Leave No One Behind
In 2015 world leaders came together and made a historic promise. They signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals which have the potential to end poverty, to reduce inequality and to fix climate change in just 15 years. Today is the opening of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, which marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Goals. During the opening ceremony this animation was shown to help world leaders envision what the world will look like if the Global Goals are achieved.
The partnership has three principles at its core through which we will seek to prioritise the poorest and most marginalised people. We will:
Examine: provide new data on who is at risk of being left behind, why and where; we will put a spotlight on the most marginalized groups and monitor progress on reaching those furthest behind first.
Engage: people all around the world, including civil society activists, world leaders and the wider public, through the creation of compelling content and telling the stories of those who are being left behind.
Empower: those who are currently at risk of being left behind and who may be marginalised to be able to speak for themselves. We will work with partners in at least 30 countries to build local voices for action and accountability.
It is now more important than ever to emphasize the commitment which lies at the heart of the Goals – to leave no one behind. When leaders signed the Global Goals a year ago, they pledged that no Goal will be met unless it is met for everyone. Time and time again the poorest and most marginalized, those that are disadvantaged, and at risk of violence and discrimination have been left out of progress and development. Children and young people are a notoriously vulnerable group as they too often lack platforms to express their views and voice their concerns.
Leaders need to make bold commitments to achieve a world where the world’s poorest will be targeted in development programmes, where world leaders work together to halve displacement and come up with strong plans to protect them, where women and girls will be empowered and protected, and where all children, whether in conflict zones or displaced, will be able to attend school.
Illustration: Amber Vittoria website