SDGs and need for more proactive media engagement

The SDGs are universal, time-bound, and legally non-binding policy objectives agreed upon by governments. They come close to prescriptive international standards but are generally more specific, and they can be highly ambitious. The overarching UN programme "2030 Agenda" presented the SDGs in 2015 as a "supremely ambitious and transformative vision" that should be accompanied by "bold and transformative steps" with "scale and ambition". The SDGs apply to all countries of the world, not just developing countries like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) did (from the year 2000 to 2015).

They target all three dimensions of sustainability and sustainable development namely the environmental, economic and social dimension. Another aspect that makes the SDGs different to the MDGs is that the development and negotiations of the SDGs were not "top down" by civil servants but were relatively open and transparent, aiming to include "bottom up" participation. The SDGs are emphasising inclusiveness in the national context and also in global governance. For the national context this means a focus also on marginalised groups that are affected by exclusion and inequalities. In terms of the global context, inclusiveness also means a special emphasis on the Least Developed Countries. At the heart of the SDGs lies the pledge of the United Nations Member States to Leave No One Behind. (abbreviated as LNOB).

The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty SDG-1, Zero hungerSDG-2, , Good health and well-being SDG-3, Quality education SDG-4, Gender equality SDG-5, Clean water and sanitation SDG-6, Affordable and clean energy SDG-7, Decent work and economic growth SDG-8, Industry, innovation and infrastructure SDG-9, , Reduced inequalities SDG- 10, Sustainable cities and communities SDG-11, Responsible consumption and production SDG-12, Climate action- SDG 13, Life below water SDG- 14, Life on land SDG-15, Peace, justice, and strong institutions SDG-16, and Partnerships for the goals SDG-17.

The lists of targets and indicators for each of the 17 SDGs was published in a UN resolution in July 2017. Each goal typically has eight to 12 targets, and each target has between one and four indicators used to measure progress toward reaching the targets, with the average of 1.5 indicators per target. The targets are either outcome targets (circumstances to be attained) or means of implementation targets. The latter targets were introduced late in the process of negotiating the SDGs to address the concern of some Member States about how the SDGs were to be achieved. Goal 17 is wholly about how the SDGs will be achieved.

The numbering system of targets is as follows: Outcome targets use numbers, whereas means of implementation targets use lower case letters. For example, SDG 6 has a total of 8 targets. The first six are outcome targets and are labeled Targets 6.1 to 6.6. The final two targets are means of implementation targets and are labeled as Targets 6.a and 6.b.

However, the connection between the means of implementation with outcomes is not well proven.

Guillaume Lafortune, has pointed out that the number one obstacle to SDG progress is "increasing conflicts around the world. In addition to their significant humanitarian and environmental impacts, they also distract attention and resources away from sustainable development. Also, for many developing countries, the lack of fiscal space is the major obstacle to SDG progress. Roughly half the world's population lives in countries that cannot invest adequately in sustainable development due to debt burdens and a lack of access to affordable, long-term capital. Global public goods are vastly underfinanced." Overall, rich countries outperform other country groupings on overall SDG performance and life satisfaction, but they have also outsourced numerous negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts abroad.

Lafortune has also emphasised that the "UN Member States gathering at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville, Spain (June 30 - July 3, 2025), have an enormous responsibility, not only to their own citizens but to all of humanity."

European countries who continue to top the Index as the top-performing countries are Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, respectively. The fastest progress recorded since 2015 is in East and South Asian countries, with Nepal, Cambodia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Mongolia showing the most SDG improvement. On commitment to multilateralism, Barbados leads in UN-based multilateralism commitment, while the United States ranks last for the second year in a row.

There have also been significant disparities in SDG progress across countries. Globally, Benin, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, and Uzbekistan have progressed the fastest on the SDG Index since 2015. By contrast, Afghanistan, Algeria, the Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela, and Yemen have stagnated or experienced reversals in progress.

