Global Development Goals Research Articles

Scoping review of sustainable diets research reveals a thematic and disciplinary emphasis on nutrition and environment

Abstract Sustainable diets have been identified as an important component of a food systems transformation that is urgently needed to meet global sustainability and development goals. This study addresses the lack of a comprehensive synthesis and overview of the sustainable diets literature, including its evolution over time and across disciplines, and sheds light on whether and how this body of work addresses dimensions of sustainability as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s (FAO) sustainable diets framework. Topic modeling, a type of natural language processing, was used to perform a thematic scoping review of 855 articles published between 2000-2022 to identify trends and themes in a way that was rapid, transparent, reliable, and reproducible. This research finds demonstrated growth in the field of sustainable diets research, with the majority (66%) of sustainable diets articles considered in this study published in the last three years of the study period. Sixty-three percent of the sustainable diets research articles can be characterized by two topics, “sustainability impacts of dietary patterns” and “sustainable diets and food system policy.” FAO components of sustainable diets related to local and seasonal foods, culture, and equity receive relatively little research attention, whereas components of health, environment, and food security each align with approximately a third of the research literature. This is also reflected in the subject classification analysis, in which nearly half of the research (44%) was classified as Nutrition and Dietetics and/or Environmental Studies. This research highlights the need for more transdisciplinary research that addresses areas of equity, culture, social processes, and context as well as the intersections of sustainability dimensions to better understand the need for, implications, and directions of sustainable diets to support a sustainable food systems transformation.

Analysis of Indirect Costs of Absence Associated with Mental Disorders on the Basis of Social Security Data (2012-2023).

Mental and behavioral disorders significantly impair psychophysical functioning, leading to challenges in daily activities. The increasing recognition of the importance of mental health in global development goals has resulted in its inclusion in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The burden of mental disorders has grown worldwide due to demographic changes, with substantial economic and social impacts. This study aimed to examine the indirect costs of mental disorders in Poland by analyzing the expenditures by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) on work incapacity benefits and disability pensions from 2012 to 2023. The goal was to identify trends, dependencies, and the economic impact of policy changes. Data were collected from ZUS reports on annual expenditures for work incapacity benefits and disability pensions. Advanced statistical methods, including linear regression and Pearson correlation, were employed to analyze trends and relationships. Student's t-tests assessed the statistical significance of the observed trends. The expenditures on benefits for work incapacity due to mental disorders increased significantly over the past decade, particularly from 2020 to 2023, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Short-term absenteeism due to mental disorders accounted for 10.5% of the total sick leave days. A strong positive correlation was found between years and benefit expenditures. Conversely, the disability pension expenditures exhibited a downward trend, potentially reflecting improvements in public health or policy changes. The significant increase in expenditures on benefits related to mental disorders may reflect greater awareness, improved diagnostics, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the decline in disability pension expenditures could suggest improved mental health or effective policy measures. However, it is important to emphasize that the presented data are not the only factor influencing this situation. Multiple variables, including societal, economic, and healthcare system changes, contribute to these trends. Therefore, further research is necessary to fully understand the underlying causes and to guide effective policy development. Regular monitoring and continued investment in mental health are essential to managing indirect costs such as absenteeism and presenteeism efficiently.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Goals and the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development: Progress, Prospects, and Challenges

Today it is globally recognized that sexual and reproductive health is a human rights issue critical to economic growth and stability, ending poverty, and fostering sustainable development. Calls for improving sexual and reproductive health, including a spotlight on adolescents and young women, are highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. In this commentary, we aim to (1) briefly review the history and objectives of global development goals (2) review the adolescent health related SDG targets and indicators with focus on sexual and reproductive health (3) discuss global progress and challenges in achieving target measures and (4) examine action steps that clinicians can take to accelerate progress.

The Value of Emotional Intelligence in Midwifery: Enhancing Care and Outcomes for Mothers and Infants through Sustainable Development Goals and Leadership

Emotional Intelligence (EI), the ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions in oneself and others, plays a crucial role in the field of midwifery. This article explores the value of EI in midwifery practice, highlighting its impact on maternal and infant outcomes, professional relationships, and job satisfaction among midwives. Through a comprehensive literature review and case studies, the article demonstrates how high levels of EI contribute to effective communication, empathy, and stress management, leading to improved care experiences for mothers and infants. The discussion includes practical strategies for developing EI skills among midwives and recommendations for integrating EI training into midwifery education and professional development programs. The article also connects the value of EI in midwifery to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasising its importance in achieving gender equality, health, and well-being. Furthermore, the role of leadership in fostering a culture of EI within midwifery practice is examined. The findings underscore the importance of EI as a key competency in midwifery, essential for fostering a supportive and responsive care environment aligned with global development goals.

Patient satisfaction and digital health in primary health care: a scoping review protocol.

Using digital health in primary health care (PHC) contributes to reducing costs and travel time, achieving global development goals, improving access, quality and longitudinality of care, and managing health crises. Its evaluation must go beyond the technical-operational aspects to include patient satisfaction, a key element in assessing the quality of care. To identify and map patient satisfaction (expectations, desires, cultural values) about the adoption of digital health strategies and assess their impact on the quality of care in PHC. The review will follow the recommendations proposed by the Joanna's Briggs Institute (JBI) manual, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al. and will be conducted in nine stages. The search will be conducted in health studies databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and BVS), gray literature, and preprint repositories (Google Scholar and MedRxiv). Two reviewers will select the studies, and the third will analyze possible conflicts. The inclusion criteria comprise studies that have been made available in their entirety, whether they are primary studies or short communications, as well as the following materials extracted from the gray literature: preprints, manuals, government documents, books, guidelines, theses and dissertations. Exclusion criteria include literature reviews, abstracts, books, conference archives, letters to the editor, duplicates and opinion articles. Data will be analyzed by content analysis and inferential statistics. This protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) under DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/PUJDB. The study aims to understand aspects related to the expectations, desires, and cultural values of patients from different countries, as well as the strengths and critical nodes of the use of digital health on the quality of care in PHC.

The Impact of Vaccination Status on Anthropometric Indices of Growth Among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Childhood immunization programs in underdeveloped nations can improve children's growth and nutritional status and prevent growth delays while protecting against infectious diseases and meeting growth norms. This study aimed toassess the impact of vaccination status on the anthropometric indices of children aged 12-18 months at an Expanded Programme on Immunization vaccination center and compare the anthropometric indices of growth in children with complete and incomplete vaccination statuses. Methodology This study was conducted at the rural health center in Kala Shah Kaku, Pakistan, from November 2023 to December 2023. Children aged 12-18 months were enrolled and their vaccination status was recorded. Height and weight were measured using World Health Organization growth charts. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The mean age of the 110 children who visited the vaccination site for this study was 16.36 months ± 2.415. There were 28 (25.5%) stunted children. In the study, 17.6 (16%) participants were underweight, and 15.95 (14.5%) were wasted. Of the children, 79% had received all recommended vaccinations. A statistically significant(p < 0.05) association was foundbetween vaccination and nutritional status. Conclusions This study emphasizes the significance of vaccination in promoting child health and nutrition, reducing stunting risk, and ensuring equitable access to vaccination services and comprehensive healthcare interventions. This can help mitigate the malnutrition burden and promote optimal growth, contributing to global health and development goals.

Evaluating community adoption and participation in water and sanitation interventions in the Bongo District, Ghana

Access to improved water and sanitation is a major conduit to meeting global development goals. This has resulted in the proliferation of various improved water and sanitation interventions in most communities of the world. Little evidence, however, exists in Ghana to reveal the extent to which these interventions are being adopted and sustained by the communities they are intended to benefit. This study, therefore, sought to assess the adoption of water and sanitation interventions and their sustainability. The mixed method approach, guided by the concurrent mixed method design was implemented in the Bongo District. Quantitative data were obtained from 389 sampled households in the District with the aid of a survey. Thereafter, univariate and bivariate statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data with the aid of STATA version 15. The qualitative data on the other hand was collected from officials of the District Water and Sanitation Management Team (DWSMT) and members of the water and sanitation management committees at the community level through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The qualitative data was analyzed manually using thematic analysis. The study found a high adoption rate of both water and sanitation interventions in the Bongo District. The household demographic characteristics that were found to have a strong positive association with the adoption of improved water or sanitation interventions included the sex of household head, age, level of education and household size among others. Major factors influencing the adoption of water and sanitation interventions found included the knowledge of the derived benefits of the facilities and education on the use of the facilities. The study also found that as part of activities geared towards sustainability, most community members were involved in deciding the appropriateness of these water and sanitation facilities; siting of the facilities; and cash contributions. The study, therefore, concludes that the extent of adoption of water and sanitation in the Bongo District is relatively high and communities were involved to some extent to engender the sustainability of the facilities.

A critical systematic review on spectral-based soil nutrient prediction using machine learning.

The United Nations (UN) emphasizes the pivotal role of sustainable agriculture in addressing persistent starvation and working towards zero hunger by 2030 through global development. Intensive agricultural practices have adversely impacted soil quality, necessitating soil nutrient analysis for enhancing farm productivity and environmental sustainability. Researchers increasingly turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to improve crop yield estimation and optimize soil nutrition management. This study reviews 155 papers published from 2014 to 2024, assessing the use of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in predicting soil nutrients. It highlights the potential of hyperspectral and multispectral sensors, which enable precise nutrient identification through spectral analysis across multiple bands. The study underscores the importance of feature selection techniques to improve model performance by eliminating redundant spectral bands with weak correlations to targeted nutrients. Additionally, the use of spectral indices, derived from mathematical ratios of spectral bands based on absorption spectra, is examined for its effectiveness in accurately predicting soil nutrient levels. By evaluating various performance measures and datasets related to soil nutrient prediction, this paper offers comprehensive insights into the applicability of AI techniques in optimizing soil nutrition management. The insights gained from this review can inform future research and policy decisions to achieve global development goals and promote environmental sustainability.

