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Small Island Developing States

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The Small Island Developing States ( SIDS ) are a grouping of developing countries which are small island countries and small states that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. These include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters , vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade , and fragile environments. Their growth and development are also held back by high communication, energy and transportation costs, irregular international transport volumes, disproportionately expensive public administration and infrastructure due to their small size, and little to no opportunity to create economies of scale . They consist of some of the most vulnerable countries to anthropogenic climate change .

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69-781: The SIDS were first recognized as a distinct group of developing countries at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992. The Barbados Programme of Action was produced in 1994 to assist the SIDS in their sustainable development efforts. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) represents

138-438: A coastline, meaning that they have a high risk exposure to the effects of marine climate change. Additional climate change vulnerability comes through their economies: many SIDS have economies that are based on natural resources, such as ecotourism, fishing, or agriculture. Phenomena like sea level rise, coastal erosion , and severe storms have the potential to severely impact their economies. In addition to these vulnerabilities,

207-518: A decisive impact on SDG implementation, as well as the ultimate determination of whether the world is closer to realizing the SDGs by 2030. National and local governments use the indicators to measure own progress towards sustainable development, which they report in their voluntary national and local reviews. The indicators are now widely deployed at all levels of sustainability governance. As of 2023, there are 231 official indicators in use. Each target

276-557: A reduced reliance on the global plastic waste trade are other actions that might help meet the goal. SDG 13 is to: "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy." In 2021 to early 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Sixth Assessment Report which assesses scientific, technical, and socio-economic information concerning climate change. SDG 14

345-633: A significant influence over the indicator selection process. The indicator framework was comprehensively reviewed at the 51st session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2020. It will be reviewed again in 2025. At the 51st session of the Statistical Commission (held in New York City from 3 to 6 March 2020) a total of 36 changes to the global indicator framework were proposed for

414-401: Is "CO 2 emissions per unit of value added." SDG 10 is to: "Reduce inequality within and among countries." Important indicators for this SDG are: income disparities, aspects of gender and disability, as well as policies for migration and mobility of people. SDG 11 is to: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable." Important indicators for this goal are

483-515: Is also an indicator around the facilities that the school buildings have (access to electricity, the internet, computers, drinking water, toilets etc.). SDG 5 is to: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." Indicators include, for example, having suitable legal frameworks and the representation by women in national parliament or in local deliberative bodies. Numbers on forced marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are also included in another indicator. SDG 6

552-602: Is an annual week-long event in September for action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a shared commitment for over 100 partners to ensure quick action on the SDGs by sharing ideas and transformative solutions to global problems. It first took place in 2016. It is often held concurrently with Climate Week NYC . The Arctic Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by HF Productions and supported by

621-476: Is generally weak evidence linking the means of implementation to outcomes. The targets about means of implementation (those denoted with a letter, for example, Target 6.a) are imperfectly conceptualized and inconsistently formulated. Also, tracking their largely qualitative indicators is difficult. Indicators serve as the key tools for decision-makers to track progress towards the SDG targets. Therefore, they have

690-489: Is particularly apparent in the Agenda 2030's core principle of “leaving no one behind”. For example, where the earlier Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed to “halve the proportion of people” suffering from hunger or “extreme poverty”, the SDGs aim to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”. The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) website provides a current official indicator list which includes all updates until

759-419: Is recognized as critical to overall success of the SDGs. The goal includes improving north–south and South–South cooperation. Public-private partnerships which involve civil societies are specifically mentioned. The 2030 Agenda did not create specific authority for communicating the SDGs; however, both international and local advocacy organizations have pursued significant non-state resources to communicate

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828-429: Is to: "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development." The current efforts to protect oceans, marine environments and small-scale fishers are not meeting the need to protect the resources. Increased ocean temperatures and oxygen loss act concurrently with ocean acidification to constitute the deadly trio of climate change pressures on the marine environment. SDG 15

897-594: Is to: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture ." Indicators for this goal are for example the prevalence of diet, prevalence of severe food insecurity, and prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age. SDG 3 is to: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages." Important indicators here are life expectancy as well as child and maternal mortality. Further indicators are for example deaths from road traffic injuries, prevalence of current tobacco use, and suicide mortality rate. SDG 4

966-513: Is to: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all." The Joint Monitoring Programme ( JMP ) of WHO and UNICEF is responsible for monitoring progress to achieve the first two targets of this goal. Important indicators for this goal are the percentages of the population that uses safely managed drinking water, and has access to safely managed sanitation. The JMP reported in 2017 that 4.5 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation . Another indicator looks at

