INTRODUCTION

A. What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs as well.

Please watch a short animated film produced by “Aminaskin” for UNICEF Norway and the UN Association of Norway to support Sustainable Development Learning. 

B. The Birth of 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development

The Sustainable Development Goals follow the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that was adopted in 2000 as the global ambition to reduce extreme poverty by 2015. They were divided into 8 goals, each tackling a key area of development:

However, the progress was uneven. Millions of people were not reached by the MDGs. For instance, although income poverty was greatly reduced, roughly 1 billion people still live below the poverty line (under $1.25 a day) and many face daily challenges of discrimination and exclusion, denying them access to basic resources, services, and opportunity. One possible reason for the uneven progress is that the level of global awareness and education for the MDGs remained low with a little popular drive to monitor and accelerate progress.

Last September 2015 a new development plan was created. The world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development which could mean an end to extreme poverty, inequalities and climate change by 2030. Similar to the MDGs, poverty reduction remains an overarching objective of the SDGs. But it is now recognized that poverty can only be alleviated if the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are addressed at the same time. There are 193 members of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. This was a historic agreement, paving the way for a better and more sustainable future. The challenge now is to ensure the Goals are implemented in a way that ensures no one is left behind.

Please watch the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development entitled "We The People" Bringing the 17 Goals to Life. 

C. A New Approach to Goal-Setting

Three ways the SDGs are different to MDGs. They are:

Universal: eradicating extreme poverty and building a sustainable future are challenges all countries face. Unlike the MDGs, which only applied to the developing world, the SDGs are universal.

Integrated: the SDGs cover all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) with an underlying consideration for people, planet, peace, prosperity, and partnership.

Inclusive: the SDGs pledge to leave no one behind, meaning that no Goal will be met unless it is met for everyone. That means putting the needs and interests of the furthest behind first.

               Now you understand what are the Sustainable Development Goals. On the next page, I will focus                       on SDG # 4 which is the Quality Education and will discuss the important role of distance education                   in the 21st-century context and in the attainment of the SDGs.