The first review of the Sustainable Development Goals
Achieving appreciable levels of gender liberties and political empowerment of women by 2030 is still a long shot.
The first review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was published this past July by the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, said the report is designed to serve as a benchmark for annual assessment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the 15-year period to 2030. Available data show significant gaps in selected indicators of the SDG framework that was adopted in September 2015 by 193 countries. The 2030 Agenda is a bold vision that pledges to ensure no one is left behind, while recognizing that the dignity of the individual is fundamental.
Goal 1 of the SDGs calls for an end to poverty in all its manifestations, including extreme poverty. Member states resolved that everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable, should enjoy a basic standard of living and social protection. The UN report estimates that more than 930 million people were lifted out of poverty between 2002 and 2015. Yet, there were still 702 million people (9.6% of the global population) living in extreme poverty in 2015. About 35% of the population of subSaharan Africa (SSA) still live on less than $1.90 per day.
The UN report says if economic growth rates for the next 15 years mirror the last 15 – when GDP growth rates averaged 3.7% globally and 5.5% in sub-Saharan Africa – the global rate for extreme poverty would likely fall to 4% by 2030. Moreover, this assumes that economic growth would benefit all income groups equally.
Goal 2 seeks to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition and also to achieve sustainable food production by 2030. The fight against hunger is a key sustainability agenda that aims to leverage enhanced access to land, technology, markets, and sustainable food production systems to improve the productivity of agriculture. As of 2016, nearly 800 million people still suffer from hunger. Food insecurity is most prevalent in SSA with one-quarter of the region's adult population facing severe food insecurity. Achieving sustainable food production by 2030, which requires increased investments to bolster the productive capacity of agriculture in developing countries, will end malnutrition, a major cause of mortality among children under five.
Goal 3 focuses on universal health coverage; it seeks an end to the epidemics of major communicable diseases and reduction in non-communicable and environmental diseases. Between 1990 and 2015, the global maternal mortality ratio declined by 44%, and the mortality rate of children under the age of five fell by more than half. Yet, an estimated 5.9 million children under five died in 2015, mostly
from preventable causes. While much progress has been achieved with reducing the incidence of HIV, 2.1 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 89% of all the estimated 214 million global malaria cases last year. World leaders are enjoined to support research and development, increase health financing, and strengthen the capacity of all countries to attain good health and well-being for all.
Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills provide a solid foundation to young people for further learning throughout their lives. Despite progress made under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the UN report shows that 59 million children of primary school age and 65 million adolescents of lower secondary age were out of school in 2013. Also, 757 million adults were unable to read and write in 2013. Of this number, two-thirds of them were women. This Goal also aims to promote greater access to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education so that every individual can function optimally and contribute to society.
Goal 5 of the SDGs aims to empower women and girls to reach their full potential, which requires eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against them, including harmful practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). Millions of women and girls worldwide are still subjected to different forms of physical and psychological abuse and sexual exploitation. However, some degree of progress has been achieved in empowering women and girls. The proportion of women who are married before their 18th birthdays dropped from 32% in the 1990s to 26% in 2015. The participation of women in politics globally has also improved, as 23% of seats in parliaments were held by women in January 2016, representing a 6% increase over the last decade. However, achieving appreciable levels of gender liberties and political empowerment of women by 2030 is still a long shot.
Sustainable Development Goal 6 goes beyond drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. It places emphasis on quality and sustainability of water resources. Despite progress in the area of sanitation, 2.4 billion people lacked improved access to sanitation in 2015; among them were 946 million people without any facilities at all, who continued to practise open defecation. Currently, "water stress" affects more than 2 billion people around the globe, a figure that is projected to rise. The level of water stress is the ratio of freshwater withdrawal in a country as a proportion of available freshwater resources. Achieving Goal 6 is critical to the survival of people and the planet.
Goal 7 seeks to promote broader energy access and increased use of renewable energy. The proportion of the global population with access to electricity increased steadily, from 79% in 2000 to 85% in 2012. Yet, 1.1 billion people are still without access to electricity, including over 65% of SSA. The proportion of the population of SSA with access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, such as gas and electricity, is 12%, the lowest even among the developing region. The UN seeks a redoubling of efforts, particularly for countries with large energy deficits.
Goal 8 aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. The global unemployment rate stood at 6.1% in 2015, down from a peak of 6.6% in 2009. Gender unemployment gap is wider with women who are more likely to be unemployed than men. One of the targets of this Goal is to increase opportunities for full and productive employment as a means to achieving global prosperity, while eradicating forced labour, human trafficking and child labour.
