Dr. Arvind Kumar*
The recent visit of Amina Mohammed UN Deputy Secretary General focused on a range of critical topics, including India’s ongoing G20 presidency and its remarkable achievements in the Sustainable Development Goals and issues related to Climate Action in context of developmental priorities. This exchange of views becomes particularly significant in light of the upcoming SDG summit in September this year. India currently has the capacity to generate just over 40% of its power from renewable sources so the 50% target is achievable by 2030, according to the UN and Climate Action Tracker. India has highlighted many times that it wants to bring a third of its land area under forest cover, which can help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and plans to plant enough trees by 2030 to absorb an additional 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. Incentivizing, steering and advancing transformation is complex and can often result in unintended consequences or trade-offs. The reality on ground and actions to achieve these commitments will define us at the global platforms.
But how do we plan to achieve these targets?
These targets become all the more significant with the High Level Political Forum 2023 starting in New York from 10th-19th July. The HLPF in 2023, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs, will also review in-depth Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation, 7 on affordable and clean energy, 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and 17 on partnerships for the Goals. The country has achieved considerable progress in broadening access to electricity, with over 99% of households currently having availability. The country has also set substantial objectives for increasing the overall share of renewable energy in its energy mix. Also achievements have been made in progress towards universal primary education, with nearly all children currently enrolled in primary school. However, there is still a need to improve education quality and promote equal access to education for all, particularly in marginalised areas. Significant measures have been taken towards gender equality and the movement of anti-gender-based violence legislation. However, more work remains to be done to rid the world of gender inequities in education, employment, and political representation. The PM Modi in his statement during his recent visit to USA said that we can address the SDGs through better financing mechanisms, the G20 will also help in establishing a more equitable and just global economic governance framework that reflects and responds to the urgent challenges of our time, and the needs and preferences of countries of the Global South.
Sustained efforts towards unhinged progress
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the chance of breaching the 1.5°C target by as early as 2030 stands at 50%. Indeed, with 1.2°C of warming already in the system, the compounding effect of a changing climate is already being felt, magnifying humanitarian challenges such as food insecurity, and adding another hefty bill to already stretched fiscal balances. As floods, heatwaves, droughts and other extreme weather events become more severe and frequent; a wider set of populations will be affected. Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem integrity will undermine our efforts on 80 percent of assessed SDG Targets, making it even more difficult to report progress on poverty, hunger, health, water, cities and climate and finally, the toxic trail of economic growth – pollution and waste which results every year, in the premature deaths of millions of people across the world.
The efforts taken by the government of India are applaudable towards addressing these global challenges with commitments made at COP 26 to get 50% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030, and by the same year to reduce total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes. Launching missions like Swachha Bharat Mission, Jaljivan Mission etc. to address SDG6 targets 6.2 and 6.3. Not forgetting the Poshan Abhiyaan to address malnutrition and stunting in children which has been reported in the Global Hunger Index report 2022 with dismal figures. India is one sixth of the global community and its development needs are enormous. Now the planet’s fifth-largest economy, India has a young work force, a strong technology industry, a growing consumer market and barely scratched potential as a manufacturing hub. It is now perceived to be both big and vital to geopolitics. Whether it’s hosting the G-20, being feted at the state dinner by President Biden, or even maintaining cordial relations with Russia, it’s been viewed as a sign that India is back and experiencing a period of resurgence. Likewise the localization and implementation of SDGs at grassroots is in full swing, earlier with the aspirational districts programme and now with the aspirational blocks. With regards to monitoring of SDGs, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had instituted National Indicator Framework, which was adapted and contextualized by the states to develop State Indicator Frameworks. It is a matter of another discussion how accurate are the data furnished by the districts. Given the country’s economic and cultural diversity, it would be critical to factor in ground realities prevalent at the local level while ensuring that national level priorities are translated to State and local level action on SDGs. Accelerating progress on the 2030 Agenda will depend on an integrated approach to eradicating poverty and hunger together with decarbonization, sustainable consumption and production, preservation of the global environmental commons.
Way forward
SDG implementation must mobilize the political commitment and breakthroughs our world desperately needs. It must right the historic injustices at the core of the international financial system to give the most vulnerable countries and people a fair chance at a better future. It must deliver a Rescue Plan for People and Planet. It’s time to sound the alarm. At the mid-way point on our way to 2030, the SDGs are in deep trouble. A preliminary assessment of the roughly 140 targets with data show only about 12% are on track; close to half, though showing progress, are moderately or severely off track and some 30% have either seen no movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline. India’s model of SDG localisation holds immense potential if implemented through a concerted and collective action. With India accounting for about a sixth of the world’s population, its progress towards SDGs would be a key to the success of Agenda 2030 and should leverage international cooperation and support to achieve SDGs and lead the way. Acquiring all the SDGs in a developing country to be erased to zero percentage is a hard task and a step-by-step process. Overall, while India has made tremendous progress towards reaching the SDGs, a great deal of work remains to be done to guarantee that every individual in the country will have a sustainable and successful future.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
