In September 2015, the leaders of all member states of the United Nations adopted ‘Agenda 2030’, a universal plan and indeed a blueprint for survival that contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets and 230 indicators. Adoption of these goals, which affects all the 8 billion people on earth, with guarantee of a prosperous and healthy future for generations to come, and integrating all the three aspects of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental, is the most ambitious agreement for sustainable development that world leaders have ever made.
What are Sustainable Development Goals? Also known as the Global Goals (GGs); they are a call from the United Nations to all countries around the world, developed and developing, to address the great challenges that humanity faces and to ensure that all people have the same opportunities to live a better life without compromising our planet. The SDGs, which were developed to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and intended to be achieved by the year 2030, are part of UN Resolution A/RES/70/1.
The 17 SDGs and their targets were formulated to stimulate action over the next 15 years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet with a determination to (I) end poverty and hunger in all their forms and dimensions and ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential through quality education with dignity and equality and in a healthy environment, (ii) protect the planet from degradation through sustainable consumption and production and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations, (iii) ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature, and (iv) foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence.
What led the UN to formulate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? The world shall remain indebted to the visionary leader Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General from 2007 to 2016, who after walking with 300,000 demonstrators on the People’s Climate March through New York City on 21st September 2014, ahead of the UN Climate Summit 2014, urged the world leaders to think for their present and future generations by saying, “there is no Plan B for action as there is no Planet B.”
On the occasion of 79th anniversary of UN Charter entering into force on October 24, 1945 (The day when UN officially came into being), and the world left with only six years to go in the direction of realization of SDGs; how much have we been sincere and successful in achieving our much cherished ambition is a question that needs introspection. Let’s try to expatiate on a few goals in this write-up.
Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere is the 1st goal in the long list of seventeen. More than 1 billion people, or 18% of the world population, still live in extreme poverty and are struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. Poverty is disproportionately distributed, with 84% of the world’s poor living in rural areas. Ensuring social protection for all children and other vulnerable groups is critical to reduce poverty. Children under 18 make up half of the world’s poor with a poverty rate of 27.7% (MPI Report, 2023). In India, 15% of its population is considered to be in a state of multidimensional poverty (NITI Aayog).
The 2nd goal that we have committed to accomplish within the given time line is to end hunger by achieving food security. The 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) score for the world is 18.3 on a 100 point scale (0-No hunger, 100-Hungriest). While 22 countries including China, UAE and Kuwait are ranked first/best in this index (GHI score ≤ 5), the three worst affected countries by hunger are Somalia, Yemen and Chad with GHI score of 44.1, 41.2 and 36.4 respectively. India ranks at position 105 (GHI 27.3) out of 127 countries placing it in the ‘serious’ category as compared to Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh who have achieved a better score ranking at 56, 68 and 84 respectively.
Globally the share of the people who are undernourished has increased to 9.2%. Conflicts act as drivers of hunger and malnutrition besides impacting health services and education. Data analysis by organizations working in Gaza has found that as a result of Israeli government’s obstruction of aid 83% of required food does not make it into Gaza as a result almost half a million Palestinians are at the risk of starvation and an estimated 50,000 children aged up to 5 years urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year (Norwegian Refugee Council report 2024).
Ensuring healthy life and promoting wellbeing for all irrespective of age is the 3rd SDG that has been focussed on. Nevertheless, there have been significant reductions, at world level, in maternal and neonatal mortality by 44% and 49% respectively, each year more than 300,000 women die due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth and 2.5 million babies die during the first month of life. Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia accounted for around 87% of the estimated global maternal deaths. The high number of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflects inequalities in access to quality health services and highlights the gap between rich and poor. Between 2000 and 2020, however, the maternal mortality ratio dropped by about 34% worldwide (WHO, 2024).
