Striving for People Planet and Peace 2018
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Striving for People, Planet and Peace 2018 Report of the Joint Media Project Credits The news articles, analyses and opinions in this report were published between April 2017 and March 2018 in IDN-InDepthNews (www.indepthnews.net), flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate Group www.international-press-syndicate.org. These were posted on the SGI-INPS project website www.sdgsforall.net, and can be accessed freely. Copyright © International Press Syndicate Japan. Publishers: The International Press Syndicate Group and The Global Cooperation Council Marienstr. 19-20, D -10117 Berlin Global Coordinator | Editor-in-Charge: Ramesh Jaura Project Director: Katsuhiro Asagiri, President International Press Syndicate (INPS) Japan Ichimura bldg. 4F, 3-2 Kanda Ogawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 101-0052 Design: Tharanga Yakupitiyage For further information on creative commons Cover Image: SDG Wheel Back Cover Image: SDG Poster licenses used refer to Credit: United Nations Department of Public Credit: United Nations Department of Public https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ Information, United Nations, S-1018, New York, Information, United Nations, S-1018, New York, NY 1001, USA NY 1001, USA Preface This Report of the Joint Media Project of the Soka Gakkai Inter- forms of poverty. The new Goals are national (SGI) and the International Press Syndicate (INPS) Group unique in that they call for action by is a compilation of independent and in-depth news and analyses all countries, poor, rich and mid- by IDN from April 2017 to March 2018. dle-income to promote prosperity IDN-InDepthNews, online since 2009, is a flagship agency of the while protecting the planet. They INPS Group and its partner, the Global Cooperation Council es- recognize that ending poverty must tablished in February 1983. go hand-in-hand with strategies that The articles in this complication appeared on www.indepthnews. build economic growth and address- net in the main category Sustainability and on the INPS Group’s es a range of social needs including thematic website ‘SDGS for All – www.sdgsforall.net. These can be education, health, social protection, accessed free of charge 365 days a year. and job opportunities, while tackling 2017-2018 is the second year of the INPS Group’s media proj- climate change and environmental ect with the SGI, a lay Buddhist organization with headquarters protection. Credit: CTBTO in Tokyo. But IDN has been a party to the previous joint projects While the SDGs are not legally binding, governments are ex- April 2014-March 2015 and April 2015-March 2016 – on ‘Education pected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for for Global Citizenship’ and ‘Fostering Global Citizenship’ respec- the achievement of the 17 Goals. Countries have the primary tively – as the result of an agreement between the precursor of the responsibility for follow-up and review of the progress made in International Press Syndicate (INPS) Japan and the SGI. implementing the Goals, which will require quality, accessible and We are pleased that at the time of writing these lines, we are timely data collection. Regional follow-up and review will be based already in the third year of the INPS Group’s ‘SDGs for All’ joint on national-level analyses and contribute to follow-up and review media project with the SGI. at the global level. This compilation comprises 50 articles analyzing developments I would like to avail of this opportunity to express my gratitude related to sustainable development on the whole and its 17 Goals to the network of our correspondents around the world for their with 169 targets at multiple levels – governmental, intergovern- insightful contributions, the Project Director, INPS Japan President mental and non-governmental. Some of the articles have been Katsuhiro Asagiri for his valuable support in implementing the translated into several European and non-European languages. project, and the SGI for the trusted and professional partnership. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agen- Sincere thanks also to Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, Secretary-General of da for Sustainable Development – adopted by world leaders in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States for tak- September 2015 at an historic UN Summit – officially came into ing the time to write a Foreword and Mr Kazuo Ishiwatari, force on January 2016. With these new Goals that universally apply Executive Director, Peace and Global Issues, Soka Gakkai to all, countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, International (SGI), for sending his message. fight inequalities and tackle climate change, over meanwhile in the next thirteen years, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Ramesh Jaura The SDGs, also known as Global Goals, build on the Millenni- Director-General of the INPS Group and Editor-in-Chief um Development Goals (MDGs) and aim to go further to end all of its flagship