The sustainable development goals: halfway there

In order to start talking about the Sustainable Development Goals, we must begin by asking ourselves what sustainable development is. It is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (1987 Report entitled “Our Common Future”, World Commission on Environment and Development). In short, meeting our needs without depleting resources for future generations.

It all began with the Millennium Summit held in New York in September 2000, where Heads of State and Government signed the Millennium Declaration. It contains the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and 28 targets to be achieved by 2015, focused on reducing extreme poverty, child mortality rates, combating epidemics (HIV/AIDS) and ensuring sustainability, as well as fostering a partnership for development.

Before the proposed deadline, the United Nations Organization (UN) meets to review the issues described at the previous Summit and evaluate the progress made up to that date. Thus was born the International Development Agenda or 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2015, all Member States of the United Nations approve the expansion and modification to 17 goals and rename them Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). The ideas of the Millennium Summit are maintained, with global goals to eradicate poverty and protect the planet, in addition to ensuring the well-being of all citizens. In order to achieve these goals, we all have to do our part, governments, the private sector, civil society and ordinary people in their daily lives.

If we compare the SDGs with the MDGs, the new ones having been built on the success of the MDGs, we could conclude that the scope of the SDGs is broader and encompasses more targets on the root causes of poverty and the full development of all people. The implementation of these goals also changes because the MDGs were targeted at developing countries and the new goals apply universally, regardless of the level of development. Another substantial difference is the recognition of climate change and its fight, in addition to poverty eradication.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are as follows: 1 End poverty, related to the eradication of extreme poverty by guaranteeing social protection measures and ensuring that both men and women have the same economic rights; 2 Zero hunger, linked to the access of all people to nutritious food, putting an end to malnutrition, promoting agricultural productivity and increasing investments in the rural structure, in addition to adopting measures to ensure basic commodities; 3 Health and well-being, which aims to reduce maternal mortality, deaths in children under 5 years of age, non-communicable diseases, traffic accidents and pollution, as well as to put an end to epidemics, promote mental and sexual health and achieve universal health coverage; 4 Quality education, to ensure that all people have a free, equitable, inclusive and quality education, regardless of their status, and increasing the number of scholarships; 5 Gender equality, which aims to end all discrimination against women and girls worldwide, eliminating all forms of violence and harmful practices, as well as ensuring equal opportunity and universal access to sexual and reproductive health; 6 Clean water and sanitation, to provide universal and equitable access to affordable drinking water for all, improving quality and protecting water-related ecosystems; 7 Affordable and clean energy, associated with increasing the number of renewable energies, doubling energy efficiency improvement and universal access to affordable services; 8 Decent work and economic growth, linked to achieving full and productive employment for everyone, reducing the proportion of unemployed youth and protecting labor rights, in addition to a GDP growth of at least 7%; 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure, developing sustainable and quality infrastructure, and an increase in research; 10 Reducing inequalities, by increasing the incomes of the poorest 40% of the population, ensuring equal opportunities and adopting social protection policies, as well as facilitating safe migration and mobility; 11 Sustainable cities and communities, connected to access to housing and basic services for all people, as well as safe transportation, reducing the negative environmental impact of cities by providing universal access to green areas and safe public spaces; 12 Responsible production and consumption, to sustainably manage the use of natural resources, halving food waste and waste generation; 13 Climate actionThe company’s activities include strengthening policy measures in relation to climate change, as well as improving citizen education and awareness; 14 Underwater lifeThe project is aimed at protecting both marine and coastal ecosystems in a sustainable manner, as well as regulating the exploitation of fisheries; 15 Life of terrestrial ecosystemsThe company’s mission is to protect mountain ecosystems and to combat desertification by adapting measures to reduce the degradation of natural habitats; 16 Peace, justice and strong institutionsThe aim is to create effective and transparent institutions, reducing all forms of violence and promoting the rule of law; 17 Partnerships to achieve objectivesto monitor developed countries’ compliance with their commitments.

The cost needed to achieve these measures is estimated to be between five and seven trillion dollars annually, although current investment is nowhere near these figures. The global assets exist, but not enough is being invested to achieve the SDGs and the aims of the Paris Agreement on climate change. And the investment makes economic sense, as it could create 380 million new jobs towards the ultimate goal of these objectives.

Although the Sustainable Development Goals are not legally binding, their success is based on the policies implemented by the countries, in addition to the different plans and programs managed for their fulfillment. Moreover, it is up to the governments of each country to develop their own evaluation indicators to assess whether the goals and targets are being met in their state. These data are collected in an annual report prepared by the Secretary General of the United Nations, in order to be able to analyze whether there is a real change after taking the relevant measures.

The latest report on the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals has “Special Edition” in its title because we are at the midpoint of the 2030 target. Just staying in the foreword of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, we can see that things are not going as well as planned, as he “raises the alarm and calls for a Rescue Plan for People and Planet”. What is being done is not enough. The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, is blunt in the introduction to this report, stating that “when historians write about the 21st century, they will judge leaders and policymakers by their success in transforming this plan into reality”. In this report, they set out five urgent actions required of governments and the international community, calling for commitment to accelerated, integrated and targeted action, highlighting the mobility of resources for people who are vulnerable.

All that remains is to ask ourselves, what can we do? On the website of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, they propose a series of resources to work on the SDGs from home: the motivational campaign “Act Now” with mobile apps with games and its children’s version of Climate Action, “The SDG Reading Club” with a list of works related to the importance of the goals, the campaign “Make Change Possible” along with its “Lazy People’s Guide to Saving the World”, with actions to carry out divided by levels, the book of 170 actions to Transform Our World goal by goal, and the board game Go Goals Game and the story of Frieda, intended to inform about the SDGs to the little ones.

Environmental Consultancy Taxus Medioambiente

Bibliography and webgraphy

Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition.