What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The 17 SDGs are integrated—that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Through the pledge to Leave No One Behind, countries have committed to fast-track progress for those furthest behind first. That is why the SDGs are designed to bring the world to several life-changing ‘zeros’, including zero poverty, hunger, AIDS and discrimination against women and girls.
Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context.
India
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in September 2015 as a part of the resolution, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. India is committed to achieve the 17 SDGs and the 169 associated targets, which comprehensively cover social, economic and environmental dimensions of development and focus on ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions. At the Central Government level, NITI Aayog has been assigned the role of overseeing the implementation of SDGs in the country.
Assam
After the United Nations’ adoption of the Global Agenda 2030, Assam was the first State in India to formally acknowledge and accept the SDGs as the pathway for all future development. The Government of Assam was quick to recognise the potential of the SDGs on peace and prosperity of each citizen of the state and their role in the preservation of environment and overall development of the state in a sustainable manner. With this objective in mind, the Government of Assam issued a Government Order (GO) on 28th December 2015 formally announcing the adoption of SDGs in the state with effect from 1st January 2016. It also provided a strategic architecture and blueprint for this purpose. This was preceded and followed by intense structured as well as informal discussions, awareness generation and sensitisation at all levels in the Government regarding the opportunity the SDGs provided to the State. On 5th January 2016, the first formal Conference on SDGs was organised with more than 150 state government officers for developing a strategy for implementation of the SDGs in the state. To carry forward SDG related activity, the Transformation & Development Department was designated as a Nodal Department and a new centre, The Centre for Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs) was established at the Assam Administrative Staff College (AASC), Guwahati. While a number of experts were nvited to help the state Government, two of them were formally engaged with the CSDGs. This Centre was, particularly, asked;
- to provide knowledge, spread awareness and understanding on SDGs to all especially in the state, district, block and Gaon Panchayat (GP) level;
- to initiate studies, research and other academic studies to understand the implementation, gaps and interventions required for achieving SDGs in Assam;
- to coordinate the activities related to the SDGs of the Government of Assam at all levels and;
- to develop and initiate projects and programmes, through partnerships, related to SDGs.
SDG Integration Process in Assam
The Government of Assam moved with great speed and on 10th February 2016, released a Vision Document 2030 in a Partnership Conclave which was attended by nearly 250 internal and external stakeholders. The high point of this conference was Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Advisor to UN Secretary General on SDGs also joining and addressing the Conclave via Skype. Professor Sachs’s address was very encouraging. He said that the Government of Assam was the first government in the world to adopt SDGs and to prepare a Vision Document on them. Some of his words are given below:
“It is truly a milestone that Assam is first to produce the 1st SDG Vision Document in the world. SDGs are really a bold idea for sustainable development and your grasp of the SDGs is a bold addition and it is an inspiration to all. Adoption of SDGs in the state in mission mode will rejuvenate the whole world. Assam will become the world leader in sustainable development.”
