The Global Goals cover every aspect of life on earth. From education to healthcare, to water and sanitation, to energy, to peace, security, biodiversity and equality.
Unlike many other public health campaigns, The Global Goals are unique, both in the scale of their aims and the role of the public in achieving them.
Not concerned with language, demographic or religion, this is a global campaign. Wide in focus, it brings together charities, NGOs and individuals. One look at The Global Goal’s website will show you that it is essentially a worldwide consortium of different organisations. Supporters include UNICEF, World Vision, Save The Children and the World Food Programme to name a few. It’s not all down to charities and NGOs, though, governments are getting involved.
The UK, for example, has invested significantly in The Global Goals. Penny Mordaunt, the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, told me that £14 billion a year is spent on delivering the Goals, with a large proportion of that spent on healthcare.
Ending World Hunger
Ms Mordaunt’s department, DFID, also encouraged Twitter users to get involved with the campaign. A short, two-minute video, suggested that the public should add “Ending Extreme Poverty” to their list of New Year’s Resolutions. This, alongside videos of celebrities endorsing the Goals, shows how much of a publicity drive the Goals are getting.
Due to be achieved by 2030, this is a highly ambitious campaign. No organisation, business or government can achieve it alone. The emphasis, therefore, has been placed on communities, and ultimately, individuals. The Goals need the public to do their bit, however big or small.
Since Sir David Attenborough warned the world of the dangers that single-use plastics pose to our environment, attitudes have changed. This, combined with a tax on single-use bags, has changed the way we consume. Other incentives, including discounts at coffee stores for bringing reusable cups, have drastically cut the amount of plastic waste.
This level of public engagement is what The Global Goals is striving for. They hope to be the coherent message that sparks a global conversation. Organisations and governments have already signed up, the real challenge now is whether the public will join in.
