWI, 2022).
○ For businesses: sustainability enables an organisation to attract employees,
shareholders and customers who are invested in the goals of sustainability and share
these values. The impact of sustainability can therefore be positive for a business’
image as well as revenue.

● Current Situation and Challenges:

○ Overall: You can follow and be updated about the current global sustainability
situation on this link: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/

○ The particular levels and trends by region and income group for each SDG can be
found in the table below

○ The COVID-19 pandemic is a setback for sustainable development everywhere:

■ Negative direct impacts on many SDGs:
 ● SDG 1 (No Poverty): extreme poverty increased in 2020 in sub-
Saharan Africa and in other parts of the world After years of progress
● SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): reduce food access and increase food
insecurity
● SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): COVID‑19 led to a
world recession in 2020 and to a sharp increase in unemployment
everywhere
● SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being): COVID‑19 impacted health
outcomes and mortality all around the world and led to a decrease of
life expectancy in many developed countries. Global COVID-19
death toll had surpassed 6 million deaths globally (worldometer,
2022)
● Negative impact on progress towards
○ SDG 4 (Quality Education): School closures have short-term
and long-term impacts on student learning and well-being
○ SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
○ on access to key infrastructure, including water and
sanitation, covered under SDG 6 (Clean Water and
Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG
9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
■ Temporarily gains on SGD 12-15 but then rapidly offset once restrictions
were lifted.
● SDG 13: Climate Action: CO2 emissions in major economies did not
take long to come back to their pre-pandemic levels
■
■ The functioning of political systems, the rule of law, and multilateralism have
also been challenged during the pandemic (SDG 16,17)
● SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals There are significant cross-
country inequalities in access to vaccines and financing to support
emergency expenditure and a sustainable recovery
=> The pandemic had negative impacts on most of the SDGs.
That is the current situation of the world and solving the pandemic quest seems to be the
most urgent quest for sustainability at the moment. However, it is not the only quest we are
having right now.

● Quest for sustainability and what we should do (Sachs et al., 2021):

○ Pandemic:
■ The highest priority of every government must remain the suppression of the
pandemic, through non-pharmaceutical interventions and global access to
vaccines.
■ There can be no sustainable development and economic recovery while the
pandemic is raging.
○ Low-income developing countries (LIDCs) lack the fiscal space to finance
emergency response and investmentled recovery plans aligned with the SDGs:
■ The major short-term implication of the difference in fiscal space of high-
income and low-income countries is that rich countries are likely to recover
from the pandemic more quickly than poor countries.
 ■ There are at least four suggested key ways to increase the fiscal space of the
LIDCs:
● Improved global monetary management, notably improved liquidity
for the LIDCs.
● Improved tax collection supported by several global tax reforms.
● Increased financial intermediation by the multilateral development
banks (MDBs) to support long-term development financing.
● Debt relief.
○ Global challenges, including pandemics but also climate change and the
biodiversity crisis, require a strong multilateral system:
■ Climate change has already led to a sharp rise in natural disasters, including
droughts, typhoons, the impact of rising sea levels, and heat waves.
■ The digital revolution has moved many supply chains online but also
increased the risk of widespread cyberattacks
■ Strengthening preparedness, coordinated responses, and resilience to critical
risks are key to supporting the Decade of Action for the SDGs launched by
the UN Secretary-General in 2019.
○ Rich countries generate negative international spillovers that undermine other
countries’ ability to achieve the SDGs:
■ The 2021 International Spillover Index underlines how rich countries can
generate negative socioeconomic and environmental spillovers, including
through unsustainable trade and supply chains.
■ Tax havens and profit shifting in many rich countries undermine other
countries’ ability to mobilize needed financial resources to achieve the SDGs.
■ Various types of global tax reforms could significantly increase government
revenue in developing countries.
○ The pandemic has underlined the need to accelerate progress towards universal
health coverage and universal access to key infrastructure, especially digital
infrastructure:
■ effective social protection systems and universal health coverage are best
equipped to respond to such crises.
● less costly.
→ SDGs call for countries to strengthen their social safety nets and
move towards universal health coverage for key medical services.
■ Digital technologies have played a critical role in sustaining social services,
payments, schooling, and health care during the lockdowns, and in enabling
working from home to be effective for many occupations.
→ universal access to broadband services is key to social inclusion,
economic opportunity, and public health.
○ Data gaps and time lags in official statistics highlight the need for further
investments in statistical capacity and new approaches to monitor countries’
commitments and progress on key SDG transformations:
■ Further investments are needed to strengthen statistical capacities in many
low-income countries and small island developing states (SIDS).
■ More “forward-looking” policy trackers are also needed to assess
implementation efforts on key SDG transformations, and especially to
 monitor countries’ actions on sustainable land use, diets, and responses to the
biodiversity crisis.

