Friday, 26 September 2014

Loving Truth and Peace--9

LTP and SDGs
LTP is foundational for the fulfillment of the SDGs

The Age of Sustainable Development
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PTbo4ZSW0

We are right in the middle, as the world community via the UN,  of formulating and negotiating the Post 2015 Agenda for sustainable development. What will be the agreed-upon goals, targets, and indicators that will take us to 2030? The Open Working Groups Outcome Document from July 2014 is the main reference point for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are emerging, building upon the previous efforts, especially the lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Central to the upcoming SDGs is the massive effort to eradicate poverty in all its forms, prioritizing both people and the planet, and doing so by integrating the SDG’s social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

What’s next? Heading towards the SDGs in 2015
The next major step in the SDG process is the UN Secretary General's Synthesis Report due in November 2014. Here are some of the recent and upcoming events related to the SDGs, for reference (source: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/beyond2015-overview.shtml)

In the lead up to the summit in September 2015 where world leaders are expected to gather to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, the Secretary-General and UN System will keep supporting UN Member States as intergovernmental deliberations continue. Results from consultations, key reports and other processes in 2014 will feed into the Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report, which is expected by the end of 2014. The Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report will be presented to Member States to set the stage for negotiations leading up to the September 2015 summit.

·         High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (September 2014)
·         Special Session to Follow Up Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (September 2014)
·         Report of the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development (2014)
·         The Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report (2014)
·         World Economic Forum (January 2015)
·         Commission on the Status of Women [Beijing+20] (March 2015)
·         Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (April 2015)
·         Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 (July 2015)
·         Third International Conference on Financing for Development (July 2015)
·         Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force Report 2015 (September 2015)”

Learning More about SDGs
One way among many to go further and deeper with the SDGs, is to participate in all or part of the free online course on sustainable development by Jeffery Sach’s et al. at the Earth Institute, Columbia University. We have included the introductory video lecture (11 minutes) at the beginning of this entry but you can watch the shorter course overview/promo too (five minutes) called, “The Age of Sustainable Development.” As you will see, the in-depth focus on sustainable development is not seen simply as the faddish-flavor of the month but rather as the main course for this century!

How does LTP (loving truth and peace) relate to the SDGs (sustainable development goals?  
We as humanity must love (highly esteem and sacrificially commit to): truth (honestly reviewing and acknowledging the world situation with its problems, injustices, in equities, etc. along with monitoring our progress in and responsibilities for improving the world) and peace (holistic wellbeing and harmony for all people and all nations—security, prosperity, development). Loving truth and peace for me is thus the foundational value and commitment  as I seek to do my part in the SDGs.

Some Questions
Are the SDGs actually achievable or just aspirational?
What types of major shifts are needed to see them realized?
What are humanity’s strengths and weaknesses in trying to accomplish the SDGs?
What can we learn from past efforts?
What are the core values that underlie the SDGs?

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