“193 world leaders [have] agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030. Our governments have a plan to save our planet…it’s our job to make sure they stick to it. The Global Goals are only going to work if we fight for them and you can’t fight for your rights if you don’t know what they are. We believe the Goals are only going to be completed if we can make them famous.” The United Nations
Many a summit has passed for climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development etc. and often I have been left feeling a little underwhelmed. I have seen targets agreed by powerful leaders who almost seem to forget them as soon as they leave the chamber. So when the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Summit came and went I was pleasantly surprised.
Here were 17 easily identifiable goals that normal people were talking about. Young people were tweeting about them, the radio show that I listen to that is not at all focused on current affairs held a discussion on them, students at Fresher’s Fairs were using them to promote their societies aims. This Global Goals seemed to capture people’s imagination and spur them into action.
Over a year on the message is still going although perhaps not as loudly as it was when they had just launched. This is where we come in. As part of my role as sustainability assistant I will be looking at how we can use the Global Goals as a tool to help students and staff engage in sustainability and how the University of Kent is contributing to help realise these goals.
So, what are the goals?
To raise awareness of the UN Global Goals we would like you to join in by taking a simple photograph.
As an individual there may be a goal you particularly want to support. As a group there may be a goal that you can contribute to.
Be as creative as you like and send your photos to em552@kent.ac.uk. The photos will be added to this blog and on twitter under #UniKentGlobalGoals
