The foundation of a sustainable future

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EnlightAID

7 min readApr 8, 2020

Are some SDGs more important than others?

Tying back to my architectural roots, and at the risk of sounding biblical, I must state the obvious: all steady constructions need a good foundation, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may very well be the most ambitious new construction the world has embarked on, in the last decade. Which is why I think we should have our eyes and energy focused on building the strongest foundation if we wish to accomplish those goals by 2030.

A road to today’s goals

Adopted in 2015 by all the countries participating in the United Nations, the SDGs are “the world’s best plan to build a better world for people and our planet by 2030”¹. They are a comprehensive set of 17 goals oriented towards achieving prosperity for both people and the planet. They are the result of decades of shared knowledge and combined efforts between countries.

Nevertheless, the SDGs are not the first set of objectives the world has set for itself. In 1992, over 178 countries adopted the Agenda 21², a plan to establish a global partnership for sustainable development. Later, in September 2000 the Millennium Development Goals were adopted to reduce extreme poverty by 2015³. As the years went by, the world’s leaders got together and agreed upon new strategies, objectives and ways to achieve them. Some of the elements we see in the SDGs today were discussed in these previous pacts. Ending poverty and eradicating hunger were some of the first and most predominant topics to be addressed by these international agreements. Closely followed by environmental sustainability.

Fast forward to January 2015, the General Assembly facilitated an international negotiation for a post-2015 development agenda, a process that ended with the adoption of what we know today as the SDGs. They are 17 exhaustive objectives covering topics that go beyond what was previously covered. They speak about ending poverty and hunger, guaranteeing access to healthcare and education, gender equality, peace and climate action just to name a few. They take on a multiplicity of factors with the ultimate goal of building a better world for all of us.

I think we can all agree that ending poverty and hunger are critically important, as well as access to safe and affordable housing and basic services. Topics covered by Goals 1, 2 and 11 respectively. At this point, after massive wildfires in Australia and Brazil or reading that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans⁵ and countless other disasters, we can all probably agree that it is fundamental to take climate action, protect life below water and on land. Subjects covered by Goals 13, 14 and 15.

I could go on and on in naming each individual goal and some of the elements I find most important within each of them, and in case you want to know I have listed all of them at the end of the article so you can have a quick overview. However, one of the goals tends to receive a lot less attention from both the general public and the UN. And it is precisely the one I want to take the time to write about: Goal 16.

A standing ground for the goals

Goals 16 is called “Peace, justice and strong institutions”. This objective appears to be the one of the least tangible ones. Even when introducing the goals, the UN seems to leave it out, saying that the goals “recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, equality and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and working to preserve our ocean and forests”⁶. Not even a mention of justice, peace or the required partnerships to achieve the goals.

Nonetheless, I think this seemingly ignored goal is the foundation on which all others must stand, to even begin to become attainable. Let me explain why. Among other things, Goal 16 refers to corruption specifically. More precisely, within its 16.5 target it states:

— “Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” ⁷—

The thing is, I find this goal particularly important because I believe the other ones can simply not stand on their own without this being solved. Think about it this way, I could design the best and most efficient solar energy system. It would fit perfectly within Goal 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy — . That being said, if the people in charge of implementing the project divert money or steal the equipment. That solution will never be able to deliver positive results.

For the sake of argument and now that probably our biggest concern is fighting Coronavirus, we could talk about a project addressing Goal 3 — Good health and well-being — . Let me paint this scenario for you, one of the teams working on the matter develops an effective vaccine against the virus. The vaccine is affordable and quick to create and distribute, but at the end of the distribution chain the personnel who are supposed to deliver them for free to the most vulnerable individuals decide to make a quick buck and charge for them. Then people are simply never going to get the treatment, and even though the solution is perfect, corruption removes any chance to create the desired impact.

The examples could be endless but I think you get the point: ending corruption must be at the top of the priority list. Every year, the UN publishes a report regarding the progress made towards reaching the goals. The last one, published in May 2019⁸ spoke only 3 times about corruption. All of these mentions refer to things stakeholders need to make to tackle the problem, such as increasing accountability in service provision, giving more access to information and empowering participation. However there is little to no mention of specific achievements on the topic.

Another interesting resource are the SDG Acceleration Actions, which are “initiatives voluntarily undertaken to accelerate the SDG implementation by national governments and any other non-state actors — individually or in partnership”⁹. I reviewed the information brief¹⁰, published in late February 2020, and found out over 50% of all actions are taking place between Europe and North America. While 61% of action submissions come from high-income countries and a mere 5% from low-income ones. Meaning the most vulnerable regions are far from seeing enough action for an effective sustainable development.

With a total of 150 actions, Goal 16 has the highest number of actions, with a total of 70. I went through them and found out most initiatives are addressing multiple goals which meant they are not necessarily targeting Goal 16 specifically but more likely they cover it as a side bonus. There are many interesting actions taken towards peace building, rule of law, equal access to a fair justice system, among others. But the only one I found specifically covering corruption is called “Monitor Karewa”¹², a digital platform looking to “measure and monitor public spending and procurement processes at the municipal level. The main objective is to promote transparency and accountability in the government”¹³. It is a very interesting platform covering acquisitions, rents, contract of services and public work for the Municipality of Chihuahua in Mexico. However up to this point it can only be used in that region of the country.

How much would the goals cost?

To add another layer, and since I particularly like numbers — sorry to those who hate them! — , I thought it would be interesting to briefly talk about the cost of achieving the SDGs. “The UN itself estimates that the total cost could be about $11.5 trillion, including $1.4 trillion a year just to achieve SDG 1 (ending poverty for 700 million people)”¹⁴. The question remains if these figures already account for the cost of corruption. As I wrote in a previous article¹⁵ the UN estimated that 30% of what is allocated to aid is diverted as a result of acts of corruption¹⁶. How many more goals could we achieve by ensuring it is not only two thirds of the resources who make it to the end goal, but all.

I think initiatives like monitor Karewa are definitely going in the right direction, but we most certainly need more than one initiative. I think we must, collectively, take the opportunity to focus on Goal 16 as a means to build a steady foundation upon which we can achieve the goals by 2030.