This paper discusses how Sustainable Development Goals reflect a new era of international development.
Introduction
For many years, the significance of indigenous people, the people of color and women have been overlooked and marginalized in international development. Big efforts have been made towards international development but the indigenous and marginalized groups have been excluded. Essentially, approximately 370 million people are categorized as to belong to indigenous cultures and they make up 5% of the world’s total population (Bekker et al., 2018). This population is capable of making a significant influence on international development. Unfortunately, they are excluded from the processes of international development. However, the hopes of including all people including the marginalized and indigenous people have increased with the introduction of Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are aimed to ensure international development without leaving anyone behind. In the current era, international development is driven by sustainable development goals. These Sustainable Development Goals cannot be met by leaving behind the marginalized and indigenous individuals (Jha et al., 2016). Therefore, sustainable development goals are transforming the culture of exclusion of the marginalized groups to ensure the inclusion of everyone in order to ensure effective international development. This paper discusses how Sustainable Development Goals reflect a new era of international development.
Inclusion for all
Inclusion for all in social issues and development processes is the moral issue in this era, and it is the heart of Sustainable Development Goals in efforts toward achieving international development. Sustainable Development Goals are tasked with driving and facilitating international development. One specific goal of Sustainable Development Goals is “ending any form of poverty, everywhere,” and also tackling the marginalization of people of colour and indigenous groups as well as meeting the needs of all groups (J. Sachs, 2017). Essentially, the SDGs stress that the goals need to be met for all people and prioritise the marginalized and indigenous groups. SDGs have significantly transformed the context of international development from the exclusion of indigenous groups and the marginalized people of color. With goals specifically focusing on the inclusion of everyone and prioritizing those that have often been left out indeed shows that SDGs depicts a new era of international development.
Setting targets reflecting priorities for the future for all people
SDGs encourage countries to establish SDG objectives that reflect their people’s specific priorities and context, at the same time increasing the inspiration for achieving global agreed international development. It emphasizes ensuring that international development is reflecting the global consensus regarding the minimum standards of human rights, development as well as dignity. It also makes sure that international development is comparable as well as demonstrating contributions to global solutions to getting traction. SDG also stresses that development targets need to be agreed via an all-inclusive process without leaving out any group (Fukuda-Parr, 2016). Moreover, it also encourages conducting broad public campaigns aimed at boosting public participation as well as building political support towards achieving development that benefits all. SDG is a critical aspect that needs collaboration in order to achieve international development. Therefore, the local interpretation of SDG goals enables people from different backgrounds to understand their responsibilities towards development. SDGs uphold the commitment to improving the lives of all people and reaching out to the indigenous and marginalized people first, so as to have an effective international development.
Putting the marginalized and indigenous people first
SDGs have emphasized putting the marginalized and indigenous people who still lag behind first so as to achieve effective international development. This is also morally right and is beneficial for the development of countries and at an individual level. Essentially, focusing on disadvantaged groups is linked with development progress amounting to an average of 6% faster in a decade (Kumar et al., 2016). For instance, in the health sector, there is a need for health care policies to prioritize the minimization of inequalities so as to be effective and have a healthy population that will drive development. Through SDG’s emphasis on the reduction of inequalities, efficiency in international development is achieved.
Empowering local change agents
The SDGs also helps local leaders to establish both strong national and international consensus regarding priorities extending beyond local cultures or political shifts. SDGs require local change agents acting as the drivers for international development that is all-inclusive. Change agents in the civil society, the government as well as the private sectors have proven that global Sustainable Development Goals have driven progress in international development which is used to integrate the marginalized and indigenous groups in the development process to bring hope for a better future as well as enabling people to determine a common ground, driving political actions as well as inspiring collaboration (Kumar et al., 2016). The Sustainable Development Goals have therefore created a big commitment as well as the opportunity whereby leaders are capable of engaging, unifying as well as motivating all individuals to participate in the development process and also fostering political action. SDGs on its own cannot stand alone, therefore they need advocates and facilitators who play the role of identifying marginalized groups and indigenous groups who need special attention as well as the development knowledge that needs to influence international development. SDGs have played a key role in driving social change as well as progressive policies that empowering people to take into consideration the need of including all people to participate in development.
Disaster risk reduction
Typically, most humans cannot resist natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. These natural disasters tend to cause a lot of damages and loss of lives. Therefore, SDGs outlines specific effective measures that are focused on improving emergency response level as well as international assistance during emergency search and rescue efforts, efficient humanitarian relief, facilitating sustainability as well as security for urban centers, disseminating appropriate information regarding the disaster to the populations at risk without leaving out marginalized people of color and indigenous people (Zoghbi et al., 2014). With regards to SDG 11, it has a special body in the United Nations structure which has the responsibility of promoting the planning and development of infrastructure in towns and also cities. This body also studies the vulnerability of the towns and cities including the people in it as well as the probable threats and risks so as to improve security measures in instances of natural disasters.
