Photo: borgenmagazine.com
The countdown has begun to September’s summit on the sustainable development goals, with national governments now discussing the 17 goals that could transform the world by 2030.
What are the sustainable development goals?
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years.
The SDGs follow, and expand on, the millennium development goals (MDGs), which were agreed by governments in 2000, and are due to expire at the end of this year.
In the article “Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the Common Good?” I argue that if the SDGs are not going to be a failure like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before it, then, it requires a different path with a different set of values, as well as a different model of development.
The eight MDGs – reduce poverty and hunger; achieve universal education; promote gender equality; reduce child and maternal deaths; combat HIV, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; develop global partnerships – failed to consider the root causes of poverty, or gender inequality, or the holistic nature of development. The goals made no mention of human rights, nor specifically addressed economic development. In short, actions taken were not in the interest of the common good.
“As the evidence increases that the current economic model is unsustainable there is growing pressure for new economic policies. Will the SDGs lead to a structural change in the global economy or a continuation of business as usual?”
This time around, we cannot afford to make the same mistakes. We must ensure that the actions taken to achieve the SDGs objectives are in the interest of the common good.
Please read the article. We must ensure that our voice for the common good is heard loud and clear at the forthcoming UN summit in New York in September.
I wish to invite you all to rise to the global challenges and uncertainties. Many campaigners for a better world, wishing to serve and to promote the common good, often face an uphill battle every day.
But, we must remain positive, we must remain hopeful. We will build the World for the Common Good.
Read the article:
(This article is dedicated to the children of the world, the torch bearers of the next sustainable agenda, who are the unfolding story of the decades ahead. May they rise to the challenge of leading our troubled world, with hope and wisdom in the interest of the common good to a better future)