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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were introduced in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all UN members. They comprise 17 specific goals, detailing aims that countries should work towards for peace and prosperity, ensuring that they can still economically develop while being sustainable. They emphasise how social, environmental and economic factors are closely interlinked, and advocate for sustainability and protection in a nation’s actions.
The short titles of the SDGs are as follows: (1) no poverty, (2) zero hunger, (3) good health and well-being, (4) quality education, (5) gender equality, (6) clean water and sanitation, (7) affordable and clean energy, (8) decent work and economic growth, (9) industry, innovation and infrastructure, (10) reduced inequalities, (11) sustainable cities and communities, (12) responsible consumption and production, (13) climate action, (14) life below water, (15) life on land, (16) peace, justice and strong institutions, and (17) partnerships for the goals.
Check out this video from The United Nations on what it will take to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals:
All the goals combined offer quite a holistic approach which tackles multiple facets of development. For example, SDGs 3, 4, and 5 respond to societal development, SDGs 8 and 9 respond to economic development, and SDGs 13, 14 and 15 respond to environmental development. These goals provide guidance for countries to follow when setting policy, and deciding on what factors to focus on in policy making. These goals were introduced partially in response to the Paris Agreement, where all countries pledged to hold global temperature increases to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and replace the less comprehensive Millennium Development Goals introduced in 2000.
Importantly, many of the SDGs are interconnected and affect more than one type of development. SDGs 7 and 11 are examples of goals which target multiple types of sustainable development, with both targeting societal, environmental, and economic development. Development in one goal also often influences the development of others. An example of where the development of one SDG synergises with another SDG includes SDGs 4, 5 and 8; before economic empowerment can be achieved, there has to be strong gender equality which provides women with equal opportunities, access and equity. This allows them to be empowered and fully contribute to society, which is a crucial step to increasing economic efficiency and capacity. This empowerment can be partially achieved through SDG 4; giving women equal access to quality education is essential to creating equal gender relations - something we should strive towards morally - and also to increasing female competitiveness in an economy. This shows the strong synergy between many of the SDGs, and how improvement in one goal usually leads to improvement in others.
However, there are some criticisms of the SDGs. The first is the contradiction between growth and sustainability. Jason Hickel (LSE) has stated that the root of the problem of not being sustainable is overconsumption and materialism, yet the SDGs do not tackle the root of the problem because they suggest that we can continue to both grow and become more sustainable. Thinking along this line has led to the promotion of the idea of “de-growth”, in which economic growth is no longer a primary economic objective. On top of this, there is nothing binding about the SDGs which - combined with the fact that countries self-report on their progress - makes it challenging to hold countries accountable.
You can check out Jason Hickel's post as he uncovers the "Five reasons to think twice about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals"
Another main criticism is the Western-centric approach of the SDGs. Although developed countries are the main contributors of greenhouse gases globally, developing countries bear the brunt of the effects of climate change, yet have to change their economic development to fit the SDGs, placing a significant burden on them that wealthy Western countries did not face whilst developing. Critics argue that the SDGs do not consider how expensive it is for developing countries to adhere to them, especially considering many of them face huge amounts of debt. According to the OECD, developing countries face a $4 trillion funding gap in sustainable investments.
Overall, SDGs are an ambitious set of goals which give guidance for countries to follow when considering policies surrounding development. However, with how difficult it is to hold countries accountable, and the Western-centric approach which is difficult for developing countries to follow, it is unlikely that all of these goals will be met by 2030. Whether this means that the SDGs should be adjusted is difficult to say, but the success of these goals is greatly important considering the threat of climate change most prominently and other problems outlined in the SDGs, including poverty and hunger.
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