One of the most important meetings of our generation is happening at the United Nations today.
New Goals for a New Era
Over 15 years ago the Member States of the United Nations convened to establish the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Eight goals were created in an attempt to eradicate poverty, promote gender equality, achieve universal primary education, and so on. Progress has been made on every single one of the goals; for example, the number of individuals living in poverty (less than $1.25 a day) was cut in half between 1990 and 2015. Also, enrollment in primary education within the developing world is over 90% with the global youth literacy rate increasing to 91%. However, not all of the goals were met and the MDGs are set to expire by the end of 2015.
Therefore, over 193 world leaders have decided to convene in the UN today to agree upon a new set of 17 Global Goals to be adopted by the international community and completed by 2030. These new goals look to accomplish three primary objectives: the eradication of poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and fixing climate change. These goals have been referred to as the the Sustainable Development Goals and they have received a lot of attention. Check out this video posted on the globalgoals.org website:
What does this mean for the Model UN community?
These new goals will have a direct impact on the topics, solutions, and discussions within the Model UN community over the next fifteen years. The more you know about the SDGs now the better prepared you will be as a delegate, teacher, and global citizen. Therefore we are encouraging everyone to learn more, talk to your friends and family, and be a part of the conversation.
What should I do?
The new SDGs will have a major impact on the entire world throughout the coming years. You can familiarize yourself with the issues and learn more by going this website: http://www.globalgoals.org. You can also help spread the word by visiting this page and following the instructions: http://www.globalgoals.org/tell-everyone/.
Please join the discussion below by posting a comment and tell us your thoughts on what these new goals are, what they will mean for the next fifteen years, and how they will impact the Model UN community.
Keep a look out this Model UN season for more posts on the SDGs!