Cardio vascular diseases (CVDs) are recognised to be the leading cause of death and disability globally accounting for around 20 million deaths annually (JACC, Vol. 82, 2023). In India, CVDs have turned into a silent epidemic accounting for at least 27% of deaths. (Economic Times Feb. 2024). Although, National Health Policy commits the government to enhance more than double in primary health care as a percentage of GDP by 2025, from 1% to 2.5%, and lays an ambitious set of goals and targets to improve the population’s health status and its access to quality health services in the public sector especially through Health &Wellness Centres and flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat programme but much needs to be done. There are 77 million people in India above 18 years of age who are suffering from diabetes (type 2), nearly 25 million are pre-diabetics and more than 50% of people are unaware of their diabetic status (WHO).
The 4th goal, which is paramount and acts a catalyst to all other SDGs, is pledged to ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning. While education is vital for achieving full human potential and developing an equitable and just society, it also liberates the intellect, unlocks the imagination and is key to prosperity and opens a world of opportunities, making it possible for each of us to contribute to a progressive, healthy society. Nevertheless, progress has been made towards achieving SDG 4, there are new challenges and new opportunities for the provision of quality education and lifelong learning for all.
Since education is not only an integral part of, but also a key enabler for sustainable development, it needs to be included in national development plans and strategies for achieving all the SDGs. In my view, unfortunately, things are dismal! SDG 4 is one of the long line of broken promises that were made by the international community since its inception. Even the most basic goal – Universal Primary Education (UPE) has repeatedly been promised and never fulfilled. Universal secondary education, also a target, is even more distant.
A few years back, UNESCO estimated that the shortfall between what developing countries could provide and what was needed was US$39 billion/year. An updated estimate says the gap between now and 2030 is US$97 billion/year (Gianinni Stephania 2023). National Education policy 2020 was introduced in India to achieve the results of SDG 4 by 2030 but it seems quite impossible. India spends 4% of its GDP on education whereas NEP-2020 has recommended 6% to upgrade the infrastructure of educational institutions at all levels, recruit highly skilled and knowledgeable teachers, promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and bridge the gap of digital divide with emphasis on innovations and skill courses right from primary level.
Most importantly, there is urgent need of introduction of a uniform curriculum across the globe especially in STEM courses and teacher training and faculty exchange programmes. In J&K, schools lack even the basic facilities. Higher Education is never an exception. As against the commitment of revamping colleges to foster excellence, the higher educational scenario in rural and remote areas has always been miserable. The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the high powered committee that advises the government on policy decisions about education has not met since September 2019, thereby putting a question mark on its seriousness about implementation of NEP 2020 in letter and spirit.
Climate change (SDG13) is one of the greatest challenges of our time, with adverse impacts that are disproportionately felt by developing countries, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Every year more than 50 billion metric tonnes of CO2 are released into earth’s atmosphere, mostly from fossil fuels, the main source of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. China tops the list of most polluting countries by releasing 14 billion tonnes of CO2 annually followed by USA and India with releases of 6 and 3.5 billion tonnes respectively.
There are 425 largest carbon reserves (230 coal + 195 oil and gas), the so called ‘carbon bombs’, distributed all over the world, having an emission potential of 1182 Gt of CO2, that could lead to double the 1.5oC budget, an important climate policy benchmark, if fully extracted (KjellKühne et al 2022). Such highly hazardous and catastrophic reserves/projects, some of which are already operational while others are yet to take off, need to be ‘diffused’ or simply let to lie buried, but the biggest global players like China and many others are recalcitrant to honour their pledges.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, while speaking on climate change and addiction of fossil fuels warned world leaders in COP26 held in Glasgow in 2021, “We are digging our own graves”. Disappointed with the initiatives taken by member countries to slash down the use of fossil fuels, the UN Chief in Stockholm conference 2022 impressed upon the world leaders to end the senseless and suicidal war against nature. He said, “Global addiction to fossil fuels must end and a renewables’ revolution jumpstarted”. As global efforts at COP28 and legislative measures like CBAM in Europe and the Inflation act in USA strive to address the urgent climate crisis, the role of individuals and companies also becomes increasingly pivotal.
