What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the
United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure
that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others,
and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are
designed to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to
achieve the SDGs in every context.

SDG-1 NO POVERTY
Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a
pivotal goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Extreme
poverty, defined as surviving on less than $2.15 per person per day at
2017 purchasing power parity, has witnessed remarkable declines over
recent decades.
However, the emergence of COVID-19 marked a turning point, reversing
these gains as the number of individuals living in extreme poverty
increased for the first time in a generation by almost 90 million over
previous predictions.
Even prior to the pandemic, the momentum of poverty reduction was
slowing down. By the end of 2022, nowcasting suggested that 8.4 per cent
of the world’s population, or as many as 670 million people, could still be
living in extreme poverty. This setback effectively erased approximately
three years of progress in poverty alleviation.
If current patterns persist, an estimated 7% of the global population –
around 575 million people – could still find themselves trapped in extreme
poverty by 2030, with a significant concentration in sub-Saharan Africa.
A shocking revelation is the resurgence of hunger levels to those last
observed in 2005. Equally concerning is the persistent increase in food
prices across a larger number of countries compared to the period from
2015 to 2019. This dual challenge of poverty and food security poses a
critical global concern.
Why is there so much poverty
Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment,
social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters,
diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being
productive.
Why should I care about other people’s economic situation?
There are many reasons, but in short, because as human beings, our well-
being is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to
economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increas- ing political
and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and
conflicts.
Why is social protection so important?
Strong social protection systems are essential for mitigating the effen cts
and preventing many people from falling into poverty. The COVID-19
pandemic had both immediate and long-term economic consequences for
people across the globe – and despite the expansion of social protection
during the COVID-19 crisis, 55 per cent of the world’s population – about 4
billion people – are entirely unprotected.
In response to the cost-of-living crisis, 105 countries and territories
announced almost 350 social protection measures between February
2022 and February 2023. Yet 80 per cent of these were short-term in
nature, and to achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement
nationally appropriate universal and sustainble social protection systems
for all.
What can I do about it?
Your active engagement in policymaking can make a difference in
addressing poverty. It ensures that your rights are promoted and that
your voice is heard, that inter-generational knowledge is shared, and that
innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support
transformational change in people’s lives and communities.
Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate pro-
productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the
marginalized.
The private sector has a major role to play in determining whether the
growth it creates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction. It can
promote economic opportunities for the poor.
The contribution of science to end poverty has been significant. For
example, it has enabled access to safe drinking water, reduced deaths
caused by water-borne diseases, and improved hygiene to reduce health
risks related to unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation.
 If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and only
one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty levels by 2030.

 Despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, over 4 billion people
remain entirely unprotected. Many of the world’s vulnerable population groups, including
the young and the elderly, remain uncovered by statutory social protection programmes.

 The share of government spending on essential services, such as education, health and social
protection, is significantly higher in advanced economies than in emerging and developing
economies.

 A surge in action and investment to enhance economic opportunities, improve education

 The global poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 is revised slightly up by 0.1 percentage points to
8.5 percent, resulting in a revision in the number of poor people from 648 to 659 million.
(World Bank)