Dell Launches Effort Supporting UN's 'Goal 8' to Enhance Global Entrepreneurship The tech company kicks off what it calls thew Global Entrepreneurship Call to Action.
By Jason Fell •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Dell is crazy about technology. It's also crazy about entrepreneurs.
Today, the Round Rock, Texas-based tech giant has launched the Global Entrepreneurship Call to Action. The aim is to get at least 100,000 signatures from entrepreneurs and other business leaders to support the passage of UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.
Never heard of it? The United Nations has put together a list of goals for global sustainable development. The goals are lofty. They include ending poverty, eradicating hunger and ensuring equitable quality education around the world. The eighth goal on the list aims to "promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all."
Related: Using Entrepreneurship to Save the World. Really.
In September, the UN will vote on these goals to determine the world's top priorities over the next 15 years. That's where Dell founder Michael Dell -- who also serves as the United Nations Foundation's global advocate for entrepreneurship -- thinks he can make a big difference. Dell says he believes entrepreneurs are the foundation for innovation, economic growth and job creation. (He might have a point there.) Check out the video above for Dell's full message.
Also involved with Dell's Global Entrepreneurship Call to Action is Elizabeth Gore, the company's entrepreneur-in-residence. She describes Goal 8 as a "roadmap for every country on how to enhance entrepeneurship through laws, regulation, market access and more."
In case you're unfamiliar with Gore, she chairs the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council. Previously, she served as the first entrepreneur-in-residence for the UN Foundation as well as vice president of Global Partnerships, and founded strategic grassroots efforts such as Nothing But Nets, Girl Up, and the Shot@Life.
Related: The Top 10 Most Innovative Countries in the World
"Entrepreneurs are the fabric of job creation," she says. "We're putting everything we have behind getting hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs to sign and support this goal. I can't think of a more important petition that an entrepreneur can get behind."
Dell is urging entrepreneurs to sign the petition and share it among their networks of other business professionals. Once Dell and its partners reach at least 100,000 signatures, the next step will be to take the petition to policy-makers around the world -- in countries such as India, China, Brazil and South Africa -- to make sure they are aware of the initiative and that "entrepreneurs support Goal 8," Gore says.
For more information about Goal 8 and to sign Dell's Global Entrepreneurship Call to Action petition, visit EntrepreneursUnite.com.
Related: Think Bigger: Social Entrepreneurship's Critical Need for Accelerators
