Research for Sustainable Development

While international poverty ratios have fallen by more than half since 2000, at the end of 2015 almost every tenth person worldwide lived in households with incomes of less than 1.90 US dollars a day for each individual. Considerable progress was achieved in many countries of East and Southeast Asia but up to 42 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa still lives below the poverty line.

Guaranteeing a healthy life and promoting well-being at every age are essential for sustainable development. Significant progress has been made with raising life expectancy and reducing infant and maternal mortality but reaching the goal of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 calls for improvements in trained reproductive health-care services

While the Millennium Development Goals (including the equality of girls and boys in primary schools) brought global progress in gender equality and women’s empowerment, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in all parts of the world.

Energy is of vital importance for almost every major challenge today. Whether it is a matter of jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing income, access to energy is essential for everyone. Working towards this goal is particularly important as it is linked to other sustainable development goals. Prioritising universal access to energy, high energy efficiency and the greater use of renewable energies through new economic and employment opportunities is of pivotal significance for creating more sustainable and inclusive communities, and as well as resilience regarding environmental questions such as climate change.

Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy, as well as information and communication technology – are key to sustainable development and the bolstering of communities in many countries. It has long been known that investing in infrastructure is necessary in order to raise productivity and income, and also to improve health and educational outcomes.

Cities are hubs for ideas, trade, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. Cities have, in the best case, enable people to develop socially and economically. As the number of people living in cities is to rise to 5 billion by 2030 it is important for efficient urban planning and management practices to be available in order to meet the challenges of urbanisation.

Climate change today affects every country on all continents. It impacts negatively on national economies and the life of every individual, for which people, communities and countries are already paying the price and will do so in future. Weather conditions are changing, the sea level is rising, there are more and more extreme weather events and greenhouse emissions are today reaching the highest levels in history. Without appropriate action, the average surface temperature of the world will probably top 3 degrees Celsius in this century. The poorest and most vulnerable people will be hardest hit.

Forests cover 30.7 percent of the Earth’s surface and provide not only food security and protective areas – they are also of key importance for combating climate change, protecting biological diversity and for indigenous population groups. By protecting the forests we will also be able to intensify the management of natural resources and increase soil productivity.

A successful Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. These inclusive partnerships, based on shared principles, values and a common vision along shared goals putting people and the planet at the centre, are necessary at the global, regional, national and local level.