Introduction & The Sustainable Development Goals

Over the next few weeks, my blog will cover what the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are and how Deutsche Bank has been able to attain them, with respect to the current financial landscape. This will include the Basel Accords, how Covid-19 was detrimental to the progress made by the SDGs and how Deutsche Bank has been coping with the 2023 financial crisis that recently hit.

What are the SDGs?

Put together by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals, simply put, are a set of objectives designed for everlasting peace and prosperity for all, set to be achieved by 2030. The  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it's predecessor, although accomplished a lot, fell short in distributing it's success globally. Thus the SDGs set out to overcome the biggest failure of the MDGs, the unequitable distribution of it's success by calling for action by all countries collectively.

The Goals

         NO POVERTY

        Reduce the proportion of men, women and children living in poverty by at least half by providing access to basic services, reduce their exposure from shocks from all spheres of life and create social protection systems and frameworks at all levels and invest in poverty eradication schemes and programmes.

        ZERO HUNGER 

        Eradicate malnutrition of all kinds through, paying extra attention to children under 5, adolescent girls, pregnant women and aged people through sustainable and resilient agricultural practices, providing extra support to indigenous, small-scale farmers and increasing investment in agricultural research and technological development.

     GOOD HEALTH & WELL BEING 

       Reduce the maternal mortalitiy ratio drastically deaths of children under 5 and newborns. Eradicate the spread of communicable diseases and significantly reduce deaths due to contamination by harmful chemicals and road accidents, R&D of and access to vaccines, access to family planning and reproductive health services and development and training of health workforce, especially in LDC’s.

      QUALITY EDUCATION 

       Ascertain that all boys and girls have access to free quality primary and secondary education, ensure equal access to tertiary, vocational and technical education for all. Provide and develop education facilities, scholarships and training and development of qualifies teachers in DC’s and LDCs.

       GENDER EQUALITY 

        Complete eradication of discrimination, violence, exploitation against girls and women globally at all levels. Seek total participation and provide equal opportunities to women in leadership. Provide access to reproductive and sexual services and rights to women and give them rights to equal ownership and control over resources and empower women through access and training in technology.

        CLEAN WATER & SANITATION 

       Provide affordable drinking water to all. Protect water ecosystems by controlling and eliminating pollution and dumping of harmful substances and increasing the water-use efficiency, promoting desalination, harvesting and recycling through encouraging participation of local communities.

       AFFORDABLE & CLEAN ENERGY

        Improving energy efficiency and providing reliable and affordable access to modern and clean energy universally by reducing dependency on non-renewable energy and ramping up research and development of efficient, advanced and clean energy.

       DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH 

       Increase economic productivity and sustain GDP growth in LDC’s, promote innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity through development policies, achieve productive employment and equal pay for equal value, protect and promote proper and safe working rights for all and end human trafficking and modern day slavery and child labour in all forms.

 

      INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & INFRASTRUCTURE

       Enhance access to affordable internet access in LDC’S, increase research and development in domestic technology, upgrade industrial productivity globally, promote and develop sustainable and quality infrastructure conducive to human development and economic growth.

 

       REDUCED INEQUALITIES

       Encourage FDIs and financial flows especially in LDC’s and reduce hindrances in lieu of transaction costs, responsible and safe mobility and migrations of people across borders, ensure the income growth of the poorest 40% in greater than the national rate. Reduce inequality and discrimination and ensure equal opportunity and political, social and economic inclusion of all.

        

       SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES

       Provide basic services and affordable and safe housing to all, improve road safety and public transport systems giving special attention to the vulnerable, safeguarding and protecting the world’s heritage sites. Develop green and public spaces accessible to all, improve waste management methods and air quality.

       

       RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION

       Ensure sustainable management of natural resources,  significantly reduce waste generation, global food waste, control and manage the release of chemicals in the environment, phase out the use of fossil fuels, invest in development of and undertake global programmes on sustainable consumption and production

        

      CLIMATE ACTION

       Integrate the effects of climate change into disaster management plans of all countries, increase awareness at all levels and implement climate change planning and management, emphasizing on the marginalized.

         

      LIFE BELOW WATER

        Reduce and stop pollution of all water bodies, protect and conserve marine ecosystems, practice sustainable fishing practices by prohibiting destructive and unregulated ones and providing support to local and artisanal fishing.

 

 LIFE ON LAND

    End trafficking and poaching of protected flora and fauna, take action in protecting biodiversity       through sustainable methods at a global scale, put and end to deforestation and conserve and  sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems through integrating it’s values at all levels.

  PEACE, JUSTICE & STRONG INSTITUTIONS

      Implement non-discriminatory laws, provide support to national institutions to prevent crime and terrorism, eliminate exploitation of children and reduce violence in all it’s forms. Build efficient and transparent institutions, reduce the scope of corruption and uphold the rule of law and access to justice at all levels, for all.

 

 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

      Through partnerships in finance, technology, capacity building, trade and focusing on systemic issues, create a global synergy through partnerships for sustainable development for all, especially LDC’s.

 

References

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (no date). Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals. (Accessed : 18 February 2023)