The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, consisting of 17 key goals, were established by global leaders in September 2015. These goals, which are divided into 169 specific targets, were intended to transform the world by 2030. As this deadline approaches, recent assessments indicate that the world is far from achieving many of these goals.
Challenges in Achieving the Goals
According to new assessments, many of the goals may have been realistically unattainable. Charles Kenny, a senior researcher at the Center for Global Development, states, "To achieve these goals, we need very significant policy changes." He particularly points to the goal of eradicating poverty, adding that the expectation of reaching zero poverty by 2030 has been overly optimistic.
Read more: Increased tensions in Iran-backed fronts amid Washington's pressures
Positive Changes and Relative Successes
However, experts believe that progress should not be judged solely based on success in the goals. Tuohy Ngo, a professor of population and family health at Columbia University, points to significant successes in reducing child mortality and increasing life expectancy. He notes that many children are attending school and some goals, such as gender equality, have had positive cascading effects.
Paul Spiegel, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Human Health, notes that since the establishment of these goals, nearly one billion people have gained access to safe drinking water, and a significant percentage of the population is connected to the internet. He also points to progress in other health areas.
Shirin Malekpour, a professor at Monash University in Melbourne, emphasizes that the Sustainable Development Goals have served as a global framework for collaboration and data collection. She believes that regardless of the number of goals achieved, these goals have acted as facilitators of change.
Nevertheless, global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and wars, have put additional pressure on achieving these goals. Andrew Shepherd, a senior researcher at ODI Global, emphasizes that recurring crises have had negative impacts on progress.
Read more: Nicole McBride gives hope to trans youth · Iran under the Security Council's radar: a return to 20 years ago
Source: npr.org
