What are the Global Goals and why are they more important than ever in 2023?

2023 is the halfway point in the world’s journey towards the Global Goals. It is the midpoint between the Goals being agreed by all 193 UN member states in 2015, and the target date of the Goals in 2030. Before we look forward to the second half of the road to 2030, let’s go back, right back to the beginning of the 17 Global Goals, and what exactly they are.

The Global Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the SDGs, or Global Goals as we like to call them!) are 17 ambitious objectives agreed by the UN in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, reduce inequality of all kinds, and protect the planet and nature. They call for education, healthcare and decent jobs for everyone, and protection for the oceans, forests, and all-natural habitats. They paint a picture of a future where progress benefits everyone, where climate change is halted in its tracks, and all people can live in peace and prosperity. The unique nature of the Global Goals means that they are interlinked – making progress on one Goal often leads to progress on another one, or sometimes even several.

Halfway, but not halfway

Fast forward seven and a half years, and great progress has been made on many of the Goals, with the development of malaria vaccines, agreements to protect and restore nature, and global commitments to green jobs all making headlines in 2022. However, Covid-19, conflicts new and ongoing, and climate crisis threaten the progress of all the Goals. For the first time in over two decades, global extreme poverty increased in 2020, new conflicts erupted across the planet, and nature faced unprecedented threats. To put it bluntly, we are halfway through the Global Goals, but we are not halfway there to achieving them.

The polycrisis, as it has been labelled by politicians and pundits alike, could be enough to make even the most ardent activist feel like giving up, but before we throw in the towel it’s worth remembering that the Global Goals are the only framework agreed by every world leader. It’s not just world leaders either; businesses, schools and non-governmental organisations have been using the Goals since 2015 as a model for action and accountability.

The good news

We know that the Goals are off track, we know that we won’t reach all the targets by 2030, but we also know that progress is possible. We can imagine a future where we make real progress again. Why? Because we’ve done it before. Between 1990 – 2015, more than a billion people escaped extreme poverty, a global decrease of over 1% every year. The number of children dying before their fifth birthday decreased by 60% from 1990 – 2020. That’s over 7 million more children celebrating their birthdays every single year. More women are in parliaments all around the world, and more women have economic freedom than ever before. After global cooperation to phase out harmful CFC chemicals, the ozone layer is on track to repair itself within the next four decades.

None of this progress happened by accident. International cooperation and collaboration meant that someone born in 2015 was far more likely to survive childhood, get an education, and lead a healthy life than someone born just 25 years before. Progress is possible, but it isn’t inevitable. That’s where the Global Goals come in. They give us the framework and the actions we need to make even more people’s lives longer, better and happier.

What next?

So, what happens next? Why should the activist keep going? Why should businesses adopt the Global Goals? Why should governments uphold their promise of a better future for everyone?

It’s simple. With the right ambition and action, we can imagine winning. While it’s true that we are halfway through, but not halfway there, it’s also true that every match is won in the second half. The halfway point doesn’t have to be a time for despair, instead, it should be our rallying call… a time to supercharge our tactics, bring in new players, and accelerate to the finish line.

To do that, the Global Goals need proper funding. The UN Secretary-General has called for an SDG Stimulus Plan to leverage public and private financing for the Goals,
and experts are asking for financial support for developing countries as they face the effects of climate change, and reform of multilateral development banks.

We must continue to raise awareness of the Global Goals, putting them on the To Do List of business and political leaders, and leverage new technologies that unleash innovative solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

The numbers are big, and they might seem scary, but the risk of inaction is the real danger. We have a choice: we can give up now, or we can work together to create a brighter future. We can imagine winning.

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About the author:

Lydia Paynter, Communications & Campaigns Manager, Project Everyone