Achieving carbon neutrality requires collective action, and carbon offsetting emerges as a tangible solution to make an immediate impact. Polar ice caps are melting due to global warming. We lose Artic sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95%. If emissions continue to increase unchecked, the Arctic could be ice-free by 2040 leading to tremendous and catastrophic sea level rise. Half-hearted measures no longer suffice. We must at any cost initiate innovative and daring measures, to stop humanity from foreclosing its own future.
It is now glaringly apparent that there can be no viable future for humanity without a healthy planet. Its water, carbon and nutrient cycles support an immensely complex living system, powered by the sun. Mountain ranges, rainforests, wetlands, savannahs and coral reefs form the basis of a vast web of life and humanity is part of this web (Herbert Girardet, 2023). Their monetary value, estimated at an average of US$33 trillion per year, exceeds the value of the entire global economy (conservationtools.org/library_items/1043/files/961).
Promote peace and provide access to justice (SDG16) is perhaps the most threatened global goal in Agenda 2030. Peace is a fundamental precondition for social and economic development and equal access to justice is essential for protecting the rights of individuals, resolving disputes and ensuring that vulnerable populations are not marginalized or mistreated. However ongoing violent conflicts around the world are derailing the global path to peace. UNO has become fiefdom of the most powerful. Peace is what the mighty nations tend to define.
Many deadliest wars and conflicts have taken place across the globe since the inception of UN in 1945 and millions of people including women and children killed, billions affected by other war crimes like ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, arson, pillage, abduction, and starvation. The Global Peace Index 2024 reveals that the world is at crossroads. Ninety two countries are currently involved in conflicts beyond their borders. The global economic impact of violence increased to US$19 trillion in 2023 representing 13.5% of global GDP.
Conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine were the primary drivers of the global fall in peacefulness where battle deaths reached 162000 in 2023. Iceland, Ireland and Austria have been ranked as the top three peaceful countries in the GPI 2024, and India has improved its rank by 1.6% from 126 of 2023 to 116. Globally, the number of women and children killed in conflict has increased since 2015 from 2 to 4 and 1 to 3 respectively in every 10 persons killed. During the past decade, the global rate of child marriage has declined but school-related gender based violence is a major obstacle to universal schooling and right to education for girls. These terrifying figures indicate that the road to global peace and security, essential for sustainable development, has been diverted.
Amid escalating global conflicts around the world especially those in Ukraine and Palestine, UN Chief on International Day of Peace 2024 urged the global community to “cultivate a culture of peace” as the world cannot hope for sustainable development without peace, stability, human rights and effective governance based on the rule of law. Only two weeks ago, Israel Defence Force targeted UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, south Lebanon, wounding two peacekeepers, which is not only a violation of international humanitarian law, says UN Chief while condemning the attack, but an arrogance of power to its highest extent. How can one expect UN to play a bigger role in resolving conflicts and become a voice of the oppressed when its own institutions are unsafe?
Very recently, United Nations in September 2024, held a first ever ‘Summit of the Future’ to protect the needs and interests of present and future generations by reaffirming their unwavering commitment to the three pillars of the United Nations – sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights with a promise of leaving no one behind. The summit expressed its concern for the slow progress on most of the SDGs.
Poverty, hunger and inequality have increased. Human rights are under threat and the global community is running the risk of leaving millions of people behind. Climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and sand and dust storms, pollution and other environmental challenges pose serious risks to natural environment and prospects for development. To conclude my article with an apposite and sententious statement I was fatigued to find a maxim more robust and profound than the one printed on the back page, without ascription, of UNEP Annual review 1978, “We have not inherited the earth from our fathers. We have borrowed it from our children”.
(The Author is Principal (Rtd) J&K Higher Education Department. Email: [email protected])
