The sustainable development goals are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, which outlines internationally agreed targets in areas such as poverty, hunger, health, climate action, clean energy and responsible consumption.
With only nine years to go until 2030 — the endpoint of the sustainable development goals, after which they’ll be re-evaluated and updated — data shows that Botswana is lagging on most targets. Out of the 17 SDGs, evidence shows that Botswana is facing major challenges in 8 goals being SDG1 no poverty, SDG2 zero hunger, SDG3 good health and well-being, SDG7 affordable and clean energy, SDG9 industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG10 reduced inequalities, SDG 12 responsible consumption and production and SDG16 peace, justice and strong institutions.
Speaking to this publication, a commentator Oaitse Malesu said Botswana needs to first address financial challenges, integration, implementation mechanism, participation and monitoring before SDGs could be achieved.
“Scaling back ambitions might not be a bad thing after all since the government’s purse is lean as a result of the pandemic. With so many SDGs looking increasingly unattainable as the pandemic rages on, this might be the right time to debate whether some goals should be scrapped or revised,” he says.
He adds that there is need to make the goals shorter and focus on health related goals. “It would make more sense if countries such as Botswana put more attention on health workers and strengthening early warning systems for global health risks in order to cushion the impact of Covid-19 on poor countries,” he says.
When most of the world adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, there was consensus that this would come with a huge price tag. At the time, policymakers knew that the large financing gap for SDGs could not be closed solely through government revenues. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development, developing countries are facing a deficit of over US$1.7 trillion in the financing they would require to keep them on course to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as governments contend with the health, economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Botswana, like in much of the rest of the world, Covid-19 has broadly undermined efforts to achieve SDGs which are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Well before the Covid-19 pandemic, Botswana was falling short of achieving most of the SDG goals. But the pandemic has led to further backsliding on an immense scale. A survey conducted by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum has ranked the top SDG priorities for the global public. SDGs 2 (zero hunger), 1 (no poverty), and 3 (good health and wellbeing) emerged as the first three priorities in public opinion, with “remarkable consensus among citizens from all regions of the world.” Unfortunately, Botswana is not doing well on these goals.
There is growing consensus that most governments in southern Africa, including Botswana, are taking less than their share of responsibility for achieving the SDGs. In the SADC region, this perception is strongest in South Africa.
A report prepared by the United Nations entitled “The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020” says that in sub-Saharan Africa SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing for all at all ages) has been severely affected.
SDG 4 which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all has also been affected. The report indicates that remote learning remains out of reach for many and school completion rates will be dampened especially in poor households. What further exacerbates the situation in Botswana is that internet is still very expensive and slow which is stifling digital development efforts.
According to the World Bank, Covid-19 has already pushed more people into extreme poverty. These numbers are likely to be underestimates as the pandemic is far from over.
Income inequality has also risen in Botswana as lower-income groups who cannot work from home have been the worst hit by lockdowns and social distancing requirements. Gender inequality has also worsened as the burden of unemployment and increased childcare needs has fallen disproportionately on women.
SDG No. 8, which seeks to create “full and productive employment and decent work for all”, has become harder to attain. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that half of the workforce in the informal sector has been severely affected.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was launched in 2015 by the United Nations (UN) to end poverty and set the world on a path of peace, prosperity and opportunity for all on a healthy planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demand nothing short of a transformation of the financial, economic and political systems that govern our societies today to guarantee the human rights of all. The idea was to address the world’s most pressing problems, such as poverty, inequality, climate change and access to education. There are 17 broad goals, each of which has multiple targets that must be met for the goal to be attained. In all, there are 169 targets. The deadline for achieving them is 2030.