1035-535: Is to: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." The indicators for this goal are, for example, attendance rates at primary schools, completion rates of primary school education, participation in tertiary education, and so forth. In each case, parity indices are looked at to ensure that disadvantaged students do not miss out (data is collected on "female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples" ). There

1104-732: Is to: "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification , and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss ." The proportion of remaining forest area, desertification and species extinction risk are example indicators of this goal. SDG 16 is to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels." Rates of birth registration and prevalence of bribery are two examples of indicators included in this goal. An inclusive society has "mechanisms to enable diversity and social justice, accommodate

1173-535: Is typically measured with only 1.5 indicators, which monitor quantifiable changes in proportion, rate, amount, and the like. 62% of the targets are supported by sole indicators, effectively equating progress measured on the 105 indicators with progress on the 105 targets. The SDGs rely on “high-quality, timely and reliable data”. Data needs to be “disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics”. This focus on particular groups and individuals

1242-598: The 2030 Agenda . On 6 July 2017, the SDGs were made more actionable by a UNGA resolution that identifies specific targets for each goal and provides indicators to measure progress. Most targets are to be achieved by 2030, although some have no end date. There are cross-cutting issues and synergies between the different goals; for example, for SDG 13 on climate action, the IPCC sees robust synergies with SDGs 3 (health), 7 (clean energy), 11 (cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 14 (oceans). On

1311-462: The Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). The choice of indicators was delegated to statisticians who met behind closed doors after the goals and targets were established. However, scholars have pointed out that the selection of indicators was never free from politics. Statisticians received instructions from their governments, and the interests of powerful governments had

1380-597: The Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92, Cúpula da Terra), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. Earth Summit was created as a means for member states to cooperate together internationally on development issues after the Cold War . Due to issues relating to sustainability being too big for individual member states to handle, Earth Summit

1449-562: The Sustainable Development Goals . For example, Target 7 of Sustainable Development Goal 14 ("Life below Water") states: "By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism". Earth Summit (1992) The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development ( UNCED ), also known as

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1518-590: The environment . Malaysia was successful at blocking the US-proposed convention on forests and its prime-minister Mahathir Mohamad accused later the global North of exercising eco-imperialism at this summit. According to Vandana Shiva , Earth Summit create a "moral base for green imperialism" . Green Cross International was founded to build upon the work of the Summit. The first edition of Water Quality Assessments, published by WHO/ Chapman & Hall ,

1587-605: The 30-member UN General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals was established to identify specific goals for the SDGs. The OWG submitted their proposal of 8 SDGs and 169 targets to the 68th session of the General Assembly in September 2014. On 5 December 2014, the UN General Assembly accepted the Secretary General's Synthesis Report, which stated that the agenda for

1656-530: The 51st session Statistical Commission in March 2020. The indicators for the targets have varying levels of methodological development and availability of data at the global level. Initially, some indicators (called Tier 3 indicators) had no internationally established methodology or standards. Later, the global indicator framework was adjusted so that Tier 3 indicators were either abandoned, replaced or refined. The indicators were developed and annually reviewed by

1725-795: The Earth Summit established the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). In 2013, the CSD was replaced by the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development that meets every year as part of the ECOSOC meetings, and every fourth year as part of the General Assembly meetings. Critics point out that many of the agreements made in Rio have not been realized regarding such fundamental issues as fighting poverty and cleaning up

1794-515: The Earth Summit. Youth concerns were consolidated at a World Youth Environmental Meeting, Juventud (Youth) 92, held in Costa Rica, before the Earth Summit. "The involvement of today's youth in environment and development decision-making...is critical to the long term success of Agenda 21" (UNCED 1992). Parallel to UNCED, youth organized the Youth '92 conference with participation from around

1863-741: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which ended in 2015. In 1983, the United Nations created the World Commission on Environment and Development (later known as the Brundtland Commission), which defined sustainable development as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In 1992, the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) or Earth Summit

1932-618: The SDGS. UN agencies which are part of the United Nations Development Group decided to support an independent campaign to communicate the new SDGs to a wider audience. This campaign, Project Everyone, had the support of corporate institutions and other international organizations . Using the text drafted by diplomats at the UN level, a team of communication specialists developed icons for every goal. They also shortened

2001-566: The SDGs in 2015 as a "supremely ambitious and transformative vision" that should be accompanied by "bold and transformative steps" with "scale and ambition". The SDGs are "unique and special, at least in five dimensions". Firstly, they apply to all countries of the world, not just developing countries like the Millennium Development Goals (from the year 2000 to 2015) did. Secondly, they target all three dimensions of sustainability and sustainable development , namely

