Against 18 targets of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), post-MDG programme has set 169 targets for the next 15 years to make Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a success.
But most of these targets are very wide and some are even unclear. So it will be very difficult to achieve the desired outcome from new development agenda by 2030.
In this connection, SDGs' targets need to be rationalised and prioritised.
Dr Bjorn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, an international think-tank, made such observations at a workshop in the city on Monday.
"Promising everything for everyone gives us no direction," said Dr Lomborg. "Having 169 priorities is like having none at all."
Dr Lomborg, recognised by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, also said that it was a political decision to cut down the number of targets.
"Clearly we should not make one or two promises to the world. But likewise, we should not make 169 targets," he added.
The SDG is a comprehensive development action programme, which will follow the MDG.
As MDG will not be able to cover all the required development targets and as the development process becomes more complex, the United Nations (UN) has decided to launch post-2015 development agenda. In September of this year, MDG will officially conclude and the new agenda will come into effect.
"Representatives from all the countries are now negotiating to finalise the targets and indicators as the world will spend some $2.5 trillion on the next 15 years up to 2030," said Dr Lomborg.
Intergovernmental final negotiation meetings will take place in New York on March 23-27 this year.
In the workshop, Dr Lomborg also explained the problems of some of the proposed 169 targets.
"One of the targets of education goal asked for ensuring equal access for all to affordable quality technical, vocational and tertiary education including education," he said.
"But, university education is neither required for all, nor everyone goes to university," Dr Lomborg said. "Moreover free university education means subsiding the rich people's kids. So it is better to provide scholarships."
Dr Lomborg also presented his organisation's initiative to make the targets more worthy. He said that some Nobel laureate economists, along with others, have prioritised 107 targets and detect strengths and weaknesses of these. They also make cost-benefit analysis of the targets.
In the workshop, Dr Rudaba Khondker of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) discussed nutrition-related goal and targets in the context of Bangladesh.
"It is important to ensure nutrition of workers of readymade garments industry in Bangladesh," she said. "Adequate nutrition with food will increase their productivity."
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