Israel is a vibrant, multicultural society, with nine million inhabitants who speak 35 different languages. Ongoing development is at the heart of Israeli society. Since the establishment of the State, Israel has absorbed waves of immigrants, over 3.2 million, often refugees or penniless.

According to Yulia Rachinsky-Spivakov, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, much has changed in Israel since its independence in 1948. Following a pendulum swing from a fundamentally socialist to free market economy, inclusivity has now become one of its emerging socio-economic features.

In a statement, Rachinsky-Spivakov said that throughout this evolutionary process, the country has remained firmly grounded in the principles of social equality embodied in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which have guided government policy and parliamentary legislation ever since.

She noted that the basic value is driven home forcefully in the country’s very first Voluntary National Review recently submitted to the United Nations with a view to its upcoming high-level political forum on Sustainable Development Goals.

“Sustainable development in Israel is not a luxury or a catch phrase — it is vital to improving the well-being of present and future generations. As a society with a broad social, cultural, ethnic, religious and economic mix, Israel’s governments across seven decades have recognized their responsibility to provide equal opportunities for all,” Rachinsky-Spivakov said.

Known for at least the past two decades as the “Start-up Nation,” Israel is transitioning toward a new socio-economic identity: “Impact Nation.” Simply put, there is a growing recognition in the country that its technological innovation prowess needs to be harnessed for the wider good.