The recent decades have been a home for unparalleled growth and opportunities across the world, which has paved way for the proliferation of self-driven cars to sky-high buildings.It is this greed and avarice of growth and development that has led to the ousting of the resources. Man, while fulfilling the needs of the ever- increasing population, has mistreated his very own mother nature which has led to the grave problems like deforestation and desertification.
This very concept of uncontrolled development thus occupies the canonised space in the 21st Century. It is in response to this uncontrolled development that more than 193 countries accepted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and it’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The agreement was followed by an official acceptance of the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Before understanding what these 17 SDGs in the agenda of 2030 stand for, one must understand the very essence of the term Sustainable Development.
What is Sustainable Development?
The World Commission on Environment and Development states, ” Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.”
Or say,In layman terms, it is the sustenance of earth’s natural resources or natural capital so that the future generations are not restrained of their necessities.
Holistic and sustainable development has been in talks for a few years with a view of sustaining the natural beauty of the Goddess Gaia, removing from it the social ills. 17 SDGs thereby encompasses social changes, quality living, economic growth and development, peace , climate change, forest restoration, to count a few.
What are these SDG’s?
The SDGs were officially adopted at a UN summit in New York in September, and became applicable from January 2016. The deadline for the SDGS is 2030. The list is as follows :
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships to achieve the Goal
The Importance of Campaigning for the Goals
The plus points of engagement of the general public towards thes goals was highly recognisable. Without wider recognition the necessary momentum to achieve them by 2030 could become problematic.Therefore, it became essential to bring these goals into the eyes of a wider audience. With this as their objective, UN agencies decided to extend their hand towards an independent campaign ,namely “PROJECT EVERYONE”, with the aim to communicate these SDG’s to a wider audience.
This campaign was supported by corporate institutions as well as other international organizations. The text drafted by diplomats at the UN level was used and a team of communication specialists developed icons for every goal.
The title was also shortened from “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals” to “17#GlobalGoals,” and workshops and conferences were held to communicate the Global Goals to a global audience.
Renowned personalities like British filmaker, Richard Curtis and Swedish designer, Jakob Trollback also came up to extend their help by creating the 17 iconic visuals with clear short names as well as a logotype for the whole initiative.
