Sustainable Development

Components

How This Impacts Children's Development

Description

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were ratified by all 193 member states in 2015 and outlined 17 goals that are central to sustainable development. These goals included a more holistic version of child and youth development than the 2005 Millenium Development Goals, and recognized that the well-being and health development of children are essential to global development.

READ THE BRIEF: Goals for Sustainable Development: Focusing on Children and Youth, 2017

Talking Points from the SRCD Brief

SDGs seek to initiate policies, programs, and investments to progress toward desired outcomes, whereas the former Millenium Development Goals focused on economics, health, and social conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).
Longitudinal studies from Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam provide evidence that can identify priorities for policy and inform the design of interventions and evaluations.
Program evaluations conducted by the Roving Caregiver home visiting program in Jamaica (which was replicated in over 10 countries) can inform investments leading to evidence-based decision making for children and youth.
SDGs seek to reduce mortality rates in children under five years in LMICs.

Policy Considerations in the Brief

To advance progress toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, efforts could include:
- Building developmental science in LMICs, and supporting them through partnerships between universities, research institutions, local and national nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), multilateral agencies, and donor agencies.
- Developing innovative approaches to generating data appropriate for tracking progress in policy implementation and outcomes for tracking progress in policy implementation and outcomes for children and youth.
- Supporting the application of lessons from LMIC to high-income countries.
- Utilizing international exchanges in designing and evaluating programs.
- Supporting collaborations between communities and scientists to develop approaches that address communities needs and translate science into action more rapidly.

READ THE BRIEF: Goals for Sustainable Development: Focusing on Children and Youth, 2017