The Sustainable Development Goals are pretty big to-do list, don’t you think? In fact, it’s so big, you may just want to throw your hands up in the air. “Forget it! Can’t be done! Why even try!” But we’ve got a lot going for us. The world is more interconnected today than ever before, thanks to the internet, travel and global institutions. There’s a growing consensus about the need to work together to stop climate change.
The SDGs can only be realized with strong global partnerships and cooperation. The Sustainable Development Goals are no small matter either. 193 countries agreed on these goals. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? 193 countries agreeing on anything? The final goal lays out a way for nations to work together to achieve all the other Goals. Many countries require Official Development Assistance to encourage growth and trade. Yet, aid levels are falling and donor countries have not lived up to their pledge to ramp up development finance.
Net Official Development Assistance flows by member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development totaled $147.4 billion in 2019. 79 per cent of imports from developing countries enter developed countries duty-free. The debt burden on developing countries remains stable at about 3 per cent of export revenue. Trade, foreign direct investment and remittances all projected to decline by up to 40 per cent in 2020. Almost half of the world’s population is not connected to the internet, particularly in poor countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract sharply, by 3 per cent, in 2020, experiencing its worst recession since the Great Depression. Strong international cooperation is needed now more than ever to ensure that countries have the means to recover from the pandemic, build back better and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
A successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships — at the global, regional, national and local levels — built upon principles and values, and upon a shared vision and shared goals placing people and the planet at the centre. That means you and me. There’s no escaping it . You are in it now! Let’s learn together and work together to build the world we want to see.
Global Goal 17 speaks to some of the logistical efforts that have to underlie the other goals. How are they going to get accomplished? Where’s the drive and funding going to come from?
Goal 17 offers key blueprints. Trade, technology, finance, capacity-building and systemic issues are the sub-issues of goal 17. Essentially, it’s the catch-all goal, the goal that attempts to fill in the blanks that may have arisen from earlier goals.
Global Goal 17 seems to take place in the stratosphere of society: the maneuverings of big political and corporate players.
But like all the other goals, grassroots pressure will be the decisive driving factor.
If global citizens around the world petition politicians, endorse ethical and globally-minded companies and promote more international dialogue, then Goal 17 can be achieved.
Are you ready to work towards achieving all the 17 Global Goals?
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