This position note was published in September 2019 to coincide with the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In 2015, an ambitious plan to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all was agreed upon unanimously by all countries: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Underpinning this global endeavour are 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The goals are an urgent call for action that recognizes that ending poverty and other development challenges must go hand in hand with strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth—all while tackling the climate crisis and working to preserve the environment.
With a little over 10 years left to meet the target date of 2030, the world needs to pick up the pace and put greater efforts in finding better solutions, if we are to truly transform societies and economies and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
The environment is at the core of each one of the Sustainable Development Goals. People depend on nature for a wide range of products and services, and the increasing pressure on natural resources affects the millions of people who directly depend on them for their livelihoods.
Yet the solutions to pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss - critical to achieving the goals, are entirely in our hands. While leaving no one behind, we must increase financing, scale up proven solutions and invest in innovation.
The UN Environment Programme's contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
With a focus on sustainability and resilience the UN Environment Programme helps countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through support to science-based policymaking, innovation, global advocacy and partnership building.
SDG 4 – developing environmental curricula and green collar skill-sets, supporting universities with on-campus advocacy and the green campus networks
SDG 6 – protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems and supporting countries with monitoring and reporting
SDG 7 – improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewables in their countries and cities
SDG 8 – decoupling economic growth from resource depletion and environmental degradation
SDG 10 – protecting human rights, including those of environmental defenders, and ensuring the participatory, fair and sustainable management of the world’s natural resources
SDG 11 – supporting the development of low-emission, resilient, resource-efficient urban areas
SDG 12 – supporting the switch to resource-efficient, non-polluting production and consumption
SDG 13 – spearheading nature-based adaptation, reducing climate and air pollutants, addressing deforestation and forest degradation and supporting the move to low- and zero-emission economies
SDG 14 – supporting the move to sustainable blue economies and combating marine pollution in all its forms
SDG 15 – protecting and restoring the world’s wildlife and ecosystems, and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources
SDG 16 – enabling countries and communities to develop and enforce effective laws to combat environmental crimes
Way forward
As we move forward and step up progress on the goals, multilateral cooperation will become ever more crucial. Member States, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations, but also local, community-based civil society and small and medium enterprise, all must take part in defining and deciding on the solutions.
For more information contact: Wondwosen Asnake