2070-461: The SDGs' Partnership Platform. Held for the first time in 2019, the festival is expected to take place every year in September in Longyearbyen , Svalbard , Norway. The Post-2015 Development Agenda was a process from 2012 to 2015 led by the United Nations to define the future global development framework that would succeed the Millennium Development Goals . The SDGs were developed to succeed

2139-510: The SIDS within the United Nations System . The SIDS are some of the regions most vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change . Due to their oceanic environment, SIDS are especially vulnerable to the marine effects of climate change like sea level rise , ocean acidification , marine heatwaves , and the increase in cyclone intensity . Changing precipitation patterns could also cause droughts . Many citizens of SIDS live near

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2208-490: The Sustainable Development Goals that the convention has addressed. In 2019 and then in 2021, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed 17 SDG advocates . The role of the public figures is to raise awareness, inspire greater ambition, and push for faster action on the SDGs. The co-chairs are: Mia Mottley , Prime Minister of Barbados and Justin Trudeau , Prime Minister of Canada . Global Goals Week

2277-1027: The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). By 2022, the UNFCCC had 198 parties. Its supreme decision-making body, the Conference of the Parties (COP) meets annually to assess progress in dealing with climate change. Since the creation of the UNFCC many related environmental conferences, climate-related forums, and ongoing scientific research initiatives in the fields of sustainability, climate, and environmental security have continued to develop these intersecting issues. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and educational institutions have been prominent participants. The Earth Summit played an influential role in diffusing several key principles of environmental treaties , such as

2346-769: The United Nations Regional Commissions. Each of these regions has a regional cooperation body: the Caribbean Community , the Pacific Islands Forum , and the Indian Ocean Commission respectively, which many SIDS are members or associate members of. In addition, most (but not all) SIDS are members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which performs lobbying and negotiating functions for

2415-699: The United Nations' High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), an annual forum held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council . However, the HLPF comes with its own set of problems due to a lack of political leadership and divergent national interests . To facilitate monitoring of progress on SDG implementation, the online SDG Tracker was launched in June 2018 to present all available data across all indicators. The COVID-19 pandemic had serious negative impacts on all 17 SDGs in 2020. A scientific assessment of

2484-464: The commission's consideration. Some indicators were replaced, revised or deleted. Between 15 October 2018 and 17 April 2020, other changes were made to the indicators. Yet their measurement continues to be fraught with difficulties. For each indicator, the Inter-Agency and Expert Group tried to designate at least one custodian agency and focal point that would be responsible for developing

2553-539: The conference were difficult to negotiate and the agency's international results were mixed, including the U.S. failure to sign the proposed Convention on Biological Diversity. Twelve cities were also honored with the Local Government Honours Award for innovative local environmental programs. These included Sudbury in Canada for its ambitious program to rehabilitate environmental damage from

2622-417: The custodian agency for 20 of them and was involved in the development and monitoring of another 22. SDG 1 is to: "End poverty in all its forms everywhere." Achieving SDG 1 would end extreme poverty globally by 2030. One of its indicators is the proportion of population living below the poverty line . The data gets analyzed by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location (urban/rural). SDG 2

2691-1216: The energy sector in SIDS faces unique challenges and opportunities, particularly in the least-electrified regions. According to the March 2024 IRENA report, "Small Island Developing States at a Crossroads: Towards Equitable Energy Access in Least-Electrified Countries," these states, which contribute less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions , are exploring decentralized renewable energy solutions to address their energy access issues. Technologies such as biomass gasification , small-scale hydro , and solar PV not only offer paths to reduce their carbon footprint but also enhance resilience against climate impacts. The report highlights case studies from Guinea-Bissau , Papua New Guinea , and Vanuatu , showing significant socio-economic benefits from improved energy access, including increased income opportunities for rural women and reduced indoor air pollution . These advancements are crucial as they not only provide immediate relief but also contribute to long-term sustainability and resilience against future climate challenges." Small island development states are mentioned in several of

2760-427: The environmental, economic and social dimension. Thirdly, the development and negotiations of the SDGs were not "town down" by civil servants but were relatively open and transparent, aiming to include "bottom up" participation. Fourthly, the SDGs have been "institutionally embedded at a higher political level than earlier goals in development policy": A new forum, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

2829-415: The global endeavor towards sustainable development. For example, there has long been a tendency to favor socio-economic objectives over environmental ones. Funding remains a critical issue for achieving the SDGs. Significant financial resources would be required worldwide. The United Nations, other international organizations , and national governments are trying to assist with funding efforts. Furthermore,