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is spearheading the SDGs through various campaigns to increase disaster risk awareness. The availability of such body to spearhead SDGs as well as increasing the involvement of various experts in its initiatives creates room for the future development of binding standards to improve international development and security of cities in instances of disasters. This entails the methodology, technology as well as tools for constructing buildings and infrastructures resistant to natural disasters which helps in avoiding excessive damages of infrastructures. It also develops safe areas for resettling people when threats arise (Zoghbi et al., 2014). It also helps in determining areas that are more vulnerable and likely to cause more risk in large-scale disasters. It also focuses on vulnerable groups especially the marginalized in order to ensure their safety too.
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is one of the core objectives of SDGs. SDGs emphasize the need to protect the environment in order to achieve sustainable development which is vital for international development. Initially, the significance of indigenous and marginalized people in environmental protection as overlooked and even denied. The SDGs acknowledge the significance of these indigenous people in protecting the environment which facilitates international development (J. D. Sachs, 2014). Essentially, the indigenous knowledge makes a direct contribution to poverty eradication, ecosystem health, cultural diversity, conflict resolution and acts as the basis of indigenous communities’ resilience to the climate change effects. SDGs through UNEP upholds this indigenous knowledge and support them in order to achieve sustainable development. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) role in the processes of SDGs is to protect the environment in order to ensure sustainable development for all.
Sustainable development promotes equality among people. Furthermore, the integrated approach that SDGs gives is aimed at the ample consideration of salient issues in environmental, economic, and also social dimensions and their link to international development serving as a guide for UNEP in ensuring sustainable development for all people without leaving anyone (Pablos-Mendez et al., 2016). In the promotion of integrated environmental sustainability into SDGs, UNEP is tasked with considering the perspectives of all people including the indigenous people and various environmental stakeholders, development partners, environmentalists, environmental NGOs as well as other UN agencies that work in matters concerning the environment and development.
One of the core environmental objectives is to make sure that all people everywhere are knowledgeable about information as well as awareness concerning sustainable development in their international development efforts. SDGs through UNEP promotes a better understanding of the need for a balanced relationship between the environment and development activities that are based on sustainable resource use.
To alleviate the extent of environmental protection and sustainable development, the SDGs outlines the need for peaceful environmental disputes settling, improving environmental human rights protection mechanisms, maintaining the rule of low concept is vital in achieving the SDG goal 16 with regards to access to justice for all and establishing effective institutions at all levels that facilitate international development in an environmentally sound manner (Pablos-Mendez et al., 2016). SDGs effectiveness has been enhanced through exchanging information in a systematic way between the global secretariats at multilateral environmental agreements as well as the controlling systems of SDGs. Also, the United Nations mechanisms facilitate the collection of important information concerning sustainable development which guides developers in their development activities. Essentially, the usage of space obtained geospatial data gives resourceful insights that shape international development which includes climate change, natural resources management as well as environmental protection.
Human rights
SDG goal 5 which is aimed at achieving gender equality and empowering girls and women has ensured universal accessibility to sexual as well as reproductive health as well as reproductive rights. In this situation, it appears that SDG offers universal accessibility to sexual as well as reproductive health which has been targeted more on the marginalized indigenous girls and women (Bekker et al., 2018). This has helped in improving women’s health and increasing birth rates leading to a balance in the productive population. This further leads to an increase in development. Moreover, goal 17 is focused on strengthening the means of implementing and revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. It fosters collaboration and partnership with multiple stakeholders and sharing of knowledge and financial resources necessary for development purposes. Through the partnership between the government and private schools, the right to education is fulfilled through the provision of free primary and secondary education to all regardless of their gender or social class (J. Sachs, 2017). Free education has been achieved in most countries which have resulted in an increased number of professional graduations. Therefore, the workforce is high thus contributing to development.
Conclusion
To sum up, indeed Sustainable Development goals are a new era of international development. SDGs are fixing the system that initially overlooked the marginalized people of color, women and indigenous people in international development processes and activities. These populations are capable of making a significant influence on international development. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are aimed to ensure international development without leaving anyone behind. In the current era, international development is driven by sustainable development goals. These Sustainable Development Goals cannot be met by leaving behind the marginalized and indigenous individuals. Inclusion for all in social issues and development processes is the moral issue in this era, and it is the heart of Sustainable Development Goals in efforts towards achieving international development. It emphasizes ensuring that international development is reflecting the global consensus regarding the minimum standards of human rights, development as well as dignity. SDGs have emphasized putting the marginalized and indigenous people who still lag behind first so as to achieve effective international development. SDGs on its own cannot stand alone, therefore they need advocates and facilitators who play the role of identifying marginalized groups and indigenous groups who need special attention as well as the development knowledge that needs to influence international development. The SDGs acknowledge the significance of these indigenous people in protecting the environment which facilitates international development. Therefore, SDGs seems to significantly drive international development.