The Sustainable Development Goals

The environmental status of the earth is being depleted exponentially every day, from the hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic, the depletion / overuse of natural resources, and the diminishing biodiversity among other examples. There is thus a need for countries all around the world to practice sustainable development. The idea of sustainable development came about first in the year 1987 by The World Commission on Environment and Development. Sustainable development is defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability to meet the needs of the future generations. Sustainable Development is one which has become a very talked about topic in the society today. To achieve sustainability there

The Sustainable Development Goals, otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call of action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs came into effect in January 2016, and they will continue to guide UNDP policy and funding for the next 15 years. As the lead UN development agency, UNDP is uniquely placed to help implement the Goals through work in some 170 countries and territories. These 17 Goals will build and expand on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. Although there are seventeen SDGs this paper will only focus on SDG 1 which is, No Poverty in the country of Jamaica along with its matching MDG 1. The eradication of poverty in all its form is still one of the greatest challenges faced by humanity and is one that lingers in Jamaica. Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. The Millennium Development Goal 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) had three targets: (1) To halve by 2015 the

After 2007 however, setbacks due to the global recession and the consequent social and economic impact on Jamaica led to a rise in the prevalence of poverty. In 2008 the poverty rate stood at 12.3%, 16.5% in 2009, 17.6% in 2010 and has been increasing ever since then. Although the poverty reduction initiatives that were used to eliminate this poverty proved partly successful up to 2007, the unstable economy of Jamaica during the recession was what reversed the progress that was made. The global recession also had a negative impact on target two, when Jamaica recorded a slippage in meeting its target for MDG 1 due to the unemployment rate being at 12.4% in 2010 when it moved from 10.6% in 2008 and 11.4% in 2009. The slippage of Jamaica meeting its targets continued, and in 2012, 19.9% of Jamaicans were living below the poverty line which was 4.3% higher than what was required to achieve MDG