COVID-19 and the SDGs — April 24th Update
By Brady Press
We have been following how COVID-19 is shaping the SDGs and the roles major players are taking in response. For a full range of our coverage to date, view our recent articles here.
This article covers the intertwined nature of the SDGs and COVID-19 response, financing for sustainable development, human rights concerns, and Earth Day.
The Linkage Between the SDGs and COVID-19
COVID-19 poses a significant threat to achieving the Global Goals by 2030 — a milestone which was already in question before the pandemic hit. On the flip side, that lack of progress toward the Global Goals is hampering our ability to effectively respond to COVID-19.
Alexander Trepelkov, a U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs official, said the goals “will be more essential than ever during and after this crisis” and Michael Green, CEO of the U.S.-based nonprofit Social Progress Imperative, noted that the countries that have incorporated the SDGs will be more resilient to COVID-19 than those that have not.
However, progress toward specific Goals is increasingly at risk. According to UN University, 8% of the world’s population could fall into poverty — presenting a huge hit to SDG 1 — No Poverty.
The Prime Minister of Norway and the President of the Republic of Ghana declared that, aside from the obvious implications on SDG 3 — Good Health and Wellbeing — COVID-19 is affecting all of the SDGs:
“UNESCO estimates that some 1.25 billion students are affected, posing a serious challenge to the attainment of SDG 4 (Quality Education)…The pandemic and its effects are exacerbated by the crisis in achieving clean water and sanitation targets (SDG 6), weak economic growth and the absence of decent work (SDG 8), pervasive inequalities (SDG 10), and above all, entrenched poverty (SDG 1) and food insecurity (SDG 2).”
Greater concern for SDG 2 came with the release of a new edition of the Global Report on Food Crises, which marked the highest level of food insecurity and malnutrition since the report’s inception in 2017, and noted key drivers of food insecurity as current global challenges: conflict, weather extremes and economic turbulence.
New data was also released by UNESCO, such as that half of students worldwide do not have access to a computer, which heightened fears for SDG 4 — Quality Education.
UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Forum on Financing for Development
The ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum (FfD), was hosted virtually as an informal event on Wednesday. During the Forum, UN Secretary General António Guterres underlined the need for financing for sustainable development amid the pandemic, and declared that “now is the time to stand by our commitment to leave no one behind” — a central pillar of the Global Agenda.
Along with Guterres’ remarks, ECOSOC President Mona Juul noted that the “critical issues of resource mobilization, illicit finance, debt and women’s empowerment are more important than ever in a vastly different landscape” and drew attention to challenges to SDG 3 being exposed during COVID-19.
The Financing for Sustainable Development Report released earlier this month shows that in the current climate, many countries, especially the least developed, will not be able to reach the SDGs by 2030.
United Nations Response
In March, the UN Secretary General requested $2 billion of funding for a Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19, of which only $550 million has been pledged thus far. This week, leaders of top UN humanitarian agencies published an open-letter to donors emphasizing the critical need for more funding to the World Food Program to establish and strengthen life-saving logistics such as transport hubs, charter vessels and aircraft for cargo, health workers and other essential staff. Not meeting this need, according to experts, could greatly impede global response.
Human Rights
The UN issued a Policy Brief: “COVID-19 and Human Rights, We Are All in This Together,” illustrating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on basic social and economic rights, and why these rights are crucial to COVID-19 response. With its release, Guterres delivered a public statement, addressing the importance of protecting human rights during COVID-19 response and for the good of the entire Global Agenda:
“Looking ahead, we need to build back better. The Sustainable Development Goals — which are underpinned by human rights — provide the framework for more inclusive and sustainable economies and societies.
Strengthening economic and social rights bolsters resilience for the long haul. The recovery must also respect the rights of future generations, enhancing climate action aiming at carbon neutrality by 2050 and protecting biodiversity.”
Concerns regarding human rights abuses align with the threats to SDG 16 — Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions — due to persistence of fighting in many countries, despite the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire.
Recent stories reveal that continued war in Libya, including increased shelling, is causing more families to become displaced, with no other option but to migrate into more heavily populated areas. In addition, economic hits to the oil industry because of COVID-19 are worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Violence in Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Cameroon has also caused an upsurge in the number of asylum seekers this year. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), thousands of people are fleeing their homes each day. UNHCR called upon all those at war to protect their nations’ civilians.
Our team released an article earlier this week that further discusses the vulnerability of refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 crisis.
Earth Day
With the annual Earth Day celebration taking place on April 22nd, the UN Secretary General reminded the world of the importance of addressing climate change. He asked states to reaffirm their commitments to protecting the Earth and to re-prioritize the Global Agenda.
In addition, the UN Environmental Agency (UNEP) chief, Inger Andersen, said, “as the international community works through potential solutions to the current health crisis, the post-pandemic recovery plan should be seen as an opportunity to build back better, with a focus on green jobs in a more sustainable economy.”
Brady Press is an Associate Director at Changing Our World, where she specializes in building strategic corporate citizenship programs. She is a consultant to SDGCounting and StartingUpGood, and is currently researching how COVID-19 is affecting the Sustainable Development Goals.
