The UN SDG'S: Where are we now?
We are currently in the second year of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals 2020 Report gave insight into where we stand in relation to the goals for 2030, but has also highlighted the devastation that COVID-19 has left us with. It has become one of the worst international crises of our lifetimes and has changed the world as we know it, resulting in calamitous effects on some of the SDG’s.
The 17 SDG’s focus on everything from reducing and alleviating hunger and poverty, to universally improving access to education and healthcare, to addressing social, economic and political inequalities and to minimising climate damage and environmental change.
Below are some takeaways of the perceived effects of the pandemic taken from this UN Article:
Forecasts indicated that the pandemic had the ability to push up to 71million people back into extreme poverty, and most of the people affected also had their income dropped by 60% within the first month of the pandemic and are now trying to come back from this hard hit.
Health and socioeconomic circumstances also suffered severe effects from the pandemic within disabled persons, migrants, refugees, and older generations. Women and children have suffered effects of the pandemic through limited access to healthcare, and food and nutrition services which increases the likelihood of child deaths and maternal deaths.
1.57 billion children (90% of students) were kept out of school due to closures, therefore missing school meals over a period of time during 2020. The other effects of school closures include lower retention and graduation rates, adverse effects of social and behavioural development of youth.
There are also economic impacts of the pandemic that can’t go unnoticed such as food insecurity in poorer countries, job losses, insufficient basic services, and decline in world trade which have hit the most disadvantaged countries the worst.
These are truly devastating statements, however we must aim to use them as a force for good. The initial principles on which the SDG’s were first established are key for the full recovery from the pandemic, keeping the core values of the SDG’s front of mind, and a top priority.
The UN also states that this pandemic will help us to be better prepared for preventing any potential larger crisis - we now know what the effects on our world can be, so can ensure that resources are placed in the right areas before any crisis occurs, so that the devastation from it is hugely decreased. The UN urges Governments and Businesses to build a healthier and more resilient and sustainable world through learning the tough lessons that the pandemic has given us.
Over 2000 charities have been founded since the pandemic began in England and Wales alone - making a total of 170,383 as of March 2022 - and this number doesn’t include other Impact Organisations such as Social Enterprises or Tech For Good’s who are also contributing towards the SDG’s. This shows the true abundance of places for us to go to to offer our support. We must come together to focus our attention and energy into these causes and organisations to ensure that we are continuously doing our part to achieve the SDG’s by 2030 - humans are faced with challenges every day, and we need to ensure that we have a positive mindset to create the biggest impact that we can over the next 8 years!
This is the first of a further 17 articles that Matchable will be writing on the progress of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals so far, highlighting what areas we are on track for, and also directing us towards areas that desperately need more attention and energy put into so that we can come together to donate our time and support to these causes.
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