A/HRC/40/34 Having a risk-based motivator could sometimes cause companies to be inward-looking and could act as a barrier to engaging with the partners and supporters necessary to make a real transformative impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. 72. Ms. Cerri noted that there was a real need for greater acceptance of the fact that tackling human rights issues made a positive contribution to the Sustainable Development Goal agenda. To illustrate this, Ms. Cerri used two examples, one being related to forced labour in the Thai fishing industry and the other being related to land rights in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, both examples being drawn from The Human Rights Opportunity: 15 Real-life Cases of How Business Is Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals by Putting People First, which had been published jointly by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the non-governmental organization Shift. The examples demonstrated that embedding respect for human rights in companies’ operations and, more importantly, in their supply chains was an effective way to secure business continuity and to build trusting relationships with the communities and stakeholders that business relied upon. There was a strong business case for these actions and, by doing this, companies had the potential to break down significant barriers to development and to positively impact the Sustainable Development Goals. 73. Ms. Ameline described how the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had sought to ensure that human rights had been brought to bear on the Sustainable Development Goals from the beginning. The Committee had managed to ensure that it would be the Goal 5 evaluator and engaged in mainstream inclusion of women in the Goals. The first element of the transformation of society was equality between men and women, which was a precondition. It was absolutely essential that all States and all partners considered equality between men and women to be the strategic investment of the highest priority. This required accelerating legislative adaptation. It also required regional approaches that ensured that women had greater visibility in political leadership, and it required effective genuine convergence between the application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Sustainable Development Goals. 74. Ms. Ameline noted that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was not just a binding legal mechanism but also a road map for the future. She concluded by saying that there could not be sustainable development without placing priority on promoting the rights of women. 75. Mr. Tiwana emphasized that it was essential to create enabling conditions for partnerships. When looking at the rubric of partnerships and placing people at the centre of those partnerships, conditions were needed throughout the world that allowed people to freely organize, to freely communicate with each other and to freely connect to shape the political and social structures around them. 76. Mr. Tiwana stated that civic space must be created, which was premised on the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. According to research conducted by CIVICUS, only 4 per cent of the world’s population enjoyed these freedoms in a fully adequate way. If progress on the 2030 Agenda was to be made, there needed to be more focus on creating enabling conditions for the participation of people and civil society organizations. 77. Mr. d’Ovidio welcomed the fact that decent work and economic growth were included as one of the Sustainable Development Goals. He described the core elements of the human rights framework for Goal 8 as the prevention of child and forced labour, non-discrimination and the freedoms of association and collective bargaining. Unless partnerships were put together, there was no way that this very challenging and ambitious Sustainable Development Goal could be realized. 78. Mr. d’Ovidio emphasized the importance of partnership in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. He illustrated that with target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which was about eliminating modern slavery, forced labour, child trafficking and child labour. After describing the challenges of meeting that target, he spoke about Alliance 8.7, the global partnership aimed at driving innovation, accelerating action, leveraging resources, strengthening research and sharing the knowledge that was generated. 12