Jan 21, 2019
SocialPolis Coin: Decoding the project (part 6/7).
What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their importance to SocialPolis Coin project?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been built as the continuation of the successful Millennium Development Goals and were adopted by all countries of United Nations in 2015. The SDGs came into effect in January 2016, and they will carry on guiding UNDP policy until 2030. These goals suggest a global, radical plan for changing how humanity perceives the notion “development.” In this text, we will elaborate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their importance to SocialPolis Coin Project.
Sustainable Development Goals’ Characteristics
The Sustainable Development Goals attempt to follow up the currents of humanity. Today, inequalities within countries are on the rise, and the effect of the climate change and environmental degradation are agonizing people and communities across the globe. Thus, the 2030 Agenda is universally requiring from all countries to take appropriate measures. As time goes by, the need for interlinked actions against the global problem became obvious. As a result, the SDGs recognize that development must balance economic, social and environmental sustainability. Further, one target that ensures the success of the SDGs is the stance under which severe “zeros”, including zero poverty, hunger, AIDs, etc., should be delivered. Additionally, the 2030 Agenda stresses that development planning must be risk-informed or in other words smart. This takes laws, policies and cooperation across sectors and actors. Lastly, the 2030 Agenda sheds lights to the need of relentless dedication from all of society as governments and the UN cannot do it alone[1].
Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 1: Reduce poverty
The numbers are breathtaking. More than 650 million people still leave in extreme poverty, while about one in five people in developing countries lives on less than $1.25 per day. The SGDs are a commitment that poverty in all forms and dimensions will be vanished by 2030. This involves targeting the most vulnerable, increasing access to basic resources and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters.
Goal 2: Downsize hunger
795 million people are estimated to be chronically undernourished as of 2014. The SDGs aim to put an end in all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, ensuring that all people and especially children have access to sufficient and nutritious food all year round.
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
6 million children, each year around the world, die before reaching their fifth birthday, despite the indeed progress. These deaths can be avoided through prevention and treatment, education, immunization campaigns, a sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Goal 4: Quality education
57 million primary-aged children remain out of school, more than half of them in sub-Saharan African. Goal 4 ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Goal 5: Gender equality
35% of women around the globe have faced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. The SDGs aspire to end the discrimination against women and girls everywhere.
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
Water scarcity is affecting more than 40 percent of the global population with that figure to go increasing. Through Agenda 2030, investing in adequate infrastructure, providing sanitation and facilities, ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water, and encouraging hygiene at every level are of high priority.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
One in seven people still lacks access to electricity, most of them in rural areas of the developing world. Adopting cost-effective standards for a wider range of technologies could reduce the global electricity consumption by buildings and industry.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
Unemployment among people aged between 15 and 24 reached 13 percent in 2014, nearly three times higher than the rate for adults. The SGDs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation.
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
More than 4 billion people still do not have access to the Internet, and 90 percent are from the developing world. Bridging this digital divide is crucial to ensure equal access to information and knowledge, as well as foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
Goal 10: Reduced inequalities
The richest 10 percent earn up to 40 percent of total global income. The aim is to improve regulation and monitor of financial markets and institutions, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions that they need it most.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
By 2050, the urban population is expected to reach 6.5 billion. Governments are struggling to accommodate the rising population in these areas. The solution is to make cities safe and sustainable ensuring affordable housing and upgrading settlements.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, while almost 2 billion people go hungry or undernourished. Creating more efficient production and supply chains can help sustainable consumption.
Goal 13: Climate action
From 1880 to 2012, average global temperature increased by 0.85 ℃. It is possible, however, with the political will and a wide array of technological measures, to limit the increase in global temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Goal 14: Life below water
As much as 40 percent of the ocean is heavily affected by pollution, depleted fisheries, loss of coastal habitats and other human activities. Enhancing conservation and the sustainable use of ocean-based resources through international law will also help mitigate some of the challenges facing our oceans.
Goal 15: Life on land
Drought and desertification is also on the rise each year, amounting to the loss of 12 million hectares and affects poor communities globally. The SDGs aim to converse and restore the use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, drylands and mountains by 2020.
Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Every minute, nearly 20 people are displaced as a result of conflict or persecution. At the end of 2016, the total number of forcibly displaced people was 65.6 million. The SDGs aim to significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity.
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says achieving SDGs will require US$5 trillion to $7 trillion in annual investment. The goals aim to enhance North-South and South-South cooperation by supporting national plans to achieve all the targets. Promoting international trade, and helping developing countries increase their exports, is all part of achieving a universal rules-based and an equitable trading system that is fair and open, and benefits all.
SGDs and SocialPolis Coin Project
In the light of the above, SPL Coin initiative is related with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that constitute a framework within which people, businesses, NGOs and governments can collaborate and implement solutions. More specifically, SPL Coin is targeting the following SDGs:
· Reduce Poverty: Reduction of poverty in all its forms everywhere.
· Downsize Hunger: Achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
· Good Health and Well-Being: Ensure healthy living and promote well-being for everyone, regardless the age.
· Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation 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 industrialization and foster innovation.
· Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
· Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
· 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.
· Partnerships for the UN Goals: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
[1] Catharina Klingspor (2018). 5 things you need to know about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://medium.com/@UNDP/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-2030-agenda-for-sustainable-development-380405b44e3c
