The Global Goals: 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities


Goal 11 wants to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030.

Pop singer Pink has shown her support for this goal with the photograph below on social media websites.
 

This goal wants to:
  • Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services, and upgrade slums
  • Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems, improving road safety
  • Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
  • Significantly reduce the number of deaths, number of people affected and economic losses caused by disasters
  • Reduce the adverse environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and waste management
  • Provide universal access to green and public spaces, particularly for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
  • Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas
  • By 2020, increase by x% the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing policies towards resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change and resilience to disasters
  • Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, for resilient buildings utilizing local materials
 
 
Is this a goal you will be showing your support for? Of the 11 goals I have blogged about so far, which one are you most passionate about?
 
 

The Global Goals: 10. Reduced Inequality


Goal 10 wants to reduce inequality within and among countries.

The quote below says that 'all men are created equal', and that goes for every person on the planet. Everyone should be given the same chances and opportunities, and this furthers when it comes to job titles, promotions, pay, and so on.
 
 
The targets for this goal listed by the United Nations are:
  • Achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
  • Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
  • Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and actions in this regard
  • Adopt fiscal, wage, and social protection policies to progressively achieve greater equality
  • Improve regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen implementation of such regulations
  • Ensure enhanced representation of developing countries in decision making in global international economic and financial institutions to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions
  • Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people
  • Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with WTO agreements
  • Encourage Official Development Assistance and financial flows to states where the need is greatest
  • Reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

 
This should be a goal that everyone supports, because everyone wants to be treated well, so why don't we all deserves that chance to have the same treatment?

 

The Global Goals: 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

 
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
 
Professor Stephen Hawking is supporting goal 9, as shown in the photograph below.
 

This goal sets to:
  • Develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being
  • Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and raise significantly the industry’s share of employment and GDP in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
  • Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises to financial services including affordable credit and their integration into value chains and markets
  • Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes
  • Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, including by encouraging innovation and increasing the number of R&D workers per one million people by x% and public and private R&D spending
  • Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries
  • Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries
  • Significantly increase access to ICT and strive to provide universal and affordable access to internet in least developed countries by 2020
 

I'm sure this goal will get a lot of support. Will you be choosing to promote goal 9?
 
 

The Global Goals: 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth


I must admit that this is one of the goals that I sort of glanced at and then brushed over because I saw others as more important, but the truth is that this is just as important as the other goals, it's just in a different way.

This relates to getting people into work, with focus on getting young people and those with disabilities a job, and with equal pay between men and women too.
 

The targets for goal 8 are:
  • Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances, and at least 7 per cent annual GDP growth in least-developed countries
  • Achieve higher levels of productivity of economies through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation
  • Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises including through access to financial services
  • Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production, and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation with developed countries taking the lead
  • Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men and equal pay for work of equal value
  • By 2020 substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
  • Take immediate measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of child labour, eradicate forced labour, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms including recruitment and use of child soldiers
  • Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments of all workers, including migrant workers
  • Devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism which creates jobs, promotes local culture and products
  • Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
  • Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Least Developed Countries
  • By 2020 develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment
 

Do you think is goal is important? Will you be promoting this goal?
 
 

The Global Goals: 7. Affordable and Clean Energy


Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. This is goal 7 with the Global Goals.


The aims of this goal are:
  • Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services
  • Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030
  • Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030
  • Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technologies, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technologies, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies
  • Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, particularly for least developed countries and small island developing states


I also love the above quote, and think this should be the tagline of this goal because I think it puts it into perspective, along with the statistic that states carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than 46% since 1990.

I was also shocked to read that America produces 25% of the world's CO2 levels, yet they only amount to 4% of the world's population.

 

The Global Goals: 6. Clean Water and Sanitation


Let's ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The targets of this goal are:
  • Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
  • Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation
  • Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials
  • Substantially increase water-use efficiency and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity
  • Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
  • Expand international cooperation and support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
  • Support and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management



Nobody can survive without water, which is why the quote below sticks with me. With something that is vital to living, goal 6 is a very important one.

