The Sustainable Development Goals Belong To You

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This week, world leaders with gather at the United Nations in New York to set the world on a path to a sustainable future for people and planet when they adopt the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change by 2030.

Known widely as the “Global Goals”, they are the result of an unprecedented and transparent years-long consultation process. People across the world shared their vision for a better world and what is needed to attain it. From access to education to ensuring healthy lives to taking climate action to achieving gender equality, global citizens everywhere made their voices heard on the issues that matter.

The Goals are universal; no one goal is more important than any other and they all complement each other. For instance, access to energy will allow a child to study at night. This energy might come from a solar source and therefore be tackling climate change. In turn, the solar panel industry might be helping a developing country grow its economy.

In essence, achieving the Global Goals will mean ensuring prosperity and environmental protection without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A sustainable world is one where people can escape poverty and enjoy decent work without harming the earth’s essential ecosystems and resources; where people can stay healthy and get the food and water they need; where everyone can access clean energy that doesn’t contribute to climate change; where women and girls are afforded equal rights and equal opportunities.

Ongoing security and humanitarian crises not only take a terrible human toll but have a devastating impact on development. When a society is affected by conflict, schools have to close, vaccination campaigns have to stop, infectious diseases spread unchecked and mothers have no safe place to deliver their babies. Problems arising from under-development can also be a driver of conflicts in the first place.

Without peace and stability, there can be no sustainability; and a sustainable world is a safer one. The new Goals promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies, recognizing that without peace and stability, there can be no sustainability; and a sustainable world is a safer one.

Making such drastic improvements in the span of fifteen years is no small feat. Yet we already know what can be achieved when governments, civil society organizations and partners join forces to overcome common challenges. The Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed fifteen years ago and which come to an end this year, have been the most successful anti-poverty push in history. The lives of millions of people have been improved through MDG action. Global poverty continues to decline, more people have access to safe drinking water, more children than ever are attending primary school, and targeted investments in fighting malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis have saved millions.

Despite this progress, much more needs to be done, especially to reach the most marginalized and vulnerable— the women, men and children living on the knife-edge of poverty, injustice and insecurity.

The Goals are for everyone. They will leave no one behind. They are for millennials, grandparents, city dwellers, rural communities, people in both developing and developed countries, employers and employees.

These are the people’s Goals -- your Goals.

This applies not just to how the Goals have been created but how they will now be achieved. One of the reasons that there are as many as 17 Goals is that they are not simply a broad outline of aspirations, but contain concrete and detailed actions. It’s up to everyone to play their part in making the Goals happen.  

The active engagement of a diverse range of partners, including businesses, will be essential for the Goals’ success. Responsible business operations, investment, innovation and collaboration from the private sector will be indispensable in the period ahead. Many of the recent successes in development and climate change have been achieved through public-private partnerships with the power to mobilize finance, expertise and knowledge. A sustainable approach to business can also help create decent jobs, improve public health, empower women and protect the environment.

For any company seeking to be sustainable, it begins with operating with integrity – living up to responsibilities on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The most fundamental contribution a company can make is to be financially successful while upholding a high standard of ethics and treatment of employees, the environment and the community. I urge more companies to join the UN Global Compact, now the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, and to make use of the Sustainable Development Goals Compass, a guide for putting sustainable ways of working at the heart of business, to be launched at the UN next week.

For people to play their part, they must first know about the Global Goals -- and the more people that know, the more successful the Goals will be. I encourage you to spread the word to your friends and networks to help make sure everyone knows about the Goals, what they are and why they matter. The Global Goals, after all, belong to you.

• See 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Sustainable Development Goals (explained with GIFs).
• Get facts and figures, images and videos on the 17 Goals.
• Get ideas for how you can take action to support the Goals.

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Photos: UNICEF