IV. Sustainability in Vietnam:

● Overall situation and achievements:
Starting as one of the poorest countries in the mid-1980s, Vietnam has achieved rapid
developmental progress, reaching lower-middle-income status in 2010.

In line with economic growth, Vietnam has achieved impressive progress toward the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). The country ranks in the top quarter of SDG performance across
emerging market economies for the majority of indicators.

In the context of Viet Nam, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were nationalized in the
National Action Plan to implement the 2030 Agenda for SDGs (SDG NAP) in May 2017.

According to the National Report on the five-year implementation of Vietnam Sustainable

Development, Viet Nam is expected to achieve 5 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) by 2030, including no poverty, zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and
global partnerships Goals. Vietnam would be likely to achieve five out of 17 VSDGs by 2030
but it would face multiple challenges to achieve the remaining 12, particularly SDG 12 -
Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 14 - Life Below Water.
Out of 2 achieved goals, this paper will discuss further about the progress of Vietnam in
education. Vietnam approved the "Education For All" (EFA) 1993–2000 Action Plan in 1992.
A second EFA for 2003–2015 was then conducted (intext).

The two EFA plans focus on four following elements:

- Determination: The EFA strategies and subsequent action plans were carefully
planned and kept track of, with coordinated donor assistance and a strong public
commitment to seeing them through. The plans included mid-term success metrics
and were action-oriented and time-bound.
- Quantity with inclusiveness: One fundamental idea was free basic education to
ensure everyone had access, with special attention paid to low-income families,
disadvantaged kids, the 20 percent of those who needed the most help, and gender
equality. For ethnic minority kids, policies included providing free textbooks, notes,
and school materials.
- Expanding out-of-school learning - Vocational education received more
government attention in order to fulfill the need for skilled people, particularly in
important economic areas and industries. It was created a network of community
learning centers and institutions for continuing education. In most of the highly
populated 11 localities, regions, cities, and even in remote locations like the North
West, Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta, vocational and specialized training
schools have been constructed.
- Focus on teachers - Teachers and management personnel were seen to be the main
deciding elements in providing high quality and effective education, hence it was
vital to evaluate their attitudes (EFA 2003, Parandekar and Sedmik 2016). All
instructors had extensive pre- and in-service training, and new student and teacher
assessment procedures were implemented. Activities were adjusted and strengthened
through continual monitoring.

As a result, the literacy rate of children aged 15 or over was 95 percent in 2016, 92 percent of
3 to 5-year old children are going to kindergarten, 99 percent of primary school aged children
are enrolled in school, and 99.7 percent of children were completing primary education in the
2016-2017 school year (VNR 2018).
 ● Vietnam's actions:
Vietnam launched its Voluntary National Review (VNR) in July 2018 and has formulated a
national system of statistical indicators for monitoring and evaluating sustainable
development.
The Government of Viet Nam has created an enabling legal environment and encouraged
foreign and domestic private sectors to invest and do business in line with sustainable
development principles. Accordingly, the Viet Nam Business Council for Sustainable
Development is an initiative aimed at enhancing connections within the business community
to enable them to share and spread good practices, as well as to play an important role in
realizing the SDGs.
To successfully achieve all 17 SDGs, Viet Nam requires technical and human resources,
financial support, as well as strengthened cooperation and exchange of knowledge with the
international community. At the same time, Viet Nam is eager to share its own experiences
and innovative approaches with other countries.

V. After-class discussion: Link

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