Goal 9 addresses three important aspects of sustainable development: Infrastructure, industrialization and innovation. The SDGs report highlights significant inequalities in the value added in the manufacturing sector. In 2015, manufacturing value added (MVA) per capita was less than $100 a year in least developed countries (LDCs) and less than $1,000 per year in developing countries, compared to an average of $4,926 in developed countries. 89% of the urban population had access to 3G mobilebroadband last year compared to only 29% of the rural population. The UN says infrastructure provides the basic physical facilities essential to business and society. While industrialization drives economic growth and job creation, innovation helps the development of new skills and expands the technological capabilities of industrial sectors.
Goal 10 calls for reducing income inequalities either based on sex, race, ethnicity, religion or class – both within and among countries. World leaders have recognized the need to promote international trade and migration as a means to addressing inequalities among countries. The share of duty-free imports into developed countries from LDCs and developing countries increased from 2000 to 2014, reaching 84% and 79%, respectively. Also, in 2015, the cost of remittances across international borders averaged 7.5%, higher than the 2030 target of less than 3%.
Goal 11 aims for the renewal and planning of cities and other human settlements in a way that fosters community cohesion and personal security, while stimulating innovation and employment. In 2014, 30% of the urban population in developing regions – or 55% in SSA – lived in slums. As the world's population becomes increasing urban, the UN projects that 6 in 10 people will be urban dwellers by 2030. The SDGs report says with sound, risk-informed planning and management, cities can become incubators for innovation and growth and drivers of sustainable development.
Goal 12 aims to promote responsible consumption and production patterns. Sustainable growth and development requires minimizing the natural resources and toxic materials used, and the waste and pollutants generated, throughout the production and consumption process. Consumption of natural resources in developed regions declined from 17.5 tonnes
An estimated 5.9 million children under five died in 2015, mostly from preventable causes. While much progress has been achieved with reducing the incidence of HIV, 2.1 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2015.
per capita in 2000 to 15.3 tons per capita in 2010 in developed regions. While per capita consumption of natural resources stood at 8.9 tonnes in 2010 in developing regions, it has been on the increase in most developing countries.
Sustainable Development Goal 13 focuses on combating climate change and its devastating impacts. The UN says climate change presents the single biggest threat to development. Between 2000 and 2013, an average of 83,000 people died and 211 million were affected each year by natural disasters. This included millions of people in Africa who faced food security challenges arising from severe droughts and floods, which are deemed to be caused by increase in the temperature of the earth's surface. As of April this year, 178 countries signed the Paris Agreement at the UN Headquarters, and 19 countries have so far ratified it. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General said he aims to convince more countries at the UN General Assembly this September to ratify the Paris Agreement, which will only enter into force when 55 countries ratify it, and the ratifying countries must account for at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Goal 14 seeks to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems, prevent marine pollution and increase the economic benefits of marine resources. 2.6 billion people live in coastal communities and marine resources provide for their livelihoods and subsistence even as fisheries contribute significantly to global food security. The UN reports says protecting biodiverse marine sites is vital for ensuring the sustainability of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Both developed and developing regions have increased their protection of marine and coastal areas, although there has not been effective management of biodiversity.
Goal 15 focuses on managing forests sustainably, halting and reversing land and natural habitat degradation, successfully combating desertification and stopping biodiversity loss. According to the UN, at least 7,000 species of animals and plants have been involved in illegal trade since 1999. Deforestation led to a net loss of 7.3 million hectares per year in forest cover in the 1990s and 3.3 million hectares annually between 2010 and 2015. Over 23,000 species of plants, fungi and animals currently face extinction due to human activities. Efforts to combat these illicit activities will help ensure that livelihoods are preserved for those that depend directly on forests and other ecosystems. The benefits of natural resources will also be enjoyed for generations to come.
Central to the 2030 Agenda is Goal 16 whose aim is to promote peaceful and inclusive societies based on respect for human rights, the rule of law and transparent, effective and accountable institutions. Many countries still face protracted violence and armed conflict; various forms of violence against children persist, including human trafficking and sexual violence; and many others are still being denied fundamental freedoms.
Goal 17 seeks to foster partnerships as a means to achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda. The UN recognises that the SDGs require strong global partnership that mobilises all available resources from governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations and other multilateral organisations. Increasing support to developing countries, particularly to the least LDCs is crucial to attaining equitable progress for all. Official development assistance (ODA) has continued to grow with LDCs receiving more than 80% of total $134.8 billion in net ODA in 2013 for capacity-building.
757 million adults were unable to read and write in 2013. Of this number, twothirds of them were women.