Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), highlights significant findings:

• Overall Progress: Global data from 2015 to 2024 shows that only a small fraction of the SDG targets are on track.
• Challenges: The world is falling short in delivering on the SDG promises, with fewer than one-fifth of the targets currently on track.

About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Concept: The idea of sustainable development, defined by the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report, emphasizes meeting current needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.
• MDGs: Before the SDGs, the UN established Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 to tackle issues like poverty, hunger, and disease, with targets set for 2015.
• SDGs: Adopted in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 Goals and 169 targets to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and peace.

Reasons for Lagging Progress

• COVID-19 Pandemic: Disrupted progress in eradicating extreme poverty (SDG-1), negatively impacted life expectancy (SDG-3), and affected global education (SDG-4). It also disrupted financial flows for clean energy (SDG-7).
• Escalation of Conflicts: Conflicts in regions like Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan have displaced over 120 million people, impacting various SDGs.
• Financial Constraints: Developing countries need about $6 trillion for climate action (SDG-13), a significant financial burden.
• Environmental Challenges: Issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and deforestation hinder progress. For instance, the IPCC warns of severe coral loss due to warming (SDG-14).
• Disasters: Extreme weather events have disrupted lives and caused economic losses, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), impacting SDG-1.

India’s Status in Achieving SDGs

• Progress:
• SDG-3: Maternal Mortality Ratio decreased from 130 per 100,000 live births in 2014-16 to 97 in 2018-20.
• SDG-4: Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher secondary education increased from 48.32 in 2015-16 to 57.60 in 2021-22.
• SDG-6: Percentage of rural population with access to improved drinking water rose from 94.57% in 2015-16 to 99.29% in 2023-24.
• SDG-7: Installed renewable energy capacity increased from 63.25 watts per capita in 2014-15 to 136.56 watts per capita in 2023-24.
• SDG-9: Number of patents issued grew from 6,326 in 2015-16 to 103,057 in 2023-24.
• Key Interventions: Programs like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala, Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan, Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, and PM-Mudra Yojana have contributed to this progress.
• Concerns:
• SDG-5: The wage gap between male and female casual laborers widened to Rs 178 in 2022-23 from Rs 96 in 2017-18.
• SDG-12: Hazardous waste generation per capita increased to 9.28 metric tonnes in 2022-23 from 7.19 metric tonnes in 2017-18.

Way Forward

• Peace: Resolve ongoing conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy; uphold UN Charter principles to prevent future conflicts.
• Finance: Develop a more equitable and effective international financial system. Focus on delivering concrete changes through various international platforms.
• Climate Change: Utilize the 2025 cycle of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to implement more ambitious climate action plans.
• Tailored Approaches: Prioritize SDGs based on national contexts, capacities, and immediate needs.
• Synergies: Integrate efforts across different SDGs, such as aligning poverty eradication with improving education and gender equality.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 underscores both progress and ongoing challenges, stressing the need for concerted global efforts to meet the 2030 targets.