Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the 17 United Nations SDGs that were enacted by United Nations Member States on 25th September 2015 to be the guiding pillars of all global efforts towards an inclusive, peaceful, environment-friendly and sustainable socioeconomic transformation.

On 25th September 2015, World leaders under the umbrella of United Nations sat down and declared 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the guiding pillars for all forms of socioeconomic development across all nations. The 17 SDGs and their 169 targets were or are to be explored, planned, and implemented by all the 191 UN member states, including Uganda, by the year 2030.

This is a serious task requiring efforts at local, national, regional, and international levels and cooperation and coordination of all these efforts for grand global achievement of these goals by 2030. And the job requires both public and private sector embracing and working on achieving these goals.

READ THIS: Starting an SDGs-focused business

The summary of the 17 United Nations SDGs:

1. NO POVERTY: This is the world’s goal number 1. The aim is to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere on this planet and to design models that reduce inequalities, disasters and other troubles faced by the poor (those living below $1.25).
2. ZERO HUNGER: End hunger and enable accessibility to food supply and all nutrients by all people, including the poor, children women and the unlucky ones. Ensure food production, proper storage and distribution of all foods in this world.
3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: Health and socioeconomic development aren’t two things but one! This goal calls upon nations to address serious health issues of maternal, neonatal and child death, HIV, STIs, harmful cultural practices etc.
4. QUALITY EDUCATION: This is a mandate to provide quality and yet affordable education to all, each childhood development, vocational and much more. It includes addressing issues that undermine education.
5. GENDER EQUALITY: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. This goal involves addressing all issues of discrimination at home and at workplace, availing reproductive health services and much more.
6. CLEAN WATER: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. This includes prevention of water pollution, misuse waste dumping. It also involves designing systems that ensure constant water supply.
7. AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. This goal involves innovations for sustainable energy and fairly distributing these energies to all countries (developing, landlocked and island countries).
8. DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: This calls on governments and partners to facilitate employment and economic activities through infrastructure, research and friendly policies. It also includes addressing work-related prejudices like low pay.
9. INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, & INFRASTRUCTURE: This is about industrialization that is inclusive, access to credit at low interest, building national and across-border infrastructure to support trade and more. Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries.
10. REDUCED INEQUALITIES: 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. It includes dealing with economic inequalities among people and nations.
11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. This includes safety in public space, transport, water, security, electricity, healthcare and more for town dwellers, especially the vulnerable.
12. RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION: Achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. This goal is about addressing all forms of wastage; of food, of clothes or any other resources. It calls on new models of resource mobilization and utilization.
13. CLIMATE ACTION: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. It includes sensitization and favoring economies that are environment friendly.
14. LIFE BELOW WATER: This includes all efforts to conserve oceans and swamps. It is about addressing over-fishing, effects of ocean acidification, enhance research, prevent water pollution and misuse and advise on sustainable aquatic economic activities. Sensitize people and support.
15. LIFE ON LAND: This goal calls for conservation of wildlife, including forests and animals. It includes addressing issues of poaching and trafficking and instead calls for afforestation, re-afforestation and end to deforestation; a wide approach to ecosystem care.
16. PEACE, JUSTICE, & STRONG INSTITUTIONS: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates. End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice.
17. PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS: This is a very important goal that seeks commitment from countries and organizations to work in collaboration while assisting each other with information, finances, technology and relevant infrastructure. More importantly, developed nations need to facilitate the growth of less developed ones.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN UGANDA

For Uganda, all local and national efforts for SDGs are supported and coordinated via the Office of the Prime Minister. At first, planning for SDGs was incorporated into the general development plans (NDP I, NDP II, and NDP III). However, various advocates demanded for a separate and dedicated roadmap for achieving SDGs, which Uganda has now provided for, including a separate SDGs secretariat office, all at the office of prime minister or president’s office.

To realize SDGs targets, governments and all stakeholders have called upon the private sector to innovatively incorporate SDGs into business. For young innovators, efforts are to be directed towards starting SDGs-oriented businesses. In the same line, there are hundreds of opportunities and incentives (both nationally and internationally) for businesses that are aligned to this global agenda of 2030. We have covered some of these opportunities and incentives in one of our articles here, but also in a dedicated document highlighting 17 reasons why companies should embrace and incorporate sustainability (SDGs) in their businesses.

Many companies have already embraced the movement. Thousands of entrepreneurs have already benefited from funding, support, and special incentives tailored for SDGs. About SDGs financing, read here, here, and here. As a young person involved in entrepreneurship, I have practically seen how aligning any startup or business with SDGs is critical to securing funding or any form of support from investors, governments, and other organizations.

In 2019, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), in partnership with the University of Southampton and Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment and Ministry of Trade, launched Sustainability Reporting as a requirement for companies that hoped for stronger recommendations for partnerships and better markets within and outside Uganda.

The purpose of the sustainability reporting is to encourage companies to modify their supply chains and day-to-day operations and align them with United Nations SDGs. Miklah Life attended the launch. Note that Miklah has been on this sustainability path since inception in 2014.

So, how do we help with United Nations SDGs?

What Miklah is doing about SDGs: The SDGs Training!

READ THIS: The history of United Nations SDGs or sustainable development