Gustavo Cirigliano

CEO

Sofis Solutions

Uruguay

For Gustavo Cirigliano, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals means integrating their values throughout the operations and strategic planning of Sofis Solutions, the Uruguayan software and computer services where he is CEO.

“Sofis Solutions has redefined its strategy to incorporate the SDG targets into the core of its business, both in the services it offers and in its internal processes,” he told the UN Global Compact.

At Sofis Solutions, Cirigliano has worked on an anti-bribery management system, a labour intermediation platform for young people, a platform for accountability for political campaign expenditures, an information platform on political violence against women and development of a refugee information system, often with international agencies including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. 

Sofis Solutions has been a participant of the UN Global Compact since 2013.

“We must understand that the SDGs allow us to align ourselves with their goals in a practical way, understand that all problems are interconnected and need to be addressed by all countries,” Cirigliano said. “With them we have a global vision of what we must achieve and this allows us to work on them in a focused, balanced and measurable way.”

Cirigliano was named the 2022 SDG Pioneer for Decent Work, part of an annual  programme by the UN Global Compact to honour business professionals who advocate for and advance the SDGs in their work.

“It is a recognition … that motivates the entire work team of the organization to continue along this path of commitment, and demonstrates, in a certain way, the success of the organizational strategy aligned with the SDGs,” he said.

“This recognition will allow us to raise awareness about the importance of the SDGs at national and regional levels, strengthen and generate new alliances.”

At Montevideo-based Sofis Solutions, Cirigliano says he makes sure to participate in the company's communication strategy of newsmaking, webinars, meetings and workshops to inform both internal and external stakeholders about the impact that its projects can have.

Among the frustrations of promoting sustainability is finding a lack of broad knowledge about the SDGs, he said.

“Not all citizens know what we are talking about when we name them and their importance,” he said.

“We must help this with good communication strategies so that citizens understand the impact of not meeting the goals.”