HRMT 20030 – Contemporary Issues in HRM Assessment
February 27, 2022A Strategy for the Next Growth Cycle
February 27, 2022The 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by members of the United Nations in 2015 (Lu, et al., p.432). At its core are the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” which calls for both developing and developed countries for a global partnership. The UN countries recognize that eradicating poverty and other deprivations must be addressed along with approaches that spur economic growth, reduce inequality, and improve health and education while working to preserve our forests and oceans and tackling climate change. The 17 SDGs assure not only sustainable development that boosts equality but also the urgency of the development 2015 (Lu, et al., p.432).
The SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a more sustainable and better future for all. They address the global challenges which we face in our daily lives including inequality, poverty, peace and justice, environmental degradation, and climate change. Sustainable development provides access to essential human needs. The increased population in almost all parts of the world means people will have to scramble for essentials such as water, shelter, and food (Biermann, et al. p.28). Adequate provision of these basic needs depends on if the capable infrastructure that can sustain them for a long time. Sustainable development practices are also meant to mitigate climate change. For instance, the use of solar and wind power seeks to reduce the use of fossil-based sources of fuel such as coal, natural gas, and oil which are depletable and are responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases.
The relevance of SDGs to the current world’s needs
The 17SDGs are relevant to the current needs of the world. For instance, over 700 million of the world’s population live in extreme poverty and spent less than $1.90 a day (Biermann, et al. p.27). They struggle to get the most basic needs including access to food and water, education, health, and sanitation. Poverty affects both developing and developed countries as well. Currently, more than 30 million children are growing up poor in some of the world’s richest nations (Biermann, et al. p.28). Eradicating poverty is one of the key goals of the sustainable development agenda. Although the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by over 50% between 1990 and 2015, many people around the world are still struggling to get the most basic human beings (Biermann, et al. p.28).
Food insecurity is another major issue affecting many people worldwide with the vast majority in developing countries. Hunger and malnutrition are impediments to substantial development because hungry people are more prone to diseases, less productive, and less able to improve their livelihoods. To eradicate all forms of hunger and malnutrition, the 2030 SDGs agenda aims at ensuring that people especially children have access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year (Schroeder et al. p.76). However, achieving this goal requires promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as allowing equal access to markets, technology, and land as well as supporting small-scale farmers.
Viability of SDGs by 2030
The United Nations may not be able to realize the sustainable development goals by 2030 because many countries are lagging far behind. IFAD, a UN financial institution that offers low-interest loans and grants to projects that help increase food security and reduce poverty is mainly interested in fighting hunger. However, hunger has grown for the fourth year in a row since 2015. To eliminate hunger by 2030, world leaders had agreed to invest more than $115 billion annually (Singh, para.7). However, the UN says that it needs more money to achieve the target. In 2019, the UN countries were facing an SDG 2.5 trillion investment gap (Singh, para.9). The financial gap is more acute in vulnerable regions and countries. At the present rate of investment, it will not be possible to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
Works cited
Biermann, Frank, Norichika Kanie, and Rakhyun E. Kim. “Global governance by goal-setting: the novel approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 26 (2017): 26-31.
Lu, Yonglong, et al. “Policy: Five priorities for the UN sustainable development goals.” Nature News 520.7548 (2015): 432.
Schroeder, Patrick, Kartika Angrand, and Uwe Weber. “The relevance of circular economy practices to the sustainable development goals.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 23.1 (2019): 77-95.
Singh, Pooja. “UN will not be able to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”. Mint, 2020, https://www.livemint.com/news/world/un-will-not-be-able-to-achieve-sustainable-development-goals-by-2030-11581491833384.html.