SSC 102: MAN AND ITS ECONOMICS ENVIRONMENT

OJEYINKA T. A. (ACA, Ph.D.)

Department of Economics,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

TOPIC 7: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)

Background to SDGs
The SDGs is the new international framework introduced to replace the MDGs by the United
Nation. MDGs was introduced in 2000 with eight goals and was to end by December 2015. To
build on the achievement of MDGs, world leaders gathered in New York in September 2015 to
chart a new course of action and to achieve sustainable development in three major areas of
economic, social and environmental by 2030. The meeting eventually led to what is known as
Sustainable Development Goals today (Ojeyinka, 2018). Hence, SDGs came to effect in January
2016. Unlike, the MDGs, the SDGs has 17 goals. Also known as the Global Goals, the SDGs is
structured to end poverty, protect the environment and ensure that people enjoy peace and
prosperity.
As documented by Alamu (2017), the summary of the SDGs are the following:
1. Universal plan and agenda to tackle some of the pressing challenges facing the world such as
poverty, climate change and conflict. Poverty is at the center of all these goals.
2. Provide the expertise to drive progress and help support countries on the path to sustainable
development.
3. Build on the accelerated progress already achieved under the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)

The concepts of “Sustainable Development”

According to the World Bank Development Report, 1992, Sustainable Development (SD) is
simply development that continues. However, as contained in the Rio Declaration on environment
and development, 1992, SD refers to the “long term continuous development of the society aimed
at satisfaction of humanity’s need at present and in the future via rational usage and replenishment
of natural resources, preserving the earth for future generations”. Lastly, in conceptualizing
sustainable development, Brundtland Commission 1987 defined SD as “the kind of development
that satisfies the current need without endangering the future generation to satisfy their own”. From
all these definitions, it can be summarized that SD is the development that preserves the
environment. According to Oladeji (2018), the goals of SD include economic, environmental and
social sustainability. These are called pillars or dimension of sustainability. It is only when the
three conditions are met that development is said to be sustainable. To achieve sustainable

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development that addresses the three dimensions, the pursuit of human capital development
through education and health cannot be overemphasised (Oladeji, 2018).

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Targets: End poverty in all its manifestations, including extreme poverty, within the next 15 years.
All people everywhere, including the poorest and most vulnerable, should enjoy a basic standard
of living and social protection benefits, as well as ensure that social protection benefits reach the
poor and most vulnerable groups and that people harmed by conflict and natural hazards receive
adequate support, including access to basic services.

The indicators considered include:

i. Proportion of the population living below US$1.90 a day;
ii. Proportion of employed population living below US$1.90 a day, total, youths and adults;
iii. Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions
according to national definitions;
iv. Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services;
v. Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, with legally
recognized documentation and who perceive their rights;
vi. Number of deaths, missing persons and persons affected by disaster per 100,000 people;
vii. Direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP);
viii. Resources allocated by State Governments directly to Poverty Reduction, by year;
ix. Proportion of total government spending on essential services, by year;
x. Proportion of government recurrent and capital spending to sectors that disproportionately
benefit women, the poor and vulnerable groups, by year;
xi. Number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies;

Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture

Targets: End hunger and all forms of malnutrition, achieve food security and achieve sustainable
food production by 2030. The aim is to ensure that everyone eats enough good-quality food to lead
a healthy life. The target is based on the idea that everyone should have access to sufficient
nutritious food, which will require widespread promotion of sustainable agriculture, a doubling of
agricultural productivity, as well as increased investments and properly functioning food markets.
This entails improving productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers by promoting equal access
to land, technology and markets, sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural
practices. It also requires increased investments through international cooperation to bolster the
productive capacity of agriculture in the country.

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The indicators include:
i. Prevalence of undernourishment;
ii. Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food
Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES);
iii. Prevalence of malnutrition
iv. Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Targets: Ensure health and well-being for all at all ages by improving reproductive, maternal and
child health; ending the epidemics of major communicable diseases; reducing non-communicable
and environmental diseases; achieving universal health coverage; and ensuring access to safe,
affordable and effective medicines and vaccines for all. The aim is to improve reproductive and
maternal and child health; end the epidemics of HIV & AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and neglected
tropical diseases; reduce non-communicable and environmental diseases; achieve universal health
coverage; and ensure universal access to safe, affordable and effective medicines and vaccines.
This Goal impacts the life of everyone in the country.

