Published on 07 Apr 2025
Sustainable development was first defined in the World Commission on Environment and Development's 1987 Brundtland report 'Our common future' as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'
Sustainable Development Report 2023
The Sustainable Development Report often examines countries using a variety of measures connected with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The economic growth, social inclusion, environmental protection, and governance are just a few of the aspects of sustainable development that are covered by these indicators.
Key Highlights of the SDG Summit 2023
Commitment to 2030 Agenda: Members reaffirmed their commitment to fully implementing the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs to safeguard everyone's rights and well-being for a sustainable future, despite obstacles like poverty and displacement.
Acknowledging Funding Gap: The annual SDG budget shortfall, which was USD 2.5 trillion prior to the epidemic, has now increased to a projected USD 4.2 trillion.
Multilateral Actions and Debt Swaps: To boost SDG implementation, the leaders asked all creditors to take multilateral initiatives and coordinate, with an emphasis on increasing Debt Swaps for SDGs, such as climate and nature-related debt swaps.
Impact of Covid-19: The declaration stated that the SDGs have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially in the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries.
Addressing the Finance Challenge: A focus on the effective use of all financial flows—public and private—for sustainable development, the leaders emphasized the significance of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) in accomplishing the 2030 Agenda.
Concerns Related to Progress in SDG
Resource Scarcity: Increased demand is placed on limited natural resources including water, land, energy, and minerals by growing populations, urbanization, and industrialization.
Lack of Progress and Commitment: Despite agreements, progress toward reaching the 169 targets that make up the 17 SDGs is only 15%, with some areas regressing.
Challenges in Policy Implementation: A lack of integration and defined objectives makes policy implementation inconsistent and misaligned, which makes it difficult to meet targets for renewable energy and small-scale applications.
Poverty and Hunger: Millions of people worldwide continue to live in extreme poverty, face hunger, and experience food insecurity despite efforts to reduce poverty.
Example: According to UNDP, roughly five out of six poor people live in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia: 534 million (47.8 percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa and 389 million (34.9 percent) in South Asia.
Climate Change: The world's ecosystems, economy, and means of subsistence are at peril from rising temperatures, harsh weather, rising sea levels, and shifting precipitation patterns.
Way Forward
Inclusive and Equitable Development: Consider social justice, equity, and inclusivity a top priority in development initiatives to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized groups are included and empowered.
Green Transition: Encourage a fair and sustainable shift to resource-efficient, low-carbon, circular economies that limit harm to the environment, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and promote green growth.
Policy Coherence and Governance: Ascertain policies are integrated, coherent, and aligned across sectors and governmental levels to incorporate sustainable development into national development plans and goals.
Data and Monitoring: To track progress, monitor, and identify gaps and emerging issues in the implementation of sustainable development, strengthen the mechanisms for data collecting, monitoring, and evaluation.
Partnerships and Collaboration: To mobilize resources, share information, and put solutions into action, promote multi-stakeholder partnerships, collaboration, and cooperation at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
India’s performance in achieving Sustainable Development
A recent study assesses India’s progress on 33 welfare indicators, covering 9 SDGs and the results are mixed.
Positive trends: 14 of the 33 SDGs, including those pertaining to full vaccination, better sanitation, electricity access, and neonatal and under-five mortality, are indications that India is "On-Target" to meet.
Concerning trends: The current rate of improvement is insufficient to meet targets for 19 out of the 33 SDG indicators. Despite the national policy drive for clean fuel for cooking, 479 districts, or more than two thirds, are still classified as "Off-Target."
Heightened concern: No district has been able to completely eradicate the custom of marrying girls before they reach the legal age of 18. Just 56% of women in India report owning a mobile phone, despite the country's overall rise in mobile phone access (93% of households).
Environment
Sustainable development
Climate change
SDG
General Studies Paper 3
Environment and Climate Change