Measuring the SDGs: a two-track solution

Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire in 2015 and substantial effort is being put into the negotiation of a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG agenda is broader and goes further than that of the MDGs, and critics claim that it is unmeasurable and unmanageable. On the positive side, the consultation process has been far more inclusive and credible than for the MDGs. The resultant Open Working Group (OWG) proposal provides a global agenda for action that is relevant to all nations. 1 United NationsOpen Working Group proposal for Sustainable Development Goals. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1579SDGs%20Proposal.pdf Google Scholar As an example of the change, whereas three of the eight MDGs were focused on health, the new SDG for health aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages” and is only one of 17 SDGs. This single health goal is far closer to being all-encompassing than all three of the health MDGs combined, and the social determinants of health are further elaborated in other SDGs (eg, water, sanitation, nutrition, education, clean air, reduced poverty, increased equity, and empowerment of women and girls). If the SDG agenda were enacted in its totality, this would have an enormous effect on health and wellbeing for humanity, with particular improvements in the lives of the poor.