By Dr. Arvind Kumar
“The ambitious and all-inclusive nature of these goals envisages a golden opportunity for all countries to ensure that ‘No One is Left Behind’ in enjoying the fruits of prosperity, equitable growth and a secure planet bereft of the vagaries of climate change. Then why does the opportunistic SDGs reflect a worrisome trend”
Almost four years have elapsed since the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals along with their targets and only a decade is left for realizing these goals. Given the slow pace of development in integrating these goals into the national policies, especially in developing countries, including India, it is worrisome.
Many hurdles like lack of strong political will, resource crunch and unaffordable technology are deemed as major stumbling blocks in accelerating pace towards realizing the SDGs. The 2018 Synthesis Report on SDG-6 relating to water and sanitation did not present a satisfactory state of affairs. Certain goals have carved out 2020 as deadline in attaining some satisfactory levels of these goals and the prospects deem dim in that regard.
In the absence of authentic data synchronized under one umbrella, it is cumbersome to comprehend as to what extent the number of countries has integrated the SDGs along with objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (PACC) have successfully integrated these into their national policies. Even periodic submissions of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) by the countries is not keeping the required timeframe.
These SDGs are designed to benefit the entire humankind inhabiting the Planet Earth because the adverse impacts arising out of natural hazards or emanating from environment-induced or water-induced vagaries usually transcend geographical boundaries and affect a major chunk of humanity. At a time when these SDGs are modeled and designed to address these vagaries in an interrelated and interconnected manner, their implantation also calls for well-concerted collective efforts. Apathy of some developed countries in making available required funds and technology to the developing countries is required to be addressed immediately.
Besides, the leadership in developing countries is also called upon to speed up the task of integrating these SDGs into their respective national policies and there exists prior need to foster South-South cooperation, especially in SDG-6 and SDG-13. Once resilience to water-induced calamities and environment-induced vagaries is enhanced, attainment of other goals will be easier because both water and climate change are at the roots of bulk of the calamities.
Undoubtedly, annual ritual of negotiations on water and climate change is facilitated under the aegis of the UN bodies like UNEP, UNFCCC and other similar bodies, which have recommendatory powers and not mandatory powers and this fails to hold any country accountable for not implanting the requisite recommendations.
The developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America should join hands in mobilizing international opinion through the forum of the UN General Assembly to include Water and Climate Change in the mandate of the UN Security Council like international peace and security because these two interdependent and interconnected sectors are key to maintenance of international peace and security.
https://ki.se/en/phs/global-agenda-and-the-sdgs-global-health-tools
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