SDGs/POST 2030 Agenda: Rising Global Tensions and Insecurity, A Journey To Nowhere

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It is over a year now that world leaders gathered in New York -- September 25th 2015 -- to propose a 17-goal agenda with 69 components aimed at ending poverty, to protect the planet and as well, ensure prosperity for all.

The United Nations referred to these goals as goals that will “Transform Our World” within the next fifteen years which is expected to end in 2030.

These goals include no to poverty; zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities and communities.

Others are responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships for the goals.

These set goals are to build upon the gains of the MDGs. They are achievable if we collectively play our part towards the actualisation of them. However, the slow global economic growth, rising political tensions across the globe, unending wars in Syria, provocations from South Korea, terrorist attacks in Europe, gun violence in America, Boko Haram/Biafra/Niger-Delta crisis in Nigeria and many more are the hindering factors that may affect the actualisation of these goals.

Except urgent actions are speedily taken to address and arrest the ugly incidents going on globally, the situation at hand would become more worrisome and gradually reversing some of the gains and achievements of the MDGs.

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The numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are becoming alarming and now on the rise on a daily basis due to human factors and natural disasters; these have rendered most people homeless, slipped many back into poverty, increase rural-urban migration and violent crime rates.

It will be recalled that after the post-MDGs' 15-year plan, the success recorded include the lifting of about 1 billion people out of extreme poverty, about 137 million got enrolled in primary schools, 59 million deaths from diseases like malaria and tuberculosis have also been prevented. These and many more gave hope for the “Transformation of our world” but the above mentioned impediments need to be tackled without further delay. If not, things might go out of hand and may go from bad to worse, either in America, Europe, Asia or Africa.

There is now an urgent need to review the remote causes of issues raised so far. From my own point of view, they are caused by politics and only a genuine and sincere political solutions are required and quick action would possibly provide positive outcome.

The whole goals will amount to a journey to nowhere if proper measures are not taking.

In order to move forward, they is need for the democratisation of the UN Security Council and also the convocation of International Conference on Peace. More so, there should be a sincere call for seize fire and hostilities in all flashpoint areas of the world. The American Foreign Policy on democracy promotion and also the occupation of Palestine should be reviewed.

Opinion contributed by Sheyi Babaeko, a social commentator, policy analyst and counter-terrorism strategist with an MA, in Conflict, Development and Security from the School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, U.K.
 
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