The report was published last week (12 February) by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council just ahead of the second session of negotiations on the UN’s post-2015 development agenda. These discussions start today in New York, United States. “As countries are entering the final phase of negotiating a global agenda for sustainable development, it is important that the SDG targets be critically reviewed to ensure that they can guide implementation and be effectively monitored.”
Anne-Sophie Stevance, ICSU
The report includes contributions from more than 40 scientists. It looks at the 169 targets within the 17 draft SDGs that will replace the expiring Millennium Development Goals and guide global development until 2030.
It found that only 29 per cent of the targets are well-defined and based on the latest scientific evidence. In all, 54 per cent need more work to pin them down and 17 per cent are weak or nonessential, the report states.
“As countries are entering the final phase of negotiating a global agenda for sustainable […]