Sustainable development agenda adopted by 193 United Nations member states

The Sustainable Development Goals offer a vision of a fairer, more prosperous, peaceful and sustainable world in which no one is left behind.

Seventy years ago, the United Nations rose from the ashes of war.

Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon said that would be the real test and called for action from all people and high-level political commitment.

Critics say they are too broad, lack accountability and will lead to disenchantment among those in the world most in need of hope.

After three years of hard negotiations, member states will today formally adopt Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs which will replace the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs as the new global goals to be accomplished by 2030.

The UN General Assembly celebrates the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 193 member nations were scheduled to adopt the SDGs yesterday, after a morning address by Pope Francis and a performance by Colombian singer Shakira singing Imagine.

Between 1990 and 2002, for example, there were overall incomes rose and sharp falls in the number of people living in extreme poverty, as well as child mortality rates, he said, adding that life expectancy rose from 63 to almost 65.

“The simplest and best measure and indicator of the implementation of the new Agenda for development will be effective, practical and immediate access, on the part of all, to essential material and spiritual goods”, he said.

“Now we must use the goals to transform the world”.

He reminded them that no-one could succeed working alone. “It is also a clarion call to work in partnership and intensify efforts to share prosperity, empower people’s livelihoods, ensure peace and heal our planet for the benefit of this and future generations”.

On acceleration, the UNDP administrator said the past five years of experience gained in speeding up the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the previous 15-year programme adopted at the 2000 United Nations summit would help identify obstacles and the actions needed for progress on multiple targets at the same time.

I am proud to say that from the start, the European Union has been strongly committed to reaching an ambitious outcome, with a universal agenda for all countries, rich and poor alike, fully integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. We will increase our support for inclusive and sustainable development by up to 50% from 2017 to around $20 billion a year.

SO WHY DO WE NEED THE SDGs?

This summer governments negotiated a final version of the SDGs that are due to be adopted by 193 countries at a September 25-27 summit at the United Nations in New York.

“The African continent itself has a plan for domestic resource mobilisation for the implementation of their own agenda with regards to hunger, to poverty, with regards to health, education, with regards to gender equality, this is where it is going to be hanging, it will depend on how much can be done, and what will be made available”.

“It embodies aspirations of people everywhere for lives of peace, security and dignity on a healthy planet”.

Speaking to the biggest ever gathering of world leaders in the United Nations headquarters, the pope shared his opinions on the chances of success at the global COP21 climate talks this December.