SDGs and their deep-rooted impact in creating Economic, Social, and Environmental Prosperity

Why were the Sustainable Development Goals created?

All or most of us understand and know what they are, and when they were created and endorsed. However, there has always been this lingering inquisitiveness within me which I am sure I share with lots of other people in understanding the underlying meaning behind the statement of the SDG creation which can be aptly summarized as “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity”. ?

While I have considered this statement to be a catchphrase, simply providing an understanding to/for the common eye. It has been further focused down in terms of the purpose of SDGs more specifically about creating a set of global goals, related with the environmental, political and economic challenges that we face as humanity.

The SDGs that we all are aware of are an extension or broader spectrum vision of the Millennium Development Goals that expired in 2015 and were pivotal in bringing down the number of people living under extreme poverty from 1.9billion in 1991 to 836 million, cutting down out of school children’s numbers, HIV, improving clean water targets for developing countries etc.

Based on progress of the MDGs 147 countries in the UN came together to endorse the SDGs for sustainable development to implement and monitor them till 2030, coming together with a single aim of “leave no one behind”, ramping up assistance to developing nations, and engage developed nations also in ending poverty, ensuring justice for all, maintaining peace, and protecting the planet.

The MDGs were broadly based on 8 goals and 21 targets, while the SDGs focus around 17 goals and 169 targets, and these renewed goals for sustainable development delve into three aspects – economic, social, and environmental, based on the common vision of “the future we want”.

I see the SDGs as a roadmap, guidelines for developing countries to consider at the very grassroot level of policy, regulation and decision making while I also see developed countries as advisors, initiators, and guides for developing nations in assisting them implement these goals bit by bit, serve as a “best practice” example for them and showcase how strong and focused implementation of these goals have helped them in securing stronger socioeconomic stability and sustained growth.

While I would not list down all the 17 SDGs, I would however like to shed some light on how these goals can form an eventual cycle of economic, social, and environmental prosperity for countries.

While these goals are broadly clubbed together under the formerly mentioned aspects, the goals within these aspects can further be clubbed together in a more tactical and strategic manner. A simple example could be if we were to pick up the SDG related to No Poverty and Zero Hunger, considering wealth propositions in terms of the number of billionaires in the top 20 countries in the world, China topping the list followed by US and Germany, a minimal assistance from a minuscule % of people combined from these 3 countries can play a pivotal role in mitigating and eradicating poverty and hunger globally, if they were to join hands in cohesion to do so.

Strategic level plans amongst such economies collaborated upon by the UN can create an international impact at the very grass-root levels for developing countries which are in dire need of sustained and positive assistance from their wealthy counterparts.

This is just a broad example on developments goals that have a strategic outlook and would require more established economies to play a front-end role.

If we were to pick up goals that are more tactical in nature, such as creating gender equality, decent work and economic growth, partnership for goals or industry, innovation and infrastructure, we can dig deep to see how a gradual introduction and implementation of these on basic levels of the economic machinery in a country can create a cyclical impact across multiple spectrum of how a country operates.

Picking out gender equality for instance, if a country X which has Y number of industries, businesses and organizations running in it, generating millions in revenues and value, were to collectively follow a policy that would allow gender inclusive work-spaces, opportunities and work environments, there would be an eventual shift in the gender ratio we see professionally, there would be more brains working in businesses, and organizations, creating higher value and driving up more revenues, there would be opportunities for both more females and males to branch out and create own businesses, as a result create more opportunities and avenues for younger people and so on.

This simple implementation would also ripple across the education sector of a country, when more females/males see more opportunities on the horizon for them, pushing it forward for better educational facilities and the cycle keeps going.

To summarize, SDGs were created and endorsed as a “seed” that would grow and allow countries to progress towards a more balanced, social, economic, and environmental structure, a robust tool for guiding economies towards a sustained form of prosperity.

Pretty similar to, how a business or an organization function, where the board sets out broad visions, and goals, the management converts these into focused strategy and guidelines coupled with actions, the actions being the “seed” implemented throughout departments in an organization, leading to eventual growth, success and business sustainability.

The SDGs follow the same route if looked from a grass-root level.

Your thoughts?