It doesn't take a practitioner of development to be familiar with the term: sustainable development. Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generations' ability to meet their own needs. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the global goals, are one of the most prolifically used recent catch phrases that encapsulate the 17 stepping stones, together which would lead the world in a collective progress towards a more prosperous future through sustainable development.
Setting of SDGs: Leaders from across the globe gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 25, 2015 at the momentous UN Summit to formally adopt the new 2030 Development Agenda titled, "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." This ambitious agenda would guide the global community as well as national governments to steer the course of development over the next 15 years.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with their 169 targets, outline the key objectives of this new universal agenda, exhibiting their extent and ambition. Building on their precursor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the SDGs aim to complete the unfinished tasks of the MDGs. Jointly, the 17 SDGs aspire to put an end to poverty, assure prosperity for everyone, and protect the planet from potential environmental threats. The SDGs officially came into effect from January 1, 2016.
The evolution of SDGs from MDGs: The Millennium Development goals, MDGs, were introduced in 2000 to pave the way for development in the next 15 years. And 2015 was set as the target year for the MDGs to be successfully attained. At the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012, also known as Rio+20, countries gathered and acknowledged the success of the MDGs. They, however, recognised that there was also the need for a new development agenda to guide them beyond 2015. So based on the Rio+20 discussions, the recommendations for the 17 sustainable development goals eventually came about.
Hinging around the three core and interconnected dimensions of sustainable development - economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection - the SDGs surpass their predecessors, as these are much broader in scope and go further beyond the MDGs, which were primarily focused on the social agenda.
Some of the major differences between the MDGs and SGDs are as follows:
Extent of the goals: Not all countries of the world are affected similarly by the same kind of problems. While some countries might be economically backward, some might be more susceptible to natural calamities. Some countries may even face all of these problems simultaneously and beyond. Therefore, the diverse challenges that exist in the modern world warrant that all these vast ranges of issues are addressed adequately. To ensure universal development, it is not enough to meet only a certain set of challenges, while leaving out the rest. It is also very important to not just deal with the problems at the superficial level but also to identify and eliminate from the root level. Therefore, while the MDGs consisted of only 8 goals and 21 targets, the much more ambitious SDGs come with a vast list of 17 goals and 169 targets to accommodate and address all the multi-faceted challenges of present day.
Diversity/ heterogeneity in the mix of architects of the goals: While the MDGs were designed by a small group of experts within the UN Headquarters, the SDGs involved the contribution of a much diverse group of consultants that included 70 Open Working Groups, Civil Society Organisations, as well as participation of the general public through direct meetings as well as online and door-to-door surveys. This diverse range of inputs led to a vast mix of interests and insights into the development of the SDGs.
Countries of focus: While the MDGs were primarily designed to focus on the developing countries, the SDGs are much more universal and no country - rich or poor - is beyond the scope of these new goals. In fact, one of the guiding principles behind the SDGs was to ensure that no one is left behind. So while the SDGs would work towards fulfilling the development needs of the poorest nations of the world, they would also address the specific problems faced by the developed countries at the same time.
The 17 goals: Starting from poverty and hunger eradication to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies that are equipped with combating climate change impact, the 17 elaborate SDGs pave the way for a comprehensive global agenda. Vast, ambitious and bold as they are, the 17 SDGs are as follows:
While the 17 goals of the sustainable development agenda may seem too diverse and intricate, a closer scrutiny would reveal that these can be broken down into three broad categories. The first seven SDGs essentially a continuation of MDGs, while the next three SDGs - 8, 9, and 10 - encompass the theme of all-inclusiveness, e.g. creating employment, better infrastructure, and distribution. The last seven of the SDGs are built around the premise of sustainability and urbanisation, i.e. sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life under water, life on land; peace, justice, and strong institutions; and partnership for the goals. So it can be concluded that the SDGs build on the MDGs and takes development beyond just socioeconomic agenda and focuses extensively on distribution and inclusion as well as on environmental protection of the planet.
How will the SDGs be achieved?
While it is not mandatory for all countries to abide by the SDGs, it is expected that the national governments of each country would set their own customised targets to meet the most pressing development concerns of the individual countries, and on a broader level, these targets would align with the global goals. The success of the SDGs, therefore, would ultimately depend on individual countries' commitment to them as well as their own development policies and programmes. The SDGs would act as a parameter for aligning each country's individual aims to their global commitments and there would be a need for substantial resource mobilisation for funding the SDGs. There would be periodic reviews at both national and international level to assess the progress made and to make necessary adjustments in implementation.
Possible Challenges: It is easy to see why the SDGs are important for global development; however, there are quite a few challenges that need to be addressed and overcome for successful attainment of the SDGs:
* Expense: Firstly, implementing the SDGs would be a very expensive task given the ambitious nature of the goals. It would be quite a challenge to mobilise enough funds to meet them.
* Monitoring and evaluation: Given the multitude of the SDG targets and indicators, it would be a very difficult and cumbersome task to monitor and measure them, especially in quantifiable terms. Subsequently, without proper monitoring and evaluation, it would be impossible to assess progress or success of the SDGs.
* Safeguarding peace: In order to guarantee proper implementation and consequent achievement of the SDGs, ensuring world peace is of utmost importance. However, given the current state of the world, with multiple countries facing threats to peace and stability, this would be a major challenge.
The way forward: Though the SDGs are ambitious and bold in aspiration, but combined and whole-hearted efforts by all countries of the world towards achieving the same can indeed lead to zero poverty, zero hunger, and better environmental resilience as were envisaged during the setting of the goals. And if that happens, no one will be left out of the domain of development.
It has already been two years since the SDGs have come into effect. As the SDGs lead the development pathway for the next 15 years, we as global citizens have to act responsible at all levels and act fast. If taking up initiatives takes a long time, their implementation and consequential results would take even longer by default. It is one planet inhabited by us all and successful attainment of the SDGs means a safe and better life for each one of us. Every country should, therefore, treat realising the SDGs as their own responsibility because it is. To quote the former Secretary General of the UN, "We don't have plan B because there is no planet B."
The writer works for Swisscontact-Katalyst as Principal Business Consultant. [email protected]
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