The indicators include:

i. Maternal mortality ratio;
ii. Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel;
iii. Under-5 mortality rates;
iv. Neonatal mortality rates;
v. Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key
populations;

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all

Targets: Ensure that all people have access to quality education and lifelong learning
opportunities. This Goal focuses on the acquisition of foundational and higher-order skills; greater
and more equitable access to technical and vocational education and training and higher education;
training throughout life; and the knowledge, skills and values needed to function well and
contribute to society.

The indicators covered under this Goal in the baseline analysis include:
i. Proportion of children under 5 years of age who are developmentally on track in health,
learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex;
ii. Participation in organized learning (one year before the official entry age), by sex (private
schools);
iii. Participation in organized learning (one year before the official entry age), by sex (public
schools);
iv. Proportion of youths and adults with information and communications technology (ICT)
skills.

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

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Targets: This Goal aims to empower women and girls to reach their full potential, which requires
eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against them, including harmful practices,
violence by intimate partners, sexual violence and harmful practices, such as child marriage and
female genital mutilation (FGM). It seeks to ensure that women have better access to paid
employment, sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights; receive due recognition for
their unpaid work; have real decision-making power in public and private spheres; have full access
to productive resources; and enjoy equal participation with men in political, economic and public
life.

The indicators covered include:

i. Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and
non-discrimination on the basis of sex;
ii. Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to
physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the
previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age;
iii. Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by
persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of
occurrence
iv. Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before ages 15 and
18 (percentage);
v. Proportion of seats held by women in single or lower houses of national parliament
(percentage);
vi. Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Targets: The targets of Goal 6 go beyond drinking water, sanitation and hygiene to also address
the quality and sustainability of water resources. To achieving this Goal, which is critical to the
survival of people and the planet, means expanding international cooperation and garnering the
support of local communities to improve water and sanitation management. Agenda 2030
recognizes the centrality of water resources to sustainable development and the vital role that
improved drinking water, sanitation and hygiene play in the development of the community.

The indicators covered under this goal for the baseline study include:

i. Proportion of population using improved drinking water sources;

ii. Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services, including a hand- and
Washing facility with soap and water;
iii. Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Targets: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services;
increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030; and double
the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

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The indicators covered under this goal for the baseline study include:
i. The proportion of population with access to electricity;
ii. Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies for cooking
(percentage);
iii. Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and gross domestic product
iv. Investments in energy efficiency as a percentage of GDP and the amount of foreign direct
investment in financial transfer for infrastructure and technology to aid sustainable
development services.

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment and decent work for all

Targets: Continued, inclusive and sustainable economic growth is a prerequisite for global
prosperity, therefore, this Goal aims to provide opportunities for full and productive employment
and decent work for all while eradicating forced labour, human trafficking and child labour.
Economic growth can lead to new and better employment opportunities and provide greater
economic security for all.

The indicators captured under this goal for the baseline study include:
i. Average annual growth rate of real GDP per capita;
ii. Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person;
iii. Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex;
iv. Unemployment rates by sex, 2015 (percentage);
v. Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and
age;
vi. Tourism direct GDP as a percentage of total GDP and in growth rate;

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization

and foster innovation

Targets: The targets under this Goal focus on the promotion of infrastructural development,
industrialization and innovation, which can be accomplished through enhanced international and
domestic financial, technological and technical support, research and innovation, and increased
access to information and communication technology. Infrastructure provides the basic physical
facilities essential to business and society; industrialization drives economic growth and job
creation, thereby reducing income inequality; and innovation expands the technological
capabilities of industrial sectors and leads to the development of new skills.

The indicators to measure performance of this Goal include:

i. Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport;
ii. Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP per capita;
iii. Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment;
iv. Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value-added;
v. Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP;

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Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Targets: reducing inequalities in income, as well as those based on sex, age, disability, race, class,
ethnicity, religion and opportunity—both within and among countries. It also aims to ensure safe,
orderly and regular migration and addresses issues related to representation of developing
countries in global decision-making and development assistance. .
The indicators covered under the baseline study include:
i. Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent
of the population and the total population;
ii. Labour share of GDP, comprising wages and social protection transfers;
iii. Financial Soundness Indicators;
iv. Number of countries that have implemented well-managed migration policies;
v. Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports from least developed countries and developing
countries with zero-tariff.

Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Targets: The targets under this Goal aim to renew and plan cities and other human settlements in
a way that fosters community cohesion and personal security while stimulating innovation and
employment. With sound, risk-informed planning and management, cities can become incubators
for innovation and growth drivers of sustainable development.

