MONDAY MEDIA / UNITED NATIONS STATE
OF THE WORLD REPORT
Editor’s Note: Pillar to Post has assembled the
following two-part analysis of the recent United Nations State of the World
summit held on Saturday and Sunday. Part
one is Chinese media coverage of the release of the United Nations General
Assembly Report. Part two is an excerpt from the UN report itself, which was
issued on its 70th anniversary of its founding proposing/demanding
17 sustainable development goals and 169 target goals to be met by 2030.
1.
Sustainable development agenda adopted by 193 UN member states.
By Xinhua.net--A momentous sustainable development
agenda, which charts a new era of sustainable development until 2030, was
adopted on Friday by 193 UN member states at the UN Sustainable Development
Summit at UN headquarters in New York.
"We
have reached a defining moment in human history. The people of the world have
asked us to shine a light on a future of promise and opportunity," said UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening ceremony of the summit.
"The
true test of commitment to Agenda 2030 will be implementation. We need action
form everyone, everywhere. Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are
our guide. They are a to-do list for people and planet and a blueprint for
success," said Ban.
This
ambitious agenda, comprising of 17 goals, will serve as the launch pad for
action by the international community and by national governments to promote
shared prosperity and well-being for all over the next 15 years.
Speaking to
the media after the adoption of the agenda, Ban highlighted the inclusive
process of setting the 17 goals, which cover a wide range of issues, including
poverty, hunger, health services, education, gender equality and environmental
protection, among others.
"The
goals emerged from the most inclusive process in United Nations history. 193
countries. Thousands of non-governmental organizations and the private
sector," he said, adding that "If we combine all the numbers it will
be around 8.5 million people or organizations who have been surveyed on what
kind of a world and what kind of a future they wanted to have."
"Today,
United Nations Member States have committed to a visionary agenda for a life of
dignity and prosperity for all on a healthy planet," he said. "Let us
work together over the next 15 years to make their vision a reality for all
people in all countries."
The summit,
which ran from Sept. 25-27, sees the gathering of over 150 world leaders in the
year of 2015 which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the
United Nations.
2. Our World Today
By the United Nations General
Assembly--We (the
UN) are meeting at a time of immense challenges to sustainable development. Billions
of our citizens continue to live in poverty and are denied a life of dignity. There
are rising inequalities within and among countries.
There are
enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power. Gender inequality
remains a key challenge. Unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, is a
major concern.
_______________________________
For entire
the UN General Assembly report: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/69/L.85&Lang=E
________________________________
Global
health threats, more frequent and intense natural disasters, spiraling conflict,
violent extremism, terrorism and related humanitarian crises and forced displacement
of people threaten to reverse much of the development progress made in recent
decades.
Natural
resource depletion and adverse impacts of environmental
degradation,
including desertification, drought, land degradation, freshwater scarcity and
loss of biodiversity, add to and exacerbate the list of challenges which humanity
faces.
Climate
change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and its
adverse
impacts undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development.
Increases in global temperature, sea level rise, ocean acidification and other
climate change impacts are seriously affecting coastal areas and low-lying coastal
countries, including many least developed countries and small island developing
States.
The survival
of many societies, and of the biological support
systems of
the planet, is at risk.
It is also,
however, a time of immense opportunity. Significant progress has
been made in
meeting many development challenges. Within the past generation, hundreds of
millions of people have emerged from extreme poverty.
Access to education
has greatly increased for both boys and girls. The spread of information and
communications technology and global interconnectedness has great potential to
accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop
knowledge societies, as does scientific and technological innovation across
areas as diverse as medicine and energy.
Almost 15
years ago, the Millennium Development Goals were agreed. These provided an
important framework for development and significant progress has been made in a
number of areas. But the progress has been uneven, particularly in Africa, least
developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing
States, and some of the Millennium Development Goals remain off track, in
particular those related to maternal, newborn and child health and to reproductive
health.
We recommit
ourselves to the full realization of all the Millennium Development Goals,
including the off-track Millennium Development Goals, in particular by
providing focused and scaled-up assistance to least developed countries and
other countries in special situations, in line with relevant support
programmes. The new Agenda builds on the Millennium Development Goals and seeks
to complete what these did not achieve, particularly in reaching the most
vulnerable.
In its
scope, however, the framework we are announcing today goes far
beyond the
Millennium Development Goals. Alongside continuing development priorities such
as poverty eradication, health, education and food security and nutrition, it
sets out a wide range of economic, social and environmental objectives.
It also
promises more peaceful and inclusive societies. It also, crucially, defines means
of implementation. Reflecting the integrated approach that we have decided on,
there are deep interconnections and many cross-cutting elements across the new
Goals and
targets: The new Agenda
We are
announcing today 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 associated targets
which are integrated and indivisible. Never before have world leaders pledged
common action and endeavour across such a broad and universal policy agenda. We
are setting out together on the path towards sustainable development, devoting
ourselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and of “win win” cooperation
which can bring huge gains to all countries and all parts of the world.
We reaffirm
that every State has, and shall freely exercise, full permanent
sovereignty
over all its wealth, natural resources and economic activity. We will implement
the Agenda for the full benefit of all, for today’s generation and for future
generations. In doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to international law and
emphasize that the Agenda is to be implemented in a manner that is consistent with
the rights and obligations of States under international law.
Seventeen
Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 1.
End
poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2.
End
hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and
promote
sustainable agriculture
Goal 3.
Ensure
healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4.
Ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong
learning opportunities for all
Goal 5.
Achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6.
Ensure
availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation
for all
Goal 7.
Ensure
access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy
for all
Goal 8.
Promote
sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth,
full
and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9.
Build
resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization
and foster innovation
Goal 10.
Reduce
inequality within and among countries
Goal 11.
Make
cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable
Goal 12.
Ensure
sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13.
Take
urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
Goal 14.
Conserve
and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources
for sustainable development
Goal 15.
Protect,
restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt
and
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16.
Promote
peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable
and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17.
Strengthen
the means of implementation and revitalize the
Global
Partnership for Sustainable Development
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