The SDGs Should Remain People-Centered
Today’s world is vastly different from when the SDGs were adopted in 2015. The year’s global unity, diversity, and shared aspirations embodied the spirit of the SDGs, with the seventeen goals serving as the guiding light that all nations, for the first time in history, unanimously agreed on.
Consequently, all countries embarked on the journey to pursue most of their goals, taking into account the three dimensions of the SDGs: economic, social, and environmental. Since then, most countries have made substantial efforts to adapt the goals to their specific contexts, capacities, and levels of development, while respecting their policies and national priorities. Now, this endeavor is more critical than ever.
Latin American and Caribbean countries encounter numerous challenges in implementing the SDGs, which is why it is crucial to focus on the fundamental principles that underpin them. People should remain at the center of the SDGs, particularly given Latin America and the Caribbean are among the most unequal and most violent regions in the world. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in education and early childhood development.
The SDGs milestones should continue to center around nurturing human development and incorporating the agenda into a life cycle perspective. Prioritizing investments in early childhood is pivotal in this regard. The cost of inaction is substantial in terms of missed opportunities. Inadequate nutrition, care, and stimulation hinder individual and social potential and affect all three dimensions of the SDGs. Education, especially early childhood interventions, has proven to be the most cost-effective approach. It not only contributes to the attainment of several goals but also has a multiplier effect on future SDG outcomes. The connection between early childhood development and equity, productivity, and sustainable growth is indisputable.
To achieve this, national governments and the United Nations should more urgently seek financial cooperation. Due to economic recessions in several countries in Latin American and the Caribbean, securing new resources to promote human development in the early stages of life is essential for the implementation of all of the SDGs.
With this context in mind, it is imperative to strengthen global alliances for sustainable development, mobilize international financial resources, and promote the involvement of the private sector and civil society through tangible initiatives, especially in areas where investment is most needed.