The indicators captured include:

i. Number of deaths, missing persons and persons affected by disaster per 100,000 people;
ii. Direct disaster, economic loss in relation to global GDP, including disaster damage to
critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services;
iii. Proportion of urban solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out
of total urban solid waste generated by cities;
iv. Number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies.

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Targets: The targets is to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns through
measures such as specific policies and international agreements on the management of materials
that are toxic to the environment.
The indicators for tracking this Goal include:
i. Number of countries with SCP National action Plans or SCP mainstreamed as a priority or
target into national policies, poverty reduction strategy and sustainable development
strategies;
ii. Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP;
iii. Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic
material consumption per GDP;
iv. Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type
of treatment;
v. Number of sustainable tourism strategies or policies and implemented action plans with
agreed monitoring and evaluation tools.

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Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Targets: 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; improve education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity on climate
change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
The indicators captured include:
i. Number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies;
ii. Number of deaths, missing persons and persons affected by disaster per 100,000 people;
iii. Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early
warning into primary, secondary and tertiary curricula;
iv. Number of countries that have communicated the strengthening of institutional, systemic
and individual capacity building to implement adaptation, mitigation and technology
transfer and development actions.

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development

Targets: seek to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems;
prevent marine pollution and increase the economic benefits to Small Island Developing States
and LDCs from the sustainable use of marine resources.

The indicators captured include:

i. Sustainable fisheries as a percentage of GDP in Small Island Developing States, least
developed countries and all countries;
ii. Proportion of total research budget allocated to research in marine technology.

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss.
Targets: the Targets focus on managing forests sustainably, restoring degraded lands and
successfully combating desertification, reducing degraded natural habitats and ending biodiversity
loss. All of these efforts in combination will help ensure that livelihoods are preserved for those
that depend directly on forests and other ecosystems, that biodiversity will thrive, and that the
benefits of these natural resources will be enjoyed for generations to come.

The indicators captured include:

i. Forest area as a proportion of total land area;
ii. Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by
protected areas;
iii. Red list index.

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide
access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

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Targets: These targets envisage peaceful and inclusive societies based on respect for human rights,
the rule of law, good governance at all levels, and transparent, effective and accountable
institutions. Many countries still face protracted violence and armed conflict, and far too many
people are poorly supported by weak institutions and lack access to justice, information and other
fundamental freedoms.

The indicators captured as part of this baseline study include:

i. Number of victims of international homicide per 100,000 population;
ii. Un-sentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population;
iii. Proportion of seized small arms and light weapons that are recorded and traced, in
accordance with international standards and legal instruments;
iv. Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget by sector
(or by budget codes or similar), by sector and year;
v. Proportion of children among detected victims of trafficking in persons, by sex;
vi. Estimated proportion of children under 5 whose births were registered;

Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for
Sustainable Development.

Targets: By 2030, Agenda requires a revitalized and enhanced global partnership that mobilizes
all available resources from governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations
system and other actors. Increasing support to developing countries, particularly the LDCs,
landlocked developing countries and Small Island Developing States is fundamental to equitable
progress for all.

The indicators captured include:

i. Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP;
ii. Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes;
iii. Volume of remittances (in US$) as a proportion of total GDP;
iv. Debt service as a proportion of total exports of goods and services;
v. Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least
developed countries;
vi. Proportion of individuals using the Internet.

Sources/References

Alamu, O. (2017). Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria: What Role(s) for Nigeria’s
Indigenous Languages? European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational
Sciences, 5(4), 1 - 13

Brundtland (1987). Our Common Feature: The World Commission on Environment and
Sustainable Development. The United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Sustainable Development (WCED).

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Oladeji, S. I. (2018). An Appraisal of Planning for Sustainable Development in Nigeria. Ife Social
Sciences Review. Journal of The Faculty of Social Sciences (Special Issue), 1 – 17.

Ojeyinka, T. A. (2018). Institutional Quality, Economic Growth and Poverty Level in Nigeria. Ife
Social Sciences Review. Journal of The Faculty of Social Sciences (Special Issue), 119 –
132.

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992. Centre for our Common Future, Geneva,
Switzerland.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator Baseline Report for Nigeria (2016).

Summary of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
GOAL 4: Quality Education
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 13: Climate Action
GOAL 14: Life Below Water
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal