After years of debate, worldwide consultations, and tense negotiations, the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), like the Millennium Development Goals before them, have had a big influence on how the world approaches international development. It has also unavoidably influenced children’s rights advocacy by deciding which areas would get foreign donor money and greatly affecting the problems that NGOs focus on (CRIN,2015).
Though the goals are focused on long-term development, they are intrinsically tied to human rights in general and children’s rights in particular. Children are affected by all of the SDGs, whether poverty (Goal 1), hunger (Goal 2), health (Goal 3), education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5), climate change (Goal 13) or violence against children (Goal 16.2) (Ibid). Therefore, this article attempts to address various aspect of this crucial instrument which affects children’s right.
The Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations approved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, in 2015 as a global call to action to eradicate poverty, safeguard the environment, and guarantee that by 2030, everyone lives in peace and prosperity.
The 17 SDGs are interconnected, recognizing that actions in one area have an impact on outcomes in others and that development must strike a balance between social, economic, and environmental sustainability (UNDP,2015).
Countries have agreed to emphasize improvement for those who are the most disadvantaged. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to eradicate poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.
To realize the SDGs in whatever setting, all of society’s creativity, know-how, technology, and financial resources are required.
The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals. These goals are as follow (SDGS,2015);
“ Goal 1.End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”
Rights of the child and the SDGs
International children’s rights and the Sustainable Development Goals have distinct goals and objectives. The UNCRC makes states parties legally responsible for respecting, protecting, and implementing the rights of children to the fullest degree feasible. The SDGs, on the other hand, are a set of mutually agreed-upon priorities for the world community that are more tangible and practical, as well as quantifiable goals. However, The Committee on the Rights of the Child (the UN body charged with overseeing the implementation of UNCRC), in its contribution to the 2019 HLG, 1 highlights that the children’s rights and sustainable development presuppose and reinforce each other: ‘Development can constitute an enabler for children’s enjoyment of their rights by providing them with a safe and healthy environment. Integrating a child rights perspective and ensuring the participation of children as active agents of change in decisions relating to development is crucial for achieving inclusive, equitable and sustainable development’. The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) defends a similar view: ‘children’s rights cannot be realized without the successful implementation of the SDGs and vice versa’. The 2017 Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underlines the need to integrate children’s rights into the implementation of all SDGs, since they are all directly or indirectly relevant for children’s wellbeing and human development (EU Parliament, 2019).
Also, The UN-HCHR report identifies several priorities for aligning the SDGs’ implementation with the rights of the child: ending violence, exploitation and abuse of children, and fighting gender equality (in line with the general comment No 13 (2011) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child); addressing childhood poverty (‘as it is damaging to development outcomes and can lead to the lifelong denial of multiple rights’); implementing Goal 3 commitments on Health and nutrition in accordance with Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and related general comments of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; and implementing targets relating to education in accordance with the principle of equal opportunity under article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a particular focus on providing girls’ access to secondary education.(Ibid) The final recommendations of the report include:
• the protection of children’s rights must take precedence in respect of all aspects of national planning, implementation and the monitoring and review process for the 2030 Agenda;
• a universal, integrated approach is needed to implement the 2030 Agenda in a manner consistent with the rights of the child, recognising the relevance of each of its 17 Goals to all children in all countries;
• delivering on the pledge that no one will be left behind and those furthest behind will be reached first; • children’s rights must be integrated as a core consideration in all programmes, policies and frameworks aimed at achieving the 2030 Agenda;
• children’s participation is crucial throughout the implementation and follow-up;
• a human rights approach is needed for data collection and monitoring.
Recommendations and Concluding Remarks
Despite academic criticism, the 2030 Agenda is strongly associated with children’s rights, which are indivisible, inalienable, and universal. Inequality, poverty, and discrimination, all of which are important to the Agenda, are intergenerational and have a substantial impact on the fulfilment of children’s rights and well-being around the world. (UN,2020). As a result, to implement the 2030 Agenda in a way that respects and promotes children’s rights, a universal, integrated approach is required, recognizing the importance of all SDGs to all children, their rights, welfare, and development in all nations at all stages of their life .
Bibliography
CRIN ,2015, “CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND THE SDGS” accessed 22 November 2021 < https://archive.crin.org/en/home/what-we-do/policy/childrens-rights-and-sdgs.html >.
UN,2020, “Child Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development” accessed 22 November 2021 < https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/26130Child_Rights_2030_Agenda_HLPF_2020.pdf >.
UNDP, 2020 “THE SDGS IN ACTION”, accessed 22 November 2021 < https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals >.
UN, 2021, “ Child Recruitment and Use”, accessed 21 November 2021 2021 < https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/six-grave-violations/child-soldiers/ >.
EU Parliament, 2019 “ Children’s rights and the UN SDGs; A priority for EU external action”, accessed 21 November 2021<https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2019/642285/EPRS_BRI(2019)642285_EN.pdf>.
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
