Sargodha: University of Sargodha organized a seminar to raise awareness among youth about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically in the context of socioeconomic and environmental issues in Pakistan such as climate change, acute unemployment, ultra poverty and institutional development.
The seminar titled ‘Sustainable Development Goals: A Journey from MDGs to SDGs’ was organized by the Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), Sargodha University.
On the occasion, a renowned social worker and scholar, Irfan Mufti, while talking about placing the MDGs/SDGs in the heart of development, informed that agenda of Millennium Development Goals was signed in September 2000 by over 191 nations, committing to a series of targets including poverty and hunger eradication, achieving universal primary education, reduce child mortality, ensure environment sustainability and others.
However, he added, “By the end of 2015, 40% of world population was living on 94% of world income and the remaining portion was living on only 6% of world income; 16,000 children were dying of hunger every day; climate crisis were deepening further; and 1.55 billion world population increased.”
Given the situation, the world adopted SDGs which are a universal set of 17 goals with 169 targets which all UN member states are expected to use in framing their national development agenda, he said, adding that the initiative was taken when the world felt that problems of the undeveloped countries are affecting the whole world and need involvement of the developed countries to solve them.
The SDGs goals include no 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, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions and partnerships for the goals.
Sensitizing the audience about growing food shortage and hunger, he said that threats of hunger and ultra-poverty are haunting the world as the world population will increase by 50% from 7 billion to 10 billion until 2050 and it would became almost impossible to meet the food-needs of the world.
In the wake of the failure of MDGs in not only Pakistan but most of the global south, Mufti noted that it is the time for Pakistan and many other least developed countries to work hard for achieving SDGs so the agonies of people living in these countries can be lessen.
He urged the youth to vote for capable representatives and make them accountable by raising voices for the individual as well as collective rights and overall development of the society. “Without addressing the issue of bad-governance, dream of achieving development cannot come true,” Mufti added.
In concluding remarks, the Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad stressed the role of youth hailing from middle class or lower middle class in fulfilling SDGs and its targets in Pakistan.
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