NC State SDG Initiative
Beginning during the Fall 2021 Semester, NC State will launch a campus programming initiative focused around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative, scheduled to last through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years, will feature a wide array of programs each semester focused around a cluster of SDGs. The purpose of the SDG Campus Programming Initiative is to educate students at NC State as to what the SDGs are, why they are a blueprint for peace and prosperity in the world, and inspire them to take action in support of the goals on their campuses and in their local community.
Fall 2022: Equity and Equal Opportunity
17 Goals for People, for Planet
The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.
Today, progress is being made in many places, but, overall, action to meet the Goals is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required. 2020 needs to usher in a decade of ambitious action to deliver the Goals by 2030.
ENSURE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION AND PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to escaping poverty. Over the past decade, major progress was made towards increasing access to education and school enrollment rates at all levels, particularly for girls. Nevertheless, about 260 million children were still out of school in 2018 — nearly one fifth of the global population in that age group. And more than half of all children and adolescents worldwide are not meeting minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, a majority of countries announced the temporary closure of schools, impacting more than 91 per cent of students worldwide. By April 2020, close to 1.6 billion children and youth were out of school. And nearly 369 million children who rely on school meals needed to look to other sources for daily nutrition.
Never before have so many children been out of school at the same time, disrupting learning and upending lives, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised. The global pandemic has far-reaching consequences that may jeopardize hard won gains made in improving global education.
ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
There has been progress over the last decades: More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality.
Despite these gains, many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, and 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights. The coronavirus outbreak exacerbates existing inequalities for women and girls across every sphere – from health and the economy, to security and social protection.
Women play a disproportionate role in responding to the virus, including as frontline healthcare workers and carers at home. Women’s unpaid care work has increased significantly as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people. Women are also harder hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19, as they disproportionately work in insecure labour markets. Nearly 60 per cent of women work in the informal economy, which puts them at greater risk of falling into poverty.
The pandemic has also led to a steep increase in violence against women and girls. With lockdown measures in place, many women are trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions. Emerging data shows that, since the outbreak of the pandemic, violence against women and girls – and particularly domestic violence – has intensified.
PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, FULL AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND DECENT WORK FOR ALL
Sustained and inclusive economic growth can drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards.
COVID-19 has disrupted billions of lives and endangered the global economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects a global recession as bad as or worse than in 2009. As job losses escalate, the International Labor Organization estimates that nearly half of the global workforce is at risk of losing their livelihoods.
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, one in five countries – home to billions of people living in poverty – were likely to see per capita incomes stagnate or decline in 2020. Now, the economic and financial shocks associated with COVID-19—such as disruptions to industrial production, falling commodity prices, financial market volatility, and rising insecurity—are derailing the already tepid economic growth and compounding heightened risks from other factors.
REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND AMONG COUNTRIES
Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Inequality within and among countries is a persistent cause for concern. Despite some positive signs toward reducing inequality in some dimensions, such as reducing relative income inequality in some countries and preferential trade status benefiting lower-income countries, inequality still persists.
COVID-19 has deepened existing inequalities, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest. It has put a spotlight on economic inequalities and fragile social safety nets that leave vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of the crisis. At the same time, social, political and economic inequalities have amplified the impacts of the pandemic.
On the economic front, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased global unemployment and dramatically slashed workers’ incomes.
COVID-19 also puts at risk the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights over the past decades. Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.
Inequalities are also deepening for vulnerable populations in countries with weaker health systems and those facing existing humanitarian crises. Refugees and migrants, as well as indigenous peoples, older persons, people with disabilities and children are particularly at risk of being left behind. And hate speech targeting vulnerable groups is rising.
Future Thematic Clusters
Fall 2021: Quality of Life
- No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Clean Water and Sanitation
Spring 2022: Environmental Responsibility
- Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action, Life Below Water, Life on Land
Fall 2022: Equity & Equal Opportunity
- Good Education, Gender Equality, Industry, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities
Spring 2023: Prosperity for All
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Peace, and Justice and Strong Institutions
All Semesters
- Partnerships for the Goals
Get Involved
SDG@3 Discussions
Learn about a different UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) at each session and how you can be involved. The SDGs offer goals for the world to better the lives of everyone on the planet.
The Discussion Series will feature a faculty member, student group representative, and practitioner from the community briefly sharing what they are doing to make a difference related to the Global Goal. Each session will include time for table discussion and conclude with ways you can connect.
Upcoming Campus SDG Events
Plan your Own Event
NC State Global invites campus partners to host events related to the semester’s cluster of Sustainable Development Goals. Events can be submitted through the University Calendar and will automatically be routed to NC State Global for promotion. Please see the expandable box for additional information.
To manage SDG Event submissions, we will be utilizing the central University Calendar. To submit your event:
- Login to calendar.ncsu.edu with your unity information. Click on the red ‘Submit an Event’ button on the right side.
- As part of the Event Name, add ‘SDG:’ This will instruct the calendar administrators to add the SDG tag on the back end so it shows up on the SDG website.
- In your event description, please identify which SDGs are related to this event.
- In the Filters section, under Topic, select ‘Global‘.
- Send us an email to let us know so we can help promote! ncstateglobal@ncsu.edu