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has emphasised that "amid rising geopolitical tensions, widening global inequalities, and the escalating climate crisis, this year's SDR underscores that the world overwhelmingly recognises the Sustainable Development Goals as the vital pathway to peace, equity, and well-being." Sachs, a world-renowned economist, said while many countries are making significant progress, "much more can be accomplished through stepped-up investments in education, green technologies, and digital solutions. Above all, we need peace and global cooperation to achieve the SDGs."

However, ten years since the adoption of the SDGs, progress appears to remain alarmingly off-track. The five targets showing significant reversal in progress since 2015 include obesity rate (SDG 2), press freedom (SDG 16), sustainable nitrogen management (SDG 2), the red list index (SDG 15), which shows continuing deterioration in terms of species extinction risk around the world, and the corruption perception index (SDG 16).

The five targets most on track are mobile use (SDG 9), access to electricity (SDG 7), internet use (SDG 9), under-5 mortality rate (SDG 3) and neonatal mortality (SDG 3). Nevertheless, the report finds that global commitment to SDGs remains strong.

In this context one must understand that social media has been playing a prominent role in also achieving the Sustainable Development Goals primarily set in 2015 by United Nations Members.

One major role it has been playing is building awareness among the netizens about the goals objective and target criteria of achieving them by 2030. Most importantly, the users of social media can now be connected through online campaigns and other promotional activities to get them onboard with the agendas of SDGs, where a large portion of the users are from young demography.

The challenges of SDGs are not easy but they are now more achievable by the target-end of 2030 -- with the help of the younger generation. For example, there are now various Facebook groups which are being run by young socialites advocating equal rights and justice regardless of gender, religion or social classes. They are continuously providing support to those who are in need of any advocacy or legal support without any fee at all.

Furthermore, there are numerous online groups that are currently helping out with regard to every aspect of 17 SDGs, such as, reducing food shortages, educating street children or creating climate change awareness within the community. All of these activities are now funded and operated by the online communities around the world. This truly displays the power of Social Media as the driving force for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by the end of this decade.

However, it seems that with the rise of citizen journalists sharing potentially interesting data on social media, the need for professional journalists is greater than ever. Social media is useful to source information, but perhaps its most useful function is community engagement. The digital age has given journalists the gift of easy, real-time intercourse with their readers, whereby readers can contribute to, comment on and help distribute a story. This enhances the connection between story and reader, allowing a community to form and engage in a two-way process with story and writer.

Objective journalism denotes the means of fair, unbiased and impartial view of any event and publishing the story with clear and precise facts and figures. This is getting more difficult nowadays as the online media universe is continuously expanding its space and journalists are bombarded with twisted facts and biased views from the online community every second.

Accountability in digital media, according to analyst McQuail, also plays a crucial part which denotes "voluntary or involuntary processes by which the media answer directly or indirectly to their society for the quality and/or consequences of publication". We need to remember that online news media has become more accessible for the audience in much greater proportion than any other media outlet in the modern-day world. As such, it is absolutely critical for any journalist to keep the report on check and balance with actual facts and publish it without any fear of online backlash from the public.

Extensive promotion of sustainable development goals through social media can also reach a mass number of people, as nowadays the world revolves around social media platforms. Consequently, social media tools can be used to spread the word about the sustainable development goals. Awareness and informative ads about good health and sanitation, quality education, gender equality etc. can be posted through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. With these ads people will know more about sustainable development goals.  Focus should be on promoting one or two specific goals at a time, and use facts and figures to teach people about the goals' importance.

Facebook's fundraiser option is also an appropriate example of social media's relationship in achieving sustainable development goals. For example, if we want to promote clean water and sanitation, we could encourage them to donate to a river cleaning initiative. Once we convince people to make public and voluntary commitments, they will feel a psychological pull to continue supporting the sustainable development goals.

Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
muhammadzamir@gmail.com