September 25, 2015

One small step for the UN, one giant leap for mankind

editor:	Ama Lorenz

Today, 193 world leaders will commit to 17 Global Goals to achieve 3 extraordinary things in the next 15 years: end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, fix climate change. This commitment is accompanied by a global campaign to raise awareness of the new agenda. And it is going to become a huge campaign. Already now are celebrities as Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Robert Pattinson and organizations as action/2015 or the Liverpool FC are on board to support the campaign.

In this year's July the UN published a report on the Millennium Development Goals in which some of the successful activities are highlighted. The number of people now living in extreme poverty has declined by more than half, falling from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015; or over 6.2 million malaria deaths have been averted between 2000 and 2015 (see also fairplanet's dossier on malaria). But still, there is so much to change.

Yesterday, before the SDGs are formally adopted in New York, more than 2,000 organizations hold events in over 100 countries calling for leaders to commit fully to the new development agenda.

It is a very ambitious goal to half the global poverty within the next 15 years. But it is also more than necessary. Many conflicts, the recent refugee situation or global climate changes are connected to the conditions under which people around the globe suffer from poverty. What often started as a vision turned out to be a social change. So, it is the first step the governments do today. Let's hope it becomes an active commitment to the mankind.

Read more on fairplanet:
CHANGES THAT WILL MAKE – OR BREAK – THE WORLD IN 2015