Global Sustainable Development Report, 2

Q. Why is this in News?

A. Recently, the global Sustainable Development Report, 2022 was released.

• India was ranked 121 out of the 163 countries. It was ranked 117 in 2020 and 120 in 2021.
• Earlier, in February 2022, the Prime Minister addressed the The Energy and Resources Institute’s(TERI) World Sustainable Development Summit.

Q. What is a Sustainable Development Report?

A.

• About:
  • It is a global assessment of countries' progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • It is published by a group of independent experts at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
    • SDSN was launched in 2012 to mobilize global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for sustainable development and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
    • Following their adoption, SDSN is now committed to supporting the implementation of the SDGs at national and international levels.
• Ranking:
  • Countries are ranked by their overall score.
  • The overall score measures the total progress towards achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
  • The score can be interpreted as a percentage of SDG achievement.
  • A score of 100 indicates that all SDGs have been achieved.
• Performance of the Countries:
  • The 2022 SDG Index is topped by Finland, followed by three Nordic countries –Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
  • East and South Asia is the region that progressed most on the SDGs since their adoption in 2015.
  • Bangladesh and Cambodia are the two countries that progressed most on the SDGs since 2015.
  • By contrast Venezuela has declined the most on the SDG Index since their adoption in 2015.

Q. What are the key Highlights of the Report?

A.

• About World:
  • Multiple and simultaneous health, climate, biodiversity, geopolitical and military crises are major setbacks for sustainable development globally.
  • The SDG Index world average has slightly decreased in 2021 for the second year in a row, largely due to the impact of the pandemic on SDG1 (No Poverty) and SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and poor performance on SDG11-15 (climate, biodiversity, and sustainable urban development goals).
  • Besides their massive humanitarian costs, military conflicts – including the war in Ukraine – have major international spill overs on food security and energy prices, which are amplified by the climate and biodiversity crises.
• About India:
  • India’s Preparedness Worsened:
    • India is not placed well to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its preparedness has worsened over the years in comparison with other countries.
  • Major Challenges:
    • The country continues to face major challenges in achieving 11 of the 17 SDGs, which has pushed down its global ranking on SDG preparedness.
    • Ensuring decent work (SDG 8) has become more challenging.
    • According to the report, India is on track to achieving SDG 13 on climate action.
      • However, The State of India’s Environment, 2022 flagged that the country was facing major challenges in this area.
        • India’s performance on climate action — (SDG) 13 — has slipped from 2019-2020.
        • This decline in India’s overall performance is primarily due to eight states — Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand — whose scores have dipped under SDG 13 in the two years.
  • Progress Made:
    • The progress in around 10 of these goals is similar to those in 2021.
      • These include SDG 2 on ending hunger, SDG 3 on good health and well-being and SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Q. What are the Recommendations?

A.

• New partnerships and innovations should be Scaled-up:
  • New partnerships and innovations that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, including in scientific cooperation and data, should be scaled-up to support the SDGs.
• Science and Technological Innovations:
  • Science, technological innovations, and data systems can help identify solutions in times of crises and can provide decisive contributions to address the major challenges of our times.
  • These call for increased and prolonged investments in statistical capacities, Research & Development and education and skills.
• Increasing Investment:
  • Achieving the SDGs is fundamentally an investment agenda in physical infrastructure (including renewable energy, digital technologies) and human capital (including health, education).
    • Yet the poorest half of the world lacks market access to capital on acceptable terms.
    • Poor and vulnerable countries have been hit hard by the multiple crises and their spill overs.

Q. What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)?

A.

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
• The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
• Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are designed to end poverty, hunger, Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and discrimination against women and girls.