A Brief Perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals

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WRITTEN BY: Asanya Boluwatife Ndidi

The unanimous agreement of the 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in 2015 produced one of the most ambitious and inclusive global aspirations in history.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Targeted at committing members states to ensure greater inclusivity, end poverty and push the world to a more sustainable path.

The SDGs are broad and interdependent thus begetting the question as to how well these broad global aspirations are likely to result in implementable developments especially in developing countries.

The inclusion of so many goals without a hierarchy of priority and without reference to inherent contradictions that are likely to result in conflict between the goals may have unintended negative consequences which may inhibit the timely/effective implementation of the goals.

Let’s examine some interactions between the goals that have potentials for conflict considering SDG 6,7,8 and 9.

SDG 7 regarding clean energy may problematize SDG6.6 on the protection of water related ecosystems or SDG 8 on peoples right to decent work. For instance, in support of SDG 7, if hydroelectric dams are sited for the creation of renewable energy, it may lead to deforestation, erosion, threats to job and economic livelihoods of local communities, thereby contradicting SDG 6 and 8, whereas the use of hydroelectric dams can boost local economies and societies. On the other hand, this results in very serious environmental and health problems.

SDG 9 may also interact and have consequence on SDG 6. River pollution from industrial dumping’s in urban cities presents a huge threat to SDG 6 on Water security and sanitation.

Water pollution is a rapidly growing consequence of industrialization and regulatory measures designed to minimize the health and environmental damages are not usually enforced. This portends danger to the implementation of SDG 3 on human health.

In conclusion, having examined some of these contradictions, I submit that it is necessary to examine and carefully prioritize the SDG goals to prevent prolonged implementation of the goals.

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