SDGs: Why are they so important?

Blog by- Aditi Jha

Edited by- Rakesh Raushan

What is SDG?

SDG stands for sustainable development goals. Launched in 2015, SDG is a set of 17 goals and 169 targets aiming at ending problems faced by society by 2030. It is said to be a ‘blueprint to attain a better future and more sustainable development. SDGs were set up by the United Nations General assembly. It can only accomplish when everyone must be aware of it. The main motive is to create a better future for all. It is not a single body duty, but all of us, governments, businesses, civil societies, and the general public have to work together to achieve this goal.

All of these 17 goals are listed below:-

1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
10. Reduced inequality
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace and justice strong institutions
17. Partnerships to achieve the goal

These goals were a crucial part of the project “The world’s largest lesson”, a program in partnership with UNICEF. Many world organizations are supporting this goal. Small and big businesses are contributing according to their will.

Why is awareness necessary?

Here are some researched data that shows how many people are aware of the goals:

• 74% of adults globally are aware of SDGs.
• Great Britain and Japan are the countries that rank lowest in terms of their familiarity with SDGs.
• The top-ranked goals among all SDGs are related to humane human needs, including zero hunger, clean water, and good health. People are the future of the world.

We have talked enough about what SDG is, now think about why we need these goals for a better world.

Some facts will wrench your heart. Then we would know why we need this. Because when we are in our comfort zone, we become careless about what others are going through, what problems people are facing in society. But when we go through the same or even take a look at them, we understand their pain. Then we understand the need for SDGs for a better world. Why do SDGs lead to sustainable development?

So have a look at what the world is facing right now and feel their pain:

• Every day, more than 1 billion people live in extreme poverty. They hardly earn $1.25 a day.
• Globally, eight men have as much wealth as 3.5 billion poorest people.
• According to a survey in 2017, 750 million went to bed hungry every night.

These were only a few of them. If we look around, there are thousands of such problems that people face every day. And we refuse to notice it.

On one side, we invite hundreds of people to a wedding where a large amount of food is wasted every time while on the other side, many people hardly eat one bread per day due to lack of food.

Wouldn’t it be great if we can do simple marriage? Instead of wasting food, we feed the poor? This small step can help nations to achieve SDGs.

Only criticizing the government will do no good. Instead, we should take a small step towards this. That small step can bring a lot of change in society.

How do businesses or startups contribute to SDGs?

Contributing by a professional to SDGs are categorize into five ways:

Education: it is the most basic yet most powerful tool that can change the world. If you are having people working with you, the first thing to do is make them educated. You can include SDGs within the process to make them aware. Then they can contribute to it. Education is the best gift one can give. It not only includes technical knowledge, but soft skills play a vital role. That is the vision of the founder of LetUsLead, Rakesh Roshan. He wants to contribute to SDGs by making society educated. Not only in technical fields but also in soft skills.

Start fundraising: this can be a great way to contribute to SDGs. We can help to fulfill poverty goals by donating money. It can be a great start.

Promote volunteering: one can also volunteer in a company’s programs. It increases your impact and is a great way to build skills and corporate responsibility.

Do more good by doing less harm: it is the best way to contribute. If someone does no good towards it, then they can at least stop harming the nation. If we cannot help others, we should not hurt them either. If we would stop wasting food, water, and other vital things, then there would be no need to conduct campaigns.

Use your connections to empower others: connections can be helpful to impact a large number of people. If we are doing some campaigns, the connections can be a convenient way to expand our network and goal. One single person can not change the world, but together they can bring a lot of change. In LetUsLead, we are doing nothing but building our connections from different parts of the country.

How LetUsLead is helping the nation towards SDGs?

It does not matter if it is a very high-profile company or a small startup. The only thing that matters is their dedication. If they are determined to change the world, no one can stop them. LetUsLead was started with this motive only, to bring the change. It is nurturing young minds to get hold of the future. The way it is working for SDGs is unique. The world where everyone is running behind bookish and technical knowledge is bringing change by training future leaders. When it is about running the system or bring a change, your technical skill will be of no use. The only thing that will come into use is your soft skills. With this determination, LetUsLead is training people to excel in soft skills. It is also creating an impact on SDGs by making future leaders. It is proving these skills at a price that no one can imagine. It creates consequences on poverty goals.

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