India is critical in determining the success of the SDGs, globally. At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted, “Sustainable development of one-sixth of humanity will be of great consequence to the world and our beautiful planet. It will be a world of fewer challenges and greater hope; and, more confident of its success”.
NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s premier think tank, has been entrusted with the task of coordinating the SDGs, mapping schemes related to the SDGs and their targets, and identifying lead and supporting ministries for each target. In addition, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been leading discussions for developing national indicators for the SDGs. State governments are key to India’s progress on the SDGs as they are best placed to ‘put people first’ and to ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’.
The UN Country Team in India supports NITI Aayog, Union ministries and state governments in their efforts to address the interconnectedness of the goals, to ensure that no one is left behind and to advocate for adequate financing to achieve the SDGs.
The 17 SDGs and 169 targets are part of a transformative agenda – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by 193 Member States at the UN General Assembly Summit in September 2015, and which came into effect on 1 January 2016. At the core of this global agenda for 2030 is the principle of universality: ‘Leave No One Behind’.
Development in all its dimensions must include all people, everywhere, and should be built through the participation of everyone, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised. This comprehensive agenda recognises that it is no longer sufficient just to focus on economic growth, but on fairer and more equal societies, and a safer and more prosperous planet.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
With a projected global poverty rate of 7% in 2030, the equivalent of 598,394,116 people, this UN goal aims to end poverty of all kinds.
As of 2020, 2.37 billion people are without food or unable to eat a healthy balanced diet, hence the goal of zero hunger. “Zero Hunger” sets out to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The global pandemic has only worsened global hunger, seeing as many as 161 million additional people will experience hunger as a result. Regarding women, 1/3 of those at a reproductive age experience Anaemia due to nutritional deficiencies.
With a focus on increasing life expectancy and reducing common child and maternal diseases and killers, this goal targets ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages. The global pandemic has only made health disparities more apparent, halting and even reducing life-expectancy progress.
This goal ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning for all. Sadly, COVID-19 reversed years of education gains, and many countries lack basic school infrastructure.
SDG 5 targets to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The percentage of women who work in national parliaments, local governments, and in managerial positions is still significantly less than that of men. Not to mention 1 in 3 women are subject to violence at least once since the age of 15, and child marriage is still highly present.
The availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation ensures safe water for drinking, sanitation, and hygiene, yet 2.3 billion people live in water-stressed countries.
Almost 800 million people lack access to electricity and 1/3 of the population uses dangerous cooking systems. This puts into perspective why this goal aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.
Especially after the global pandemic, joblessness and unemployment is extremely prevalent, making this goal of promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and productive employment and decent work ever more important.
Resilient infrastructure, inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and innovation is the objective of this sustainable development goal. Enhancing rural road connectivity, increasing research and development investment, and manufacturing high tech products helps stabilize infrastructure.
This sustainable development goal focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries. Income inequality, the refugee crises, and inequality indexes all show that certain areas and countries are highly more beneficial to live in than others. Living standards between countries are very unbalanced.
This goal promotes making cities and human settlements safer, resilient, and sustainable through use of national urban policies, more access to public spaces, convenient public transportation, and the reduction of slums.
Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, as a goal, aims to reduce climate change and negative environmental impacts.
Climate action is a goal involving the fight against climate change and its impacts. Rising greenhouse gas emissions, an average global temperature increase, and increased spending due to climate change are all negative results of climate change.
The Life Below Water goal focuses on conserving and sustainably using our oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. We, as a population, rely heavily on our oceans for food, tourism, recreational activities, and global trade. In fact, 3 billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihood. However, our oceans are under severe threat. Over half of key marine biodiversity areas are unprotected, and dead zones, zones lacking oxygen to support marine life, are rising. It is thus imperative we protect our oceans better.
This goal overall promotes the health of land life. It includes protecting, restoring, and promoting land ecosystems, managing forests sustainably. Combatting desertification and halting and reversing land degradation and biodiversity loss. With many species under threat and ever-increasing biodiversity loss, it is essential we take better care of land ecosystems.
This goal involves reducing conflict, insecurity, and weak institutions by means of promoting peace and inclusivity for sustainable development and justice for all.
This last goal aims to help realize strong partnership and global cooperation for the SDGs.
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