Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals (Sustainable Development Goals, SDG) are political objectives of the United Nations ( UN), which are intended to ensure sustainable development at the economic, social and environmental level. The goals are to be designed in accordance with the development process of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and these continue after its expiry in 2015 under increasing focus on sustainability aspects. In contrast to the MDGs, which were particularly developing countries, the SDG will be developed for all countries.

Objective

Although yet formulated any specific targets or were adopted, the UN Member States on the Rio could 20 conference, where the development of SDG was decided (see section below), an agreement on principles from which the thematic priorities of the future sustainability goals emerge. In contrast to the MDGs, in which the social development dimension was very much in the foreground, the SDG to the issue of sustainability emphasize much more. To be included in addition to social and economic as well as ecological aspects in particular with the development agenda. Key aspects are advancing economic growth, the reduction of disparities in living standards and the creation of equal opportunities, and sustainable management of natural resources, which ensures the preservation of ecosystems and beyond strengthening their resilience.

Another important point in the development of the goals is to emphasize the importance of people in the development process, which " are the center of sustainable development ". In particular, the protection of human rights is an important aspect so far. In order to address the people with the goals of better, the SDG will also get a strong regional or local dimension. This should especially allow the implementation of sustainable development can be ensured in concrete activities.

SDG to be limited in number to, among other things, to facilitate the communication. The topics for potential targets that are listed in the outcome document of the Rio 20 Summit, however, include a number of areas. A survey by the UN Secretary-General among the Member States gave the following ten topics that were felt to be most important for a sustainable development process ( sorted by descending priority ):

  • Food security and sustainable agriculture
  • Water and improve hygiene
  • Energy
  • Education
  • Poverty reduction
  • Health
  • Means for carrying out the process SDG
  • Climate change
  • Environmental / natural resource management
  • Employment

From these priorities and with the inclusion of contributions by other actors, the Open-ended Working Group (Open Working Group OWG ) is currently developing objectives for sustainable development.

The decision to develop SDG in a context of post -2015 agenda

Development Goals (MDG and post- MDG process )

At the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in New York in 2000, eight concrete development goals (MDGs) were adopted, to be achieved by 2015. Thus, countries continue to follow even after the expiry of the MDG period specific development guidelines, a post -2015 process was initiated at the MDG summit in 2010. Here, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon was asked to bring in proposals for further steps to improve the post -2015 development agenda of the United Nations in its annual report on the evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals and thus to initiate a thought process. The foundation of the UN Task Team ( TT UN ) in January 2012 and whose assignment with a report on the post -2015 agenda efforts were further intensified. This report was published in June 2012 under the title " Realizing the Future we want for all". A month later, another working group was formed, which is to deal with the design of a post- MDG agenda. This so-called High-Level Panel (High- level Panel of Eminent Persons ) is composed of eminent persons, such as the British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was named one of the three co-chairs, or the former German President Horst Köhler. The 27 members of this body have been prepared on the instructions of the UN Secretary General's report, which was published in May 2013 under the name "A New Global Partnership ". The conceptual paving the way for a subsequent merger of the various strands of work created by this document.

Sustainability goals (SDG process)

Parallel to the development of a post -2015 agenda 20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development was initiated another process in June 2012 by the Rio. At the summit, the outcome document "The Future We Want " was developed, in which the UN member states agreed on to design sustainable development objectives to be pursued end of 2015 after the expiry of the MDGs. As one of the key steps in this document to develop SDG 's application establishing an Open-ended Working Group ( OWG ) to work on the specification and formulation of sustainable development goals. The foundation was completed on January 22, 2013 by the decision of the United Nations General Assembly (decision 67/555 ).

The OWG was commissioned by the Rio 20 agreements, to prepare a draft for further development and specification of SDG and those of the General Assembly at the end of its 68th session in the fall of 2014 to present. This report should then during the subsequent one-year session of the UN General Assembly ( September 2014 - September 2015 ) serve as a basis for negotiations on the post -2015 agenda. The conclusion of the process of drawing up the UN development goals should be a summit of heads of state and government form, which is scheduled for September 2015 and on an inclusive post -2015 agenda to be adopted.

Moreover, it was also determined in the Rio 20 declaration that the OAG is to decide immediately on its work and methodology after recording their work independently. They should create the best possible involvement of relevant stakeholders in order to ensure the consideration of a variety of perspectives and experiences. Thus, the Working Group plays a mediating role between different stakeholders such as civil society, academia and other UN agencies and the General Assembly of the United Nations. Content OWG also receives support from the work string to the UN post -2015 agenda itself Thus, a technical support team ( Technical Support Team, UN TST), which is the UN TT subordinate founded. The UN TST defines the working group, for example, information papers ( so-called issues briefs ), which were written on the various themes of the Rio 20 outcome document and next to a status quo report, proposals and approaches in relation to the formulation of objectives and their concretization include ( see, for example information paper on poverty reduction ). Also, the Secretary-General, which is in close consultation with the individual governments, given the OWG support in their work.

Together the strands of work

The foundation of the OWG was next to the ongoing post- MDG process, a further work string, which deals with a post -2015 agenda, launched. The individual strands of work content independently, but are supported by a Secretariat and a coordination group (informal senior coordination group) care, to ensure a coherent working between the cords. In order to develop a consistent and clear post -2015 agenda, consideration of an amalgamation of the work strands were employed, which are mainly due to the work of the High Level Panel. At a special event to conceptualise a set of sustainable development objectives, which took place in September 2013 one day before the 68th General Assembly of the United Nations, the participants decided to bring together the various strands of work and thus to converge into a single strand.

590227
de