 
Let's make sure that by 2030 everyone on the planet can access safe water.

Is this your chosen goal to support? How will you promote it?

 

The Global Goals: 5. Gender Equality

 
Gender equality is something that I heavily promoted last year with Elle magazine. I also supported the Always 'Like A Girl' campaign, which have an amazing and powerful video on YouTube at the link above.

Goal 5 is all about achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

 
The gorgeous blogger Tanya Burr has shown her support for Goal 5 with her hand selfie.

The targets for this goal are:
  • End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
  • Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual exploitation
  • Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilations
  • Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies
  • Ensure women’s effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights
  • Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources
  • Enhance the use of enabling technologies, in particular information communication technologies (ICTs), to promote women’s empowerment
  • Adopt and strengthen policies and legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
 
 
I hope this is a goal that speaks to all the girls reading my blog and makes them stand up for gender equality, and I hope there are boys as well that recognise how important this goal is.

 

The Global Goals: 4. Quality Education


The aim here is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Working in a school means that education is something that is very close to my heart and something that I feel very passionately about. I believe everybody should have access to a good education, giving everyone a chance to learn, develop and shine.

This is the goal that the inspirational Malala has chosen to support.
 
 
The targets for this goal are:
  • Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education
  • Ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education
  • Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
  • Increase by x% the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment and entrepreneurship
  • Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations
  • Ensure that all youth and at least x% of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
  • Ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity
  • Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
  • By 2020 expand by x% globally the number of scholarships for developing countries
  • Increase by x% the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries

 

I love the above quote from Abraham Lincoln, and I hope a lot of people get behind this goal. Will you?

 

The Global Goals: 3. Good Health and Well-Being


This Global Goal aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

My favourite chef, Jamie Oliver, is supporting goal 3, along with TV presenter Davina McCall.

I am a huge Jamie Oliver fan, and his TV show 'Jamie's Sugar Rush' really inspired me, as did his latest book 'Jamie's Superfood'. Working in a school I can see the food that the children are eating at lunchtime on a daily basis. I love that we provide a salad bar everyday, most desserts are served with fruit, they only drink water or milk, and vegetables like sweetcorn and carrots are a regular addition to almost every meal. But not everyone gets access to good food like this, and for some children in this country this - now free  - school meal is the only decent meal they have.

Then, thinking about people outside of this country, there are many that do not even get this kind of lunch, if anything at all!


The targets that make up this goal are to:
  • Reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
  • End preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years old
  • End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases
  • Reduce by one-third pre-mature mortality from non-communicable diseases
  • Strengthen prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
  • By 2020 halve global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes
  • Achieve universal health coverage, access to quality health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
  • Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination
  • Increase health financing and the recruitment, development and training of the health workforce in developing countries
  • Strengthen the capacity of all countries for early warning, risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks


I believe we cannot try be happy or live to our full potential without our health, so this is a very important goal. Are you supporting this one? Have you seen my posts on Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) yet?

 

The Global Goals: 2. Zero Hunger


End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Around three million children die every year because of malnutrition. This is an unnecessary cause of death and one that can be prevented. As Amartya Sen said: "Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat."
 

One of my favourite actors, Chiwetel Ejiofor, is in support of goal 2.

Here are the targets set out for goal 2:
  • End hunger and ensure access by all people to safe and nutritious food all year round
  • End all forms of malnutrition and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons
  • Double the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small farmers, respecting the environment and the biodiversity of each region
  • Prevent problems such as drought, floods and other disasters
  • Protect the variety of species of seeds, crops and farm animals and fairly distribute the benefits of these resources
  • Increase investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology development, and plant and livestock gene banks to improve agricultural productive capacity in developing countries
  • Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets
  • Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives to help limit extreme food price volatility


Over the next fifteen years the United Nations have set the goal that nobody, anywhere in the world will go hungry, and nobody will wake up asking if there will be food today.

Is this the goal you have chosen to support? Have you taken your selfie or done anything else to promote your choice?