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2898-404: The goals ( SDG 17 ). These goals are ambitious, and the reports and outcomes to date indicate a challenging path. Most, if not all, of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. Rising inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss are topics of concerns threatening progress. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse. The pandemic impacted all 17 goals and emphasized

2967-667: The group of states. As of 2023, the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) lists 57 such nations (39 sovereign states and 18 dependent territories ). These nations are grouped into three geographical regions: the Caribbean ; the Pacific ; and Africa , Indian Ocean , Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS), including 18 Associate Members of

3036-772: The interconnectedness of global health, economic, social, and environmental challenges. Some regions, such as Asia, have experienced significant setbacks during that time. The global effort for the SDGs calls for prioritizing environmental sustainability, understanding the indivisible nature of the goals, and seeking synergies across sectors. With regards to the political impact of the SDGs, it has been observed that they have mainly influenced global and national debates. By doing so, they have led to discursive effects for global and national debates. However, they have struggled to achieve transformative changes in policy and institutional structures. The uneven prioritization of goals reflects longstanding national development policies. This complicates

3105-414: The labor force compared to men. SDG 9 is to: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation." Indicators in this goal include for example, the proportion of people who are employed in manufacturing activities, are living in areas covered by a mobile network , or who have access to the internet. An indicator that is connected to climate change

3174-516: The local mining industry, Austin in the United States for its green building strategy, and Kitakyūshū in Japan for incorporating an international education and training component into its municipal pollution control program. The Earth Summit resulted in the following documents: Moreover, important legally binding agreements ( Rio Convention ) were opened for signature: At Rio it

3243-497: The methodology, data collection, data aggregation, and later reporting. The division of indicators was primarily based on existing mandates and organizational capacity. For example, the World Bank established itself as a data gatekeeper in this process through its broad mandate, staff, budget, and expertise in large-scale data collection. The bank became formally involved in about 20 percent of all 231 SDG indicators; it served as

3312-465: The number of people living in urban slums, the proportion of the urban population who has convenient access to public transport, and the extent of built-up area per person. SDG 12 is to: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns." One of the indicators is the number of national policy instruments to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. Another one is global fossil fuel subsidies. An increase in domestic recycling and

3381-448: The other hand, critics and observers have also identified trade-offs between the goals, such as between ending hunger and promoting environmental sustainability. Furthermore, concerns have arisen over the high number of goals (compared to the eight Millennium Development Goals), leading to compounded trade-offs, a weak emphasis on environmental sustainability , and difficulties tracking qualitative indicators. The SDGs are monitored by

3450-943: The planet" – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development . Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs, as the term sustainable development implies. The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty ( SDG 1 ), Zero hunger ( SDG 2 ), Good health and well-being ( SDG 3 ), Quality education ( SDG 4 ), Gender equality ( SDG 5 ), Clean water and sanitation ( SDG 6 ), Affordable and clean energy ( SDG 7 ), Decent work and economic growth ( SDG 8 ), Industry, innovation and infrastructure ( SDG 9 ), Reduced inequalities ( SDG 10 ), Sustainable cities and communities ( SDG 11 ), Responsible consumption and production ( SDG 12 ), Climate action ( SDG 13 ), Life below water ( SDG 14 ), Life on land ( SDG 15 ), Peace, justice, and strong institutions ( SDG 16 ), and Partnerships for

3519-479: The political impacts of the SDGs found in 2022 that the SDGs have only had limited transformative political impact thus far. At the very least, they have affected the way actors understand and communicate about sustainable development. On 25 September 2015, the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." This agenda has 92 paragraphs. Paragraph 59 outlines

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3588-629: The post-2015 SDG process would be based on the OWG proposals. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) created the SDGs as part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda . This agenda sought to design a new global development framework, replacing the Millennium Development Goals, which were completed that same year. These goals were formally articulated and adopted in a UNGA resolution known as

3657-736: The precautionary principle, common but differentiated responsibilities , and the polluter pays principle . The issues addressed include: An important achievement of the summit was an agreement on the Climate Change Convention which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement . Another agreement was to "not to carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate". The Convention on Biological Diversity

3726-549: The process of negotiating the SDGs to address the concern of some Member States about how the SDGs were to be achieved. Goal 17 is wholly about how the SDGs will be achieved. The numbering system of targets is as follows: Outcome targets use numbers, whereas means of implementation targets use lower case letters. For example, SDG 6 has a total of 8 targets. The first six are outcome targets and are labeled Targets 6.1 to 6.6. The final two targets are means of implementation targets and are labeled as Targets 6.a and 6.b. However, there

