World leaders adopt UN Sustainable Development Goals

It is a universal, integrated and transformative vision for a better world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world leaders and others to successfully implement the Global Goals or Agenda 30 by launching a revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity. “It is very much associated with ecnomic growth, I would say, more than a logistical problem, and that’s where the real challenge is”.

According to the Commission, the European Union with its member states, already the world’s largest donor of development aid, pledged to increase their collective Official Development Assistance (ODA) and achieve 0.7 percent of EU Gross National Income (GNI) within the timeframe of the 2030 Agenda. When we recognise the God-given dignity in each and every person in our world, we are compelled to reach out to them in love, whatever the cost.

The first goal is to end poverty – defined as living on less than US$1.25 (Dh4.60) per day.

The new SDGs build on the goal-setting agendas of United Nations conferences and the widely successful Millennium Development Goals that have improved the lives of millions of people.

Pope Francis welcomed the new global agenda as an “important sign of hope” in his speech to the UN General Assembly and urged leaders to deliver on their promise to transform the world by 2030.

The adoption comes after intense negotiations as leaders sought to craft a framework that will address extreme poverty while also putting in place safeguards for the environment. “SDG target 12.6 explicitly acknowledges the critical role corporate reporting must play in the achievement of the goals”.

“China will exempt the debt of outstanding intergovernmental interest-free loans due by the end of 2015 owed by the relevant least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries”, he added.

The 193 UN member nations formally adopted the goals in the shadow of the worst refugee crisis since World War II, calling for shared peace and prosperity.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: “In giving effect to the new agenda, we can share lessons from our own experience”.

This month, the United Nations is auditing the planet. We need action form everyone, everywhere. “The Compass is a unique tool that will help business align their strategy and operations to the SDGs, and measure and manage their contribution”.

Concerned that SDGs were cross-sectoral in nature, the Vice President said he would assign the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) as the coordinating body of the implementation of the United Nations program.