Abstract
Some argue that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a sequel to the Millennial Development Goals (MDGs). Others consider them a fresh new start. Referring to the work of Jan Vandemoortele, one of the co-writers of the MDGs who has remained a critical observer of the SDGs, this chapter tries to briefly analyse the history of both acronyms in order to arrive at a critical assessment of their contributions for a global social agenda, the so-called Agenda 2030. In addition to a listing of ‘successes’ it also outlines the gaps and omissions in the debate.
To make poverty history, you have to understand how history is made
The Economist, 07-07-07: 13
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agyeman, J. (2013). Introducing Just Sustainabilities. Policy, Planning and Practice. London: ZED Books.
Bali Swain, R., & Yang-Wallentin, F. (2020). Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Predicaments and Strategies. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 27(2), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2019.1692316
Ban Ki Moon. (2016). http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2016/07/restore-peoples-trustin-global-economy-by-implementing-sdgs-urges-ban/#.V5xluY78EY0
Bennett, S., Jessani, N., Glandon, D., Qiu, M., Scott, K., Meghani, A., et al. (2020). Understanding the Implications of the Sustainable Development Goals for Health Policy and Systems Research: Results of a Research Priority Setting Exercise. Global Health, 16, 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-019-0534-2
Byrne, E., Nicholson, B., & Salem, F. (2011). Information Communication Technologies and the Millennium Development Goals. Information Technology for Development, 17(1), 1–3.
Easterly, W. (2006). The White Man’s Burden. Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Books.
Farley, H., & Smith, Z. (2014). Sustainability. If It’s Everything, Is It Nothing? London: Routledge.
Flint, W. (2007). Sustainability Manifesto. Exploring Sustainability: Getting Inside the Concept. Retrieved July 21, 2015, from http://www.eeeee.net/sd_manifesto.htm
Ford, L. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals: All You Need to Know. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/19/sustainable-development-goals-united-nations
Forestier, O., & Kim, R. E. (2020). Cherry-Picking the Sustainable Development Goals: Goal Prioritization by National Governments and Implications for Global Governance. Sustainable Development, 2020, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2082
Foster, J. (2015). After Sustainability. Denial, Hope, Retrieval. London: Routledge/Earthscan.
Gouch, I. (2017). Heat, Greed and Human Need. Climate Change, Capitalism and Sustainable Wellbeing. Cheltenham: Elgar.
Gupta, V. (2020, June 3). A Simple Plan for Repairing Our Society: We Need New Human Rights, and This Is How We Get Them, Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@vinay_12336/a-simple-plan-for-repairing-our-society-we-need-new-human-rights-and-this-is-how-we-get-them-cee5d6ededa9
Hak, T., Janouskova, S., & Moldan, B. (2016). Sustainable Development Goals: A Need for Relevant Indicators. Ecological Indicators, 60, 565–573.
Horton, R. (2020). The COVID-19 Catastrophe. What’s Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again (p. 133). London: Polity Press.
Khan, D., & Khan, L. Y. (2020). Will COVID-19 Change the Global Balance of Power? IPSnews. Retrieved from http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/10/will-covid-19-change-global-balance-power/?utm_source=English+-+SDGs&utm_campaign=0a2c7878c2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_10_05_08_29_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_08b3cf317b-0a2c7878c2-4622673
Kumar Suniwar, D. (2020). What Do the SDGs Mean for the World’s Indigenous Peoples? In P. Lee & L. Vargas (Eds.), Expanding Shrinking Communication Spaces (pp. 115–123).
Lafortune, G., Woelm, F., Fuller, G., & Marks, A. (2020, July 23). The SDGs, COVID-19 and the Global South: Insights from the Sustainable Development Report 2020 IPSnews. net. Retrieved from http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/07/sdgs-covid-19-global-south-insights-sustainable-development-report-2020/?utm_source=English%20-%20SDGs&utm_campaign=e756da33e1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_20_10_46_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_08b3cf317b-e756da33e1-5552745&fbclid=IwAR3BPWLdbYFHM3NTsbfrnNUDs9OIuMcGcxgeCbTWjsGezZskWGrv9H13MXw
Lee, P., & Vargas, L. (Eds.). (2020). Expanding Shrinking Communication Spaces. Penang: Southbound.
