Attainment of 2030 SDGs under Threat, Group Raises the Alarm

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A non-governmental organisation, the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), has raised alarm that the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda by 2030 is under threat.

The BBYDI also called for collaborative efforts among the world economies to ensure the attainment of the goals.

Speaking in Ilorin yesterday on the sideline of this year’s United Nations General Assembly and Global Week of Action, the Executive Director of the BBDYI, Mr. Abidden Olasupo, explained that the attainment of the SDGs is under threat due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olasupo said: “Although the pandemic was also a test of our resolve, it showed how much work still needed to be done.

“Today, there is still a myriad of issues facing the global community. The recent floods in Pakistan; the war in Ukraine, the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, and many others, are sufficient reasons to strive for a sustainable world.

“We need all hands-on deck to achieve a more peaceful and just society where every life is protected and our planet cared for.

“The COVID-19 pandemic pushed humanity’s resilience to the limit and continues to have vast impacts on the lives of people and the wider social, economic and environmental fabric of our world.

“Hundreds of millions of people lost their jobs and income and were pushed into poverty and these events have shone a glaring light on the persistent and underlying injustices and inequalities of our societies.”

He added that “we need to transform a system that is no longer fit for purpose, flip the script and re-imagine our planet as our shared home, respecting the rights of all people and the natural world.

“The recovery must leave no one behind… there is still time to deliver sustainable development within the Decade of Action… if leaders in each country act for Peace, Climate and Justice.”

Olasupo noted that “now is the time to step back from armed conflicts and militarism must be reduced around the world.”

He called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russian forces, and stressed the need to phase the removal of all sanctions according to an agreed timeline.

Olasupo also called for a global commitment from states to reduce military expenditures and to shift these funds to address the shortfall in financing for the achievement of Agenda 2030 commitments, such as on social protection and clean energy.