Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are adopted as an agenda for nations to achieve by 2030. They are so familiar that they need not be spelled out.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries have deviated from sustainable development goals in the past few years. Despite this, the United Nations Development
Programme’s 2022 report found that many Indians had been raised above the poverty line. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
As with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) earlier, there is a nested structure, with 17 broad goals imparted precision through 169 targets and further refined through indicators that are tracked. As adopted in September 2015, there are 232 indicators. To state the obvious, there are too many targets and indicators, working against focused attention by governments. But that structure is a given. Covid-19 crushed these aspirations completely. Covid-19 has resulted in adverse impacts not just on mortality, but also on morbidity and health and education outcomes. Global growth and recovery are fragile. This has been accentuated by the Ukraine war.
Consequently, the United Nation's SDG Report for 2022 presents a sobering picture. Jeffrey Sachs and his colleagues did a parallel monitoring report, highlighting a deflection of interest from SDGs.
The report mentioned, "Using the latest available data and estimates, it reveals that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is in grave jeopardy due to multiple, cascading and intersecting crises. Covid-19, climate change and conflict predominate."
It further stated, "Yet, it is clear that these multiple and simultaneous crises have diverted policy attention and priorities away from medium and long-term goals such as the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. [There has been] a shift of focus towards short-term issues that [threaten] to slow down or even stall the adoption of ambitious and credible national and international plans but also squeezes available international funding for sustainable development."