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Collection of tracks for demonstrations
Introduction to The SDGs
Brought to you by Assemble You.
It's time to work on YOU. So sit back and listen to practical, actionable advice to accelerate your progress.
In this track, we will introduce the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. You may have heard about various sustainability targets, but these 17 objectives are significant because they are backed by 193 countries.
After listening, you will have up-to-date knowledge of the 17 goals and an understanding of how they link together. You will also be aware of the history of the Sustainable Development Goals and the issues that nations face when trying to work towards the same aims.
Let’s start from the beginning. When and how were they established?
Sustainability is one of the main building blocks towards a brighter future. The United Nations is one of the organisations that puts sustainability at the forefront. It was founded in 1945, and it acts as a collaborative organisation where world leaders and representatives can engage in discourse about global issues. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are part of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 17 goals form the core of the plan to create ‘peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.’
The Agenda was made possible by years of campaigns, meetings, and diligent work. It started as a seed of an idea in June 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, which was set forth by the United Nations. In short, the Agenda was a cohesive plan of action that promised a global push to protect the environment and improve the conditions of humans all over the world.
Further declarations and plans that aimed to reduce human suffering and increase sustainable practices were signed in 2012, 2013, and 2015. In September 2015, the United Nations hosted a summit in New York. 193 global world leaders and representatives arrived to sign the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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What makes this plan different from every other sustainability cause?
By comparing the UK’s Net Zero strategy to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we can see how significant the latter is.
In 2021, the UK became a global player in the fight for a greener future. The UK government created a Net Zero strategy which aimed to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Its objectives focus on British infrastructure and ‘making the UK a global leader in green technologies.’
Unlike a lot of sustainability plans, the 2030 Agenda highlights the interconnected nature of all the issues that citizens of the world face. Instead of poverty, sexism, economics, health, and education being separate problems with separate solutions, this plan brings all the issues together and hopes to improve conditions via a domino effect.
In an interesting research paper published in Landscape and Urban Planning in 2018, researchers found that ‘poorer communities tend to be located within lower quality natural environments, experiencing greater environmental burdens and fewer environmental amenities.’ Another study, published in Information Society and Sustainable Development, argues that ‘achieving sustainable development worldwide requires an equitable and balanced social and economic environment.’ More and more research is emerging that suggests that the problems we’ve discussed are innately connected. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are the result of a society that is beginning to accept that social, economic, and environmental reform is necessary on a wide scale.
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So, what are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? In this section, we’ll look at a brief overview of each goal.
The goals are as follows:
No poverty - End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Zero hunger - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Good health and well-being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
Quality education - Ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Gender equality - Promote gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Clean water and sanitation - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Affordable and clean energy - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
Decent work and economic growth - Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Industry, innovation, and infrastructure - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.
Reduce inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable cities and communities - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
Responsible consumption and production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Climate action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Life below water - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
Life on land - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Peace, justice, and strong institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Partnership for the goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
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Let’s take a look at the second goal, zero hunger.
In 2022, the think tank The Food Foundation found that 1 million adults in the UK reported that they or someone in their house went a day without eating because they couldn’t afford food. 7.7 million people in South Sudan are experiencing acute malnutrition. Around the world, more than 150 million children are missing out on meals and essential health and nutrition services.
Despite the UK government pledging to uphold the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, there is evidence that it has failed to uphold at least one of them, the goal to diminish hunger across the globe. This raises the question of whether the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are realistically achievable and what barriers individual nations might face.
Here are a few reasons why countries might not uphold the Goals.
Conflict of interests - Countries have vast networks of officials in every sector and industry, leading to friction. Representatives have to be very careful about where they allocate their funds, resources and support. One mistake can cause clashes, opposition, or even war.
Supporting home citizens first - Countries are under massive pressure to support local citizens before they offer help to people who are suffering overseas.
Budget issues - Countries only have a certain budget and can’t necessarily support other countries and causes as much as they would hope to.
Unexpected events - Countries have plans in place for unexpected events but can’t foresee everything that might happen. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of this.
As we’ve discovered, sustainability is a fluid term. It’s difficult to grasp the ever-growing stands of the problem and tie them together into something more manageable. Even the most powerful and wealthy nations around the globe struggle to consolidate the issues that are the most prevalent.
Nations should be responsible for reforming health, education, gender equality, and sanitation, but individuals can also spot where these issues intersect. The best way to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is to join the increasing number of people, businesses, and campaigners that are putting pressure on their government officials.
You are not alone in the fight against the issues that we’ve mentioned today. The United Nations has created infographics, events, and other content to support each goal. If you are interested in fighting against or learning more about any of the topics mentioned in this lesson, you can go to the events page for the Sustainable Development Goals.