Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 Review

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) report 2019 was recently published by the United Nations (UN) which reports on the global progress made on the SDGs based on the latest available data. Here, I aim to review and provide my main takeaways from the 64 page report. It is in no way a comprehensive summary, so please consult the report if you want to get a comprehensive understanding.

There has been impressive progress made on several fronts, most notably in decreasing extreme poverty, infant mortality rate and widening reach of immunizations. On the other hand, the biggest and most urgent concern remains climate change with rising sea level, accelerating ocean acidification and unchecked land degradation. Rising conflict and natural disasters also negatively impact several goals such as extreme deprivation, lack of education and healthcare, and peace.

One striking fact is the concentration of poverty, hunger and disease among the poorest and most vulnerable groups of people, hence a trend of increasing inequality among and within countries. As noted in the report:
“Over 90 per cent of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Three quarters of all stunted children live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. People living in fragile States are twice as likely to lack basic sanitation, and about four times as likely to lack basic drinking water services as people in non-fragile situations... about 80 percent of those who are extremely poor live in rural areas.”

Although the goals are separate, it is imperative to realize that the challenges and the solutions are interrelated. For example, to tackle climate change (goal 13), we need to change our production and consumption patterns (goal 12), shift to renewable energy as main source of power (goal 7), build new infrastructure supporting environmental friendly transport systems (goal 9 and 11), reverse the trend of forest loss (goal 15). Increasing access to safe drinking water, sanitation (goal 6), basic healthcare (goal 3) and nutritious food (goal 2) can save millions of lives per year and improve school attendance (goal 4), which in turn will enable people to climb out of poverty (goal 1). It is also critical to realize that many of the challenges require global collective action (hence, the importance of goal 17- partnerships), such as climate action (goal 13).

Key Data Takeaways

The share of people living in extreme poverty has decreased to 10 percent in 2015, from 16 percent in 2010 and 36 percent in 1990; but the progress is slowing.

More than one-third of employed workers in sub-Saharan Africa still live in extreme poverty.

About half (46%)of extremely poor people are children under 14 years.

The number of undernourished people has significantly increased, from 784 million in 2015 to 821 million people in 2017, after extended progress.

The infant mortality rate (under-5) dropped from 9.8 million in 2000 to 5.4 million in 2017.

Vaccinations resulted in an 80% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2017.

HIV incidence among adults (15–49 years old) in sub-Saharan Africa declined by 37% between 2010 and 2017.

More than 55 percent of school children globally lacked minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics in 2015.

More than half of the schools in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to basic drinking water, handwashing facilities, the internet and computers.

Women represent 39% of the workforce, but only 27% of managerial positions.

18% of women and girls aged 15–49 years have experienced physical and/or sexual partner violence in the previous 12 months.

In South Asia, a girl’s risk of marrying in childhood has decreased by 40% since 2000.

By 2030, 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity.

785 million people remain without access to basic drinking water services in 2017.

9 out of 10 people worldwide have access to electricity.

17.5% of total final energy consumption comes from renewable energy.

The global unemployment rate was 5% in 2018.

One fifth of young people are not in education, employment or training.

9 out of 10 urban residents breathe polluted air.

1 out of 4 urban residents live in slum-like conditions.

Atmospheric Carbon di-oxide concentration is 146% of pre-industrial levels.

Ocean acidity has increased by 26% since the pre-industrial times, which negatively impacts the ability of the ocean to absorb Carbon di-oxide and endangers marine life.

17% of waters under national jurisdiction are covered by protected areas which is more than double the 2010 coverage level.

The risk of species extinction has worsened by almost 10% over the last 25 years.

70% of detected victims of human trafficking are women and girls, most of whom are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Men make up around 80% of homicide victims overall.

Only 20% of people in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are connected online, compared to 45% in developing countries and 80% in developed countries.

Remittances will be the largest source of external financing in low and middle income countries in 2019, projected to reach $550 billion.

Conclusion

Overall, there are reasons to celebrate, but also causes for concern. The SDGs cover a wide range of issues and no doubt, they are ambitious goals. However, we are making progress in a number of areas, which is encouraging. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, it is yet to receive the resources and attention of governments who need to engage in collective action urgently. Knowing about the progress we have made and the work ahead, is the first step to achieving our goals.