Luers, A. (2020). The Missing SDG: Ensure the Digital Age Supports People, Planet, Prosperity & Peace. Retrieved from https://www.globalissues.org/news/2020/07/06/26585
MacBride, S. (Ed.). (1980). Many Voices, One World. Communication and Society. Today and Tomorrow. Paris: UNESCO.
Macchi, C. (2020, May 18). The SDGs and the Urgency of Human Rights in Times of Crisis. Blog. Retrieved from https://www.globalstudies.ugent.be/the-sdgs-and-the-urgency-of-human-rights-in-times-of-crisis/
Macklem, P. (2015). Human Rights in International Law: Three Generations or One? London Review of International Law, 3(1), 61–92. https://doi.org/10.1093/lril/lrv001
Maclean, K. (2015). Cultural Hybridity and the Environment. Strategies to Celebrate Local and Indigenous Knowledge. Heidelberg: Springer.
McArthur, J., & Rasmussen, K. (2018). Change of Pace: Accelerations and Advances During the Millennium Development Goal Era. World Development, 105, 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.030
Nilsson, M., Chisholm, E., Griggs, D., Howden-Chapman, P., McCollum, D., Messerli, P., et al. (2018). Mapping Interactions Between the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward. Sustain Sci, 13, 1489–1503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0604-z
Payutto, P. (1998). Sustainable Development. Bangkok: Buddhadham Foundation.
Sachs, J. D. (2012). From Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., & Lafortune, G. (2020). SDGs: Affordable and More Essential Now. Nature, 584(20), 344.
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G., & Woelm, F. (2020). The Sustainable Development Goals and COVID-19. Sustainable Development Report 2020. Lancet, 379(9832), 2206–2211.
Salsiah, A. A., Wignaraja, K., & Susantono, B. (2020a). Fast-Tracking the SDGs: Driving Asia Pacific Transformations, United Nations (ESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangkok. https://doi.org/10.22617/SPR200149-2
Salsiah, A. A., Wignaraja, K., & Susantono, B. (2020b). A Determined Path to the SDGs in 2030 Despite the COVID 19 Pandemic, IPS Newshttp://www.ipsnews.net/2020/07/determined-path-sdgs-2030-despite-covid-19-pandemic/?utm_source=English+-+SDGs&utm_campaign=f0db356886-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_27_06_30_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_08b3cf317b-f0db356886-5552745
Samarajiva, I. (2020). The Overwhelming Racism of COVID Coverage. Western Media Cannot Write Western Failure. Retrieved from https://medium.com/indica/the-overwhelming-racism-of-covid-coverage-78e37e4ce6e8
SDSN. (2015, June 2). Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. A Report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations by the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), New York, p. 233. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2013150612-FINAL-SDSN-Indicator-Report1.pdf
Sen, A. (2000). Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.
Sen, A. (2004). Cultural Liberty and Human Development. In S. Fukuda-Parr (Ed.), Human Development Report: Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World. New York: United Nations Development Programme.
Servaes, J. (1999). Communication for Development. One World, Multiple Cultures. Cresskill: Hampton Press.
Servaes, J. (2007a). Harnessing the UN system into a common approach on Communication for Development. The International Communication Gazette, 69(6), 483–507. Retrieved from http://gaz.sagepub.com
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2007b, October 25–27). Communication for Development. Making a Difference. Background Paper for the World Congress on Communication for Development, Rome.
Servaes, J. (2008). Confusion About MDGs and Participatory Diffusion. Global Journal Communication for Development and Social Change, 2(3).
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2013). Sustainability, Participation and Culture in Communication. Theory and Praxis. Bristol-Chicago: Intellect-University of Chicago Press.
