Lord McConnell: UK falls behind other European states in delivering Sustainable Development Goals
3 min read
Lord McConnell argues that a critical step in achieving the SDG's is to fully integrate them into the agenda of the responsible government department.
As I watched the United Nations General Assembly agree the new Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015, I was thinking about the Philippines. The Philippines is not one of the most poor or unstable places in the world, but gross inequalities leave many living in poverty and squalor, extreme weather events destroy homes, crops and lives all too often, and conflict - most notably in Mindanao - has left hundreds of thousands dead and many more lacking education or work.
My work in the Philippines and elsewhere had convinced me that only a comprehensive, sustained, nationally led, locally accountable approach to development would truly leave no-one behind. So when Agenda 2030 was agreed I cheered the 17 strategies for global peacebuilding and development. These strategies, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set objectives to tackle issues as diverse as climate change and gender inequality. They were not a long list of equal priorities, they were a joined up call to action that recognised the links between people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnership.
The UK helped create this agenda, inspired the ‘Leave No-one Behind’ central purpose, defended Goal 16 on peace and justice when it was attacked, and insisted on a systematic approach to accountability and implementation. We were clear that the new Global Goals needed national strategies, data and reporting, accountability, and most of all, immediate action. And we accepted that they were universal.
But since September 2015 Germany, Finland and other European states have moved far ahead of us with their governments embracing these universal global targets. Across the developing world, governments with much less capacity than the UK have taken much more action.
In order for the Agenda to be successful, early action and strategic direction setting are key. With considered implementation, we now have in our hands a set of objectives that could improve the lives of millions. But this will only be possible if all countries embed the Goals into national policy; if there is clear cross governmental coordination; effective monitoring of progress; and accountability at every level of governance, involving elected parliamentarians and civil society stakeholders.
Successful embedding requires making the SDGs relevant at the national level in every country, identifying which government departments will lead on each Goal. Action must be decisive and momentum must not be lost as we move forward. And, if we really want to take meaningful steps towards development and ensure the representation of all citizens, gender equality is key. Leave no-one behind cannot mean ‘leave no man behind’.
At the UN General Assembly in September 2015 the leaders gathered there heard young voices say loud and clear: ‘do not let us down this time’. They received applause. But applause is not enough. It is time to practice what we preach.
Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a Labour peer in the House of Lords
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