The coronavirus crisis has disrupted human activities but also the progress made to create a better world. What prospects for the future?
Covid-19 has called into question the certainties about the achievement of Agenda 2030. What can be done to adapt sustainable development policies?
The beginnings of Decade of action to achieve the sustainable development goals were marked by the coronavirus pandemic; a health crisis that continues to disrupt the world through the changes it is causing on a large scale.
In this tangle of upheavals, no human enterprise seems to be spared anywhere in the world. Not even the 2030 Agenda, already in great difficulty, which is being slowed down in its momentum. What to expect when it comes to achieving the SDGs in this post covid-19 climate?
The ambitions displayed by the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals set by the United Nations to build a better world by 2030. These Goals were defined as part of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015 by the 193 UN Member States.
The SDGs are based on three pillars:
- Social equity;
- Economic development;
- Environmental protection.
They reflect the ambition of the United Nations to eradicate socio-economic and environmental inadequacies in many areas, especially health.
While there are only a few years left for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, serious delays are observed in some areas. In addition, although a Decade of Action to Accelerate Agenda 2030 has been declared, the agenda is struggling to catch up.
And for good reason, the upheavals caused by the covid-19 pandemic have accentuated the difficulties in implementing solutions globally.
The consequences of the covid-19 crisis on the achievement of the SDGs
The covid-19 pandemic has radically changed human habits in the space of a few months. These major changes spare no area of activity and have a direct impact on the achievement of the SDGs.
Negative repercussions
The first major consequence of COVID-19 on the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals is the reduction in international cooperation in the field of public health accompanied by a restructuring of national budgets in view of the states of emergency declared in several countries around the world.
This situation is caused by the fact that each state has been obliged to find response solutions at the local level. States around the world have had to use various methods in response to covid-19.
On the other hand, there is a lack of collaboration between countries in the process of creating a vaccine and making it available to the most vulnerable populations.
In addition, the end of international climate negotiations should be noted. These different situations negatively impact the achievement of SDGs 17, 3, 10, and 13.
Economically, the stoppage of human activities in many countries has caused a drop in income and an increase in the poverty rate, leading to a decline in achievements around SDGs 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8.
Reasons to hope
Covid-19 has highlighted the need to build sustainable cities to stop the spread of contagious diseases.
We will also note a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions in the world, due to the cessation of human activities in many countries. This state of affairs makes it possible to consider new solutions to reduce the repercussions of human activity on the environment.
On the other hand, many programs such as the World Food Program (WFP) or the Global Covid-19 Coalition for Education, have been able to respond effectively to the pandemic. These various programs reflect the strengthened capacity of the United Nations to deploy large-scale solutions on a global scale.
Prospects for the post-Covid-19 period
While it is clear that the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the Sustainable Development Goals, it is also important to stress that it is possible to turn the crisis into an opportunity to catch up on the delays on the 2030 Agenda.
The coronavirus crisis shows how much it is more than necessary for states to cooperate now. The responses and solutions implemented during this period will be decisive for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
He should therefore work to combine the efforts of all at personal level , local, regional and global, to accelerate the implementation of solutions to the greatest challenges of our time.
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