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2017a). The Sustainable Development Goals in an Asian Context (p. 174). Singapore: Springer. Retrieved from http://www.springer.com/in/book/9789811028144
Servaes, J. (2017b). All Human Rights Are Local. The Resiliency of Social Change. In H. Tumber & S. Waisbord (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Media and Human Rights (pp. 136–146). London: Routledge.
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2020). Handbook on Communication for Development and Social Change (Vol. 1, 2, 9. 1506). Singapore: Springer. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8#toc
Servaes, J., & Malikhao, P. (2017). The Role and Place of Communication for Sustainable Social Change (CSSC). International Social Science Journal, LXV(217/218), 171–184. Wiley & UNESCO.
Sivaraksa, S. (2009). Rediscovering Spiritual Value. Alternative to Consumerism from a Siamese Buddhist Perspective. Bangkok: Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation.
Sivaraksa, S. (2010). The Wisdom of Sustainability. Buddhist Economics for the 21st Century. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books.
Task Force on Health Systems. (2004). Informed Choices for Attaining the Millennium Development Goals: Towards an International Cooperative Agenda for Health-Systems Research. The Lancet, 364(9438), 997–1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17026-8
The Broker. (2020). Knowledge Brokering in Times of Crisis: An Online Dossier on COVID-19. The Hague: The Broker. Retrieved from https://www.thebrokeronline.eu/covid19-dossier/
The Economist. (2007, 7 July). The Eight Commandments (pp. 13 & 26–29). The Economist, London.
UN. (2013). A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies Through Sustainable Development. The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. New York: United Nations.
UNDP. (2015). MDG Needs Assessment Tools. New York: UNDP. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/poverty-reduction/mdg_strategies/mdg_needs_assessmenttools/mdg_needs_assessmenttools.html
UNECA. (2015). MDG Report 2015—Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals. Lessons Learned in Implementing the MDGs. Addis Ababa: UNECA. Retrieved from https://www.uneca.org/publications/mdg-report-2015-assessing-progress-africa-toward-millennium-development-goals
UNSC. (2015). Technical Report by the Bureau of the United Nations Statistical Commission on the Process of the Development of an Indicator Framework for the Goals and Targets of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Working Draft. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/6754Technical%20report%20of%20the%20UNSC%20Bureau%20%28final%29.pdf
Van Norren, D. E. (2012). The Wheel of Development: The Millennium Development Goals as a Communication and Development Tool. Third World Quarterly, 33(5), 825–836.
Vandemoortele, J. (2015). Are the SDGs a Major Reboot or a Sequel to the MDGs? Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/economy/development-posts-sdg-reboot-or-sequel-mdg.htm
Vandemoortele, J. (2016). SDGs: The Tyranny of an Acronym? Retrieved from https://impakter.com/sdgs-tyranny-acronym/
Vandemoortele, J. (2017). From MDGs to SDGs: Critical Reflections on Global Targets and Their Measurement. In Sustainable Development Goals and Income Inequality. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788110280.00007
Vandemoortele, J. (2018). From Simple-Minded MDGs to Muddle-Headed SDGs. Development Studies Research, 5(1), 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2018.1479647
Vandemoortele, J. (2011). If Not the Millennium Development Goals, Then What? Third World Quarterly, 32(1), 9–25.
Waisbord, S. (2006). Where is Communication in the Millennium Development Goals? Media Development, LIII(3), 3–6.
World Commission on Environment and Development. (WCED). (1987). Our Common Future. Published as Annex to General Assembly Document A/42/427, Development and International Co-operation: Environment. New York: UN.
World Vision. (2015). Were the Millennium Development Goals a Success? Yes! Sort of. Retrieved from https://www.wvi.org/united-nations-and-global-engagement/article/were-mdgs-success
Zolli, A., & Healy, M. (2012). Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back. New York, NY: Free Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Servaes, J. (2021). The Sustainable Development Goals: A Major Reboot or Just Another Acronym?. In: Yusha’u, M.J., Servaes, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of International Communication and Sustainable Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69770-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69770-9_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69769-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69770-9
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)