Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are targets that were set by the United Nations member states and adopted in 2015 replacing the Millennium Development Goals with the aim to improve the world economically and socially. These goals were conscripted through a thorough consultation with all member states, youth, women, academics, professionals and they reflect all the different types of economies and societies.
DECADE OF ACTION FOR YOUTHS TO EMBRACE SDG’s
The key drivers of SDGs are people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. These are set targets that form agenda 2030 to ensure that the world strives to achieve the seventeen goals. People play a crucial role in the implementation of these goals as they make policies, protect the planet, form partnerships, desire prosperity and advocate for peace. Young people are a key stakeholder and driver of these SDGs as they are the present and the future.
People being a key factor on SDGs, they are regarded as the backbone and drivers of SDGs as it all depends on their attitude and behavior to ensure that the world becomes a better place. Human beings can do good or bad to each other, environment, distract peace, hamper prosperity and have dangerous partnerships that may result in us not attaining a better world for everyone.
In a WhatsApp discussion, Executive Director for Zimbabwe Youth SDGs, Jasper Mangwana, emphasized on climate change as one of the key drivers of the SDGs. Poverty and hunger due to droughts and government issues has been experienced.
Gender equality and discrimination against women and girls as another key factor as societies need stability. With the issue of CPVID-19 that came unexpectedly, many women and girls are being abused in public and in private. People should know that a person is a person no matter how small, race or class, human rights cover everyone.
SDG 13 (Climate Change) being the spotlight factor, it is important because people cannot be separated from the environment. There have been drastic changes in how humans behave and also a lot of dangerous emissions have been happening for long and we have witnessed what we thought were season changes but rather climate change. Climate change has caused us not produce as expected in the agricultural environment, hunger is the key issue on the livelihoods of Zimbabweans. People have need for energy, dispose toxic materials in the environment polluting water thereby resulting in cancer cases.
Lets prioritise SDG13
Furthermore, the role of youth in the SDGs is because they are very intelligent and innovative. They still have energy on advocating for the environment and the SDGs. There is need for youths to engage with local parliamentarians, forestry commission, civic societies and schools to form partnerships and work towards achieving the 2030 vision on SDGs
In a nutshell, as MAYA, we edge young people to spread the word of enhancing the SDGs prioritize SDG13 since it seen as the focal point of all the other sixteen.