3795-422: The proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater that is safely treated. SDG 7 is to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all." One of the indicators for this goal is the percentage of population with access to electricity (progress in expanding access to electricity has been made in several countries, notably India , Bangladesh , and Kenya ). Other indicators look at

3864-423: The renewable energy share and energy efficiency. SDG 8 is to: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all." Important indicators for this goal include economic growth in least developed countries and the rate of real GDP per capita . Further examples are rates of youth unemployment and occupational injuries or the number of women engaged in

3933-547: The role of private investment and a shift towards sustainable financing are also essential for realizing the SDGs. Examples of progress from some countries demonstrate that achieving sustainable development through concerted global action is possible. The SDGs are, in essence, universal, time-bound, and legally non-binding policy objectives agreed upon by governments. They come close to prescriptive international norms but are generally more specific, and they can be highly ambitious. The overarching UN program "2030 Agenda" presented

4002-449: The special needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, and facilitate democratic participation". SDG 17 is to: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development." Increasing international cooperation is seen as vital to achieving each of the 16 previous goals. Developing multi-stakeholder partnerships to facilitate knowledge exchange, expertise, technology, and financial resources

4071-493: The title The 17 Sustainable Development Goals to Global Goals , then ran workshops and conferences to communicate the Global Goals to a global audience. The Aarhus Convention is a United Nations convention passed in 2001, explicitly to encourage and promote effective public engagement in environmental decision making. Information transparency related to social media and the engagement of youth are two issues related to

4140-409: The world. Organising took place before, but also afterwards. Many youth participants were dissatisfied with the rate of change. Sustainable Development Goals The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ). The aim of these global goals is " peace and prosperity for people and

4209-410: The youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples , and migrants and refugees ". For the global context, inclusiveness means a special emphasis on the least developed countries , which are "the 46 poorest countries that are home to 13 per cent of the world population and that the 2030 Agenda recognizes as particularly vulnerable". The lists of targets and indicators for each of the 17 SDGs

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4278-595: Was agreed that an International Negotiating Committee for a third convention the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification would be set up. This convention was negotiated within two years of Rio and then open for signature. It became effective in 1996 after receiving 50 ratifications. In order to ensure compliance to the agreements at Rio (particularly the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21 ), delegates to

4347-478: Was created in 2013 to review the progress of the implementation of the SDGs. The fifth aspect about the SDGs that is unique is that they are "more visible in public discourse and more central in the United Nations system than earlier initiatives". The SDGs are emphasizing inclusiveness in the national context and also in global governance . For the national context this means a focus on groups that are "suffering from exclusion and inequalities, namely children and

4416-513: Was held as a platform for other member states to collaborate. A key achievement of the 1992 conference was the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established in part as an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system" and to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. It was signed by 154 states at

4485-529: Was held in Rio de Janeiro , where the first agenda for Environment and Development, also known as Agenda 21 , was developed and adopted. In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio+20, was held as a 20-year follow up to UNCED. Colombia proposed the idea of the SDGs at a preparation event for Rio+20 held in Indonesia in July 2011. In September 2011, this idea

4554-917: Was launched at the Rio Global Forum. At this stage, youth were not officially recognised within climate governance. Although youth were not given specific recognition, there was a significant youth turnout at UNCED. Youth were involved in negotiating Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 on Children & Youth in Sustainable Development. "25.2 It is imperative that youth from all parts of the world participate actively in all relevant levels of decision-making processes because it affects their lives today and has implications for their futures. In addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account." Two years prior to UNCED youth organized internationally to prepare for

4623-467: Was opened for signature at the Earth Summit and made a start towards a redefinition of measures that did not inherently encourage the destruction of natural ecoregions and so-called uneconomic growth . World Oceans Day was initially proposed at this conference and has been recognized since then. Although President George H. W. Bush signed the Earth Summit's Convention on Climate, his EPA Administrator William K. Reilly acknowledges that U.S. goals at

4692-706: Was picked up by the United Nations Department of Public Information 64th NGO Conference in Bonn, Germany. The outcome document proposed 17 sustainable development goals and associated targets. In the run-up to Rio+20 there was much discussion about the idea of the SDGs. At the Rio+20 Conference, a resolution known as "The Future We Want" was reached by member states. Among the key themes agreed on were poverty eradication, energy, water and sanitation, health, and human settlement. In January 2013,

4761-400: Was published in a UN resolution in July 2017. Each goal typically has eight to 12 targets, and each target has between one and four indicators used to measure progress toward reaching the targets, with the average of 1.5 indicators per target. The targets are either outcome targets (circumstances to be attained) or means of implementation targets. The latter targets were introduced late in

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