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During the pandemic I’ve heard so much about the way our world is changing. And, for better or for worse, I don’t think we’re going back, but we are moving forward. That what we can base our actions on today and that’s one of the main takeaways from a documentary I watched recently. Nations United: The United Nations at 75 talks about the United Nations’ mission plan for sustainable development on its own and how it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. After watching the documentary, I read through the United Nations Sustainable Development Report 2020 and did additional research to learn about sustainable development and what we can do to promote it worldwide. Here’s what I learned and what I think we can do to make a change.
What is sustainable development?
Sustainable development is about promoting social and environmental justice in countries worldwide. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the gap in resources and inequalities between the wealthiest and poorest countries in the world. This is a really broad term, but the United Nations actually has a set of goals that illustrate sustainable development.
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals–also called SDGs– were established by the United Nations in 2015 to create a guide for countries to meet their basic needs without compromising the health and well-being of the people or the planet. These 17 goals range from the elimination of poverty and hunger, to creating affordable, clean energy, and even fostering international cooperation. A few of them include:
- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
- Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.
The SDGs are trackable and the UN monitors the progress made toward them every year. The UN hopes that if countries around the world can achieve the SDGs by 2030, we can make a meaningful change for our planet and its people.
What trends are we seeing with sustainable development?
Globally, extreme poverty is on a downward trend on track to be at 6% in 2030. While we may not be on track to fully eliminate poverty by 2030, we can still make considerable progress. On this issue, the Nations United documentary offers the following guidance, “Poverty is not natural; it is manmade. So poverty is not inevitable.”
Garment Workers Are Still Fighting For $$$ Millions In Unpaid Wages
Unfortunately, another big trend in sustainable development has to do with SDG 5) Gender Equality. To this day, there’s still a global gender pay gap of 60%. In government we still see a lack of representation from women and there are still girls getting married before adulthood. What’s worse is that the pandemic has put even more burden on women, many of whom are not only working from home, but serving as caregivers as well. There has even been a rise in domestic violence of 30% in certain countries. In 2020 it can be very easy to forget that women all around the world are treated differently than men, but this is a reality we must confront.
What about COVID-19?
The pandemic has definitely been a road-block for sustainable development. As an example, let’s think about how students may be affected. Most students are now doing distance learning. In order to do that, they have to have access to WiFi and certain technology, like a phone or computer that’s compatible with the software or apps their school uses. In the U.S alone, 3 million students don’t have access to wifi, which compromises their education. Compromised education directly affects progress toward SDG 4) Quality Education. Some students additionally tend to get their most nutritious meals at school. If children lack access to nutritious meals, their country cannot make good progress toward the fight against hunger (SDG 2) or the promotion of good health and well-being (SDG 3).
What can we do?
The path to sustainable development is challenging. As an individual it can seem overwhelming or hopeless. And as young people, we are often told to wait until we’re older to make a change. Unfortunately, we do not have that luxury. But, we can use these words from Malala Yousafzai to guide us:
“I hope that young people stand up, they raise their voices, they start their activism right now. Let your age not stop you. If you’re 11… 16 change is possible right now and I want you to believe in yourself and make this world a better, fairer, and more equal place for each and every one”.
Malala Yousafzai
If you want to make a change but don’t know where to start, consider the following:
- Vote: Governments and businesses are largely powered by the people. Democratic governments operate based on the needs and desires of their constituents; businesses operate under a code of supply and demand. Because of this, it is possible as an individual to encourage sustainable development.
- Research: Carefully examine the agendas that you’re supporting with your vote. Some candidates are more dedicated to working on issues that contribute to sustainable development than others. As a start, look into candidates who vocally support a living wage, environmental laws and treaties, and the Green New Deal, and who are committed to racial justice and equal rights. Voting for these individuals, campaigning for them, and holding them accountable to their values can make a difference.
- Vote with Your Dollars: As a consumer you can also affect change in businesses. By supporting businesses that operate ethically and sustainably and avoiding or vocally boycotting those who do not, you can contribute to a larger sense of demand for those practices. Key issues to look into here are labor rights (living wages, freedom from discrimination, fair treatment) and consideration of environmental impact factors like water and electricity use, as well as gas emissions, When businesses feel the demand for better practices is high enough, they will adapt or be left behind.
Sustainable development isn’t an easy process, but every small step takes us closer to a safer and more equitable future for everyone.