agency IDN Foreword The ACP Group of States, established by the Georgetown Agree- Credit: UN Photo/ ment on 6 June 1975, consists of 79 developing countries com- Amanda Voisard posed of 48 from Sub-Sharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific/Oceania region, accounting for a population of more than one billion persons. Within the ACP are 40 of the 48 of the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 37 Small Island De- veloping States (SIDS) and all 15 Land Locked developing Coun- tries (LLDCs) of Africa. These numerically significant constituents of the Global South have exercised decisive influence globally, as for instance, in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) defending the Doha Devel- opment Agenda with the principle of Special and Differential Treatment (SDT). And moreover, within the G90, the ACP’s role as catalyst and advocate was widely applauded when at the WTO ing force in adopting measures to end poverty. Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia in 2013, a Trade Facilita- While universal in ambition and intention, there are specific tion Agreement was adopted. demands, interests and stages of development of the 79 More recently, the UNFCCC of the 2015 Paris Agreement on member states of the ACP; and their organisation into Re- Climate Change was forcefully enabled by the so-called “Ambi- gional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Integra- tion Coalition” in which the ACP’s 79 and principally, the European tion Organisations (RIOs) also warrant attention by develop- Union’s 28 Member States joined forces to achieve today’s most ment activities and through political dialogue and advocacy far-reaching treaty-based agreement to save Planet Earth. from the national to regional, continental and global levels. These historical global engagements by the ACP provide a sub- At each level, actions taken by programmes or projects and stantial foundation rooted in its 43-year old Partnership agreement policy debates are grounded in the principle that poverty with the European Union, from 1975 in Lomé and then for the 20- eradication can only be achieved by structural transforma- year period from 2000 at Cotonou, Benin, for a continuing strug- tion of our economies. gle in the fight against poverty. This entails how the productive resources of society are The UN Agenda 2030 and SDGs opens a new era for a reposi- organised (an agriculture sector and food security – SDG 2) tioned ACP Group to continue and deepen its decisive role in with the benefit of investment capital to move up commod- supporting all ACP member states to achieve the 17 SDGs as the ity or mineral value chains enabling income and jobs to be basis for the Sustainable Development of their societies and our created in sectors that historically relied mainly on exports only home we have for humanity. of primary products. In this way, the productive sectors are ACP’s Integrated approach to SDG Implementation oriented to generate income for individuals and the State so The basis and raison d’étre of the ACP is development and this that social services are improved. As a corollary, healthy lives implies “ending poverty in all its forms everywhere” (SDG #1). The (SDG3) are necessary for productivity in the economy and unity and solidarity on which the ACP is founded provides a unify- this requires inclusive and equitable quality education that Foreword promotes life-long learning opportunities (SDG 4). These ac- engagement at the global level. In this regard, a limited number of tivities are related to economic growth, full employment and specific SDGs constitute our concentrated efforts, but linkages are decent jobs (SDG 8) from which better social services can be made to ensure complementarity and a cumulative impact of our provided. But in these and related activities a cross-cutting programme interventions. theme has to be “gender equality” (SDG5). The thematic areas being addressed include Climate Change, To address specific SDGs it is helpful to align those on the in which a Global Climate Change Alliance II of Euro 70 million is social aspects of sustainable development, as for instance, being programmed and implementation will mainly be undertaken SDG 2 on ending hunger, achieving food security and im- through the African Union and RECs/RIOs. A major aspect of this proved nutrition, with SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and engagement is to support the implementation of the Paris Agree- promote well-being for all at all ages. None of this economic ment. transformation can take place without the attention to the Related to Climate Change will be our continuing work on heavy investment in affordable, reliable, sustainable and Oceans & Seas in which a broad spectrum of activities are ongo- modern energy (SDG 7) that relies on a resilient infrastruc- ing on such issues as Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) ture to promote sustainable industrialisation in the driving fishing, marine pollution but also advancing fisheries management force has to be innovation (SDG 9).