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UN Report Calls for Placing People and Planet at Center of Development Agenda

January 22, 2015

“The year 2015 offers a unique opportunity for global leaders and people to end poverty, transform the world to better meet human needs and the necessities of economic transformation, while protecting our environment, ensuring peace and realizing human rights.”

 

In a recent report, the UN calls for a universal, coordinated action to usher in an era of sustainable and inclusive development in 2015. The report, entitled “The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet,” underscores the need to look to a future which “places people and planet at the centre, is underpinned by human rights, and is supported by a global partnership.”

This year, the international community is preparing to devise and implement agreements that will guide global cooperation and development for the next generation. At the UN summit in September, world leaders will confirm a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have galvanized global anti-poverty efforts since 2000. The “Road to Dignity” report lays the blueprint for the Post-2015 Agenda.

The report recommends committing to a universal approach with solutions that address all countries and groups; integrating sustainability in all activities; addressing inequalities in all areas; ensuring that all actions advance and respect human rights; addressing climate change drivers and consequences; basing analysis in credible data and evidence; expanding a global partnership for means of implementation (MOI); and anchoring the new compact in a renewed commitment to international solidarity.

“We are at a historic crossroads, and the directions we take will determine whether we will succeed or fail on our promises. With our globalized economy and sophisticated technology, we can decide to end the age-old ills of extreme poverty and hunger. Or we can continue to degrade our planet and allow intolerable inequalities to sow bitterness and despair. Our ambition is to achieve sustainable development for all.”

The synthesis report underscores the need to review the lessons learned from the MDGs, “finish the job,” and launch a new agenda that focuses on four components:

  1. An inspirational vision made plain in a declaration;
  2. A practical plan for that declaration, laid out in an integrated set of goals, targets and indicators;
  3. Adequate means to implement the plan and a renewed global partnership for development;
  4. A framework to monitor and review implementation to ensure promises made become promises delivered.

The report also identifies six essential elements to frame and reinforce sustainable development:

  1. Dignity – to end poverty and fight inequalities;six-elements
  2. People – to ensure healthy lives, knowledge, and the inclusion of women and children;
  3. Prosperity – to grow a strong, inclusive, and transformative economy;
  4. Planet – to protect our ecosystems for all societies and our children;
  5. Justice – to promote safe and peaceful societies, and strong institutions;
  6. Partnership – to catalyse global solidarity for sustainable development.

In the report’s conclusion, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, issues a powerful message to Member States: “We are on the threshold of the most important year of development since the founding of the United Nations itself. We must give meaning to this Organization’s promise to ‘reaffirm faith in the dignity and worth of the human person’ and to take the world forward to a sustainable future…[We] have an historic opportunity and duty to act, boldly, vigorously and expeditiously, to turn reality into a life of dignity for all, leaving no one behind.”

At The Hunger Project, we are taking action to help ensure that world leaders make bold agreements that tackle hunger, poverty and climate change. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook today to join the discussion on the Post-2015 Agenda.

Learn More

Read the full report. 
Read about the Action 2015 campaign