The world's never-done to-do list

The United Nations organisation says on its website that: "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests." Most of us would agree that this all sounds good. This campaign is a visually compelling one highlighting the lack of progress on the SDGs, but it's not actually by the UN. "Seven years on, we have made progress, but there is still work to be done, and the Goals are more important than ever," says the organisation behind the campaign, Project Everyone - a not-for-profit promoting the UN’s 17 SDGs set up by film writer, director and SDG advocate Richard Curtis. "The climate crisis. Ensuring no one goes hungry. Human rights abuses. Extreme poverty. Problems of this scale can be overwhelming, but the Global Goals (also known as the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs) are the solution to tackling them." Why do we need new blueprints or names or hashtags? Some of those wanting to get involved may be alarmed by the sponsoring presence at Global Goals of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, or the support for one side in a specific war scenario rather than eradication of war in general. What are your thoughts? Unnecessary new elements in an agreed agenda, muddying of the waters, fantastic marketing for a good cause?

Keywords: Global Goals, Project Everyone, Richard Curtis and SDGs, SDGs, CLOVES, Sustainable Development Goals, advertising for good causes, Accenture