The United Nations is set to adopt new development goals this September as a part of continuing international development efforts after the end mark set for the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals are a set of eight goals for the international community to meet by 2015, this year.

The widespread investment and overall push for change in the eight areas is: reducing extreme hunger and poverty, universal primary education, gender equality, reducing child mortality, maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases, environmental sustainability and creating a global partnership for development, all of which had much success. However, there are still many areas and many countries that have not yet reached the goals. The idea behind the Sustainable Development Goals is that upon achieving the development goals, there should be a set of goals to highlight and build upon that success so that the progress is sustainable and countries continue to improve.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 targets. Amidst excitement for the new goal campaign, skeptics and criticisms remain. People accuse the set of goals as being too broad and overreaching. The concern is that with so many goals and so many different targets, the investment strategy and implementation become more complex. Also, the fear is that because they attempt to tackle so many issues in one set time frame, the feasibility is undermined and the goals may be taken less seriously. With the eight millennium development goals it was easy to define them and implement programs to reach the goals. Investment was streamlined and investors could pinpoint where their funds were going.

The proposed Sustainable Development Goals are as follows:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

As you can see, the list does extensively cover the problems the entire global community faces together. However, another concern is that the goals don’t account for the fact that different countries are not yet on a level playing field; there are gaps in capacity and in data. Therefore, different countries need to make certain areas more of a priority than others and even need to first go back and focus on reaching the Millennium Development Goals. With so many goals and targets, countries can customize their approach, but then questions arise over goal achievement. If different countries focus on specific targets, at the end of the set time period for desired completion, it may be harder to pinpoint overall global progress.

The Sustainable Development Goals are an important document for players in global development and for the public because it shows what the entire global community needs to focus on as we progress. The list emphasizes a need for equality and sustainability in all aspects of life, which is an important distinction from the Millennium Development Goals, which focused more on reducing and improving. The new goals highlight creating opportunistic communities around the world and as the goals are adopted in the fall, different countries and programs will be able to individualize the plans further. Though slightly overwhelming, the goals are a tremendous resource for politicians and public alike.

– Emma Dowd

Sources: Devex, The Guardian, Reuters, UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform
Photo: Flickr