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The United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) convened to discuss and vote on proposed changes to the indicators that measure progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This meeting was a key step in finalizing the indicator set that will be used to track global progress over the next fifteen years.
What do you mean by Sustainable Development?
The term ‘sustainable development’ is bandied about these days but what does it actually mean? Sustainable development, according to the Brundtland Commission, serves the demands of the current generation without jeopardising future generations’ ability to satisfy their own needs.
So sustainable development is about meeting our current needs without damaging the environment or depleting resources so that future generations can also enjoy a good quality of life.
How do we achieve sustainable development?
There are many different ways of achieving sustainable development but one key way is by ensuring that our development does not exceed the planet’s carrying capacity. This means using renewable resources instead of non-renewable ones and protecting and restoring the earth’s natural systems.
In 2015, world leaders adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They are an interdependent set of goals with 169 targets between them. Achieving these Goals would mean an end to poverty, hunger and disease, and would protect our planet and its oceans.
Changes To Sustainable Development Goals Indicators
The original indicators for the SDGs were agreed upon in March 2018. However, at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in July 2019, it was decided to make some changes to these indicators. These changes were put into effect from January 2020. Here are some of the key changes:
– Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) now has a new target: to reduce waste generation per capita by half by 2030.
– Goal 14 (Life Below Water) now has two new targets: to improve the economic usefulness of Small Island Developing States and least developed countries through the sustainable use of marine aids, including through sustainable management of aquaculture, fisheries and tourism; and to conserve at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
– Goal 15 (Life on Land) now has a new target: to restore degraded lands and soils, including through land reclamation, afforestation and agroforestry by 2030.
– Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) now has a new target: to substantially increase the global volume of financial resources mobilized by a wide variety of partners, including through innovative and enhanced international cooperation, to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The changes to these targets and indicators show that the world is committed to achieving sustainable development and protecting our planet. We all have a role to play in ensuring that we meet these goals.
There were 36 major changes to the global development goals and their indicators, as decided at the High-level Political Forum in July 2019. The most significant changes are listed above.
Conclusion
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also sets out a global commitment to end poverty and hunger, combat climate change and environmental degradation, promote gender equality and human rights, as well as peace, justice and strong institutions. The goals are interconnected and indivisible – meaning that progress towards one cannot be made without addressing the others. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators are a set of metrics used to measure progress toward the SDGs.
The Major Groups and other Stakeholders are essential partners in the implementation of sustainable development. They bring valuable knowledge, experience and resources, and can play an important role in mobilizing actions at all levels.