Hunter-Gatherer Children at School: A View From the Global South

Universal formal education is a major global development goal. Yet hunter-gatherer communities have extremely low participation rates in formal schooling, even in comparison with other marginalized groups. Here, we review the existing literature to identify common challenges faced by hunter-gatherer children in formal education systems in the Global South. We find that hunter-gatherer children are often granted extensive personal autonomy, which is at odds with the hierarchical culture of school. Hunter-gatherer children face economic, infrastructural, social, cultural, and structural barriers that negatively affect their school participation. While schools have been identified as a risk to the transmission of hunter-gatherer values, languages, and traditional knowledge, they are also viewed by hunter-gatherer communities as a source of economic and cultural empowerment. These observations highlight the need for hunter-gatherer communities to decide for themselves the purpose school serves, and whether children should be compelled to attend.

Building partnerships for sustainable development: case study of Laos, the BRI, and the SDGs

This study examines sustainable development cooperation and the effectiveness of sustainable development partnerships in supporting national development in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study focuses on SDG 17, “Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development” and takes the Lao Democratic People’s Republic (Laos) as its case study. The study assesses Laos’s socio-economic condition, development trajectory and SDGs. It evaluates Laos’s development partnerships with China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and wider development diplomacy. The study adopts a political economy perspective, drawing in global major power competition. The paper argues that development partnerships are pivotal to success in achieving national and global development goals. Laos holds the ASEAN Chair through 2024, whilst experiencing severe economic challenges domestically. Moving between these two domains, Laos will seek to achieve balance and even-handedness between regional and global interests. Laos’s long-standing development partnership with China and the BRI brings tangible results. However, the study concludes that greater diversification in building partnerships for development will provide additional support to Laos’s development strategy.

Ethnophilosophy as a global development goal

AbstractThe ethnophilosophy debate in African philosophy has been primarily concerned with the nature and future direction of African philosophy, but this paper approaches the debate in search of lessons about philosophy in general. The paper shows how this ongoing debate has been obscured by varying understandings of “ethnophilosophy” and that a de facto victory has long since transpired, since “ethnophilosophy,” in the sense recommended here, is flourishing. The paper argues that the political arguments with which Hountondji and Wiredu initiated the debate in the 1970s supervene on the metaphilosophical view that ethnophilosophy, if philosophy at all, is of a poor standard. Showing that ethnophilosophy must indeed be philosophy, it argues that the critics' low opinions of it depend on unrealistic assumptions about how philosophy makes progress. The paper concludes that Africa is lucky to have ethnophilosophies and that the rest of the world should hope to develop some.

Exploring children's experiences of schooling in Tanzania: How the ‘hidden curriculum’ undermines aspirations for sustainable development

AbstractIn the context of aspirations that firmly position education as the key to multiple global development goals, we raise concerns about how education is experienced by many children, particularly in low‐income, postcolonial contexts. Drawing from two, in‐depth qualitative studies in Tanzania, we demonstrate that existing pedagogical practices, including the use of an unfamiliar language of learning and teaching, constitute a ‘hidden curriculum’ that powerfully undermines the vision of education embedded in the sustainable development agenda. We argue that research that foregrounds children's experiences should have a more prominent role as it enables us to understand the lived implications of global policy‐making.

Malnutrition and Hunger in South Asia: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis

Malnutrition is a blot on India’s quest for development and sovereignty. India’s desire to be a developed nation by 2047 based on humancentric development is questionable without eradicating the problem of malnutrition. This article discusses the malnutrition and hunger in South Asia, particularly in India. The concept and problem of malnutrition have transformed from a colonial to a contemporary period. The article shows that malnutrition, once a problem of rural India, has transformed itself into a pan- India phenomenon. The hunger, poverty, and global development goals have reformulated the problem of nutrition and its associated solutions. The article also speaks about the dilemma of policymakers and experts to have a stable understanding of the nutrition problem. However, the need for a shift towards indigenous food systems to address the problem of malnutrition sprang up after the Green Revolution. The issues of geographical specificities, local governance structures, and basic infrastructural problems are adding to the complexities of malnutrition. This paper introduces the problematisation of nutritional problems in India after the Green Revolution.

Community forestry in a changing context: A perspective from Nepal’s mid-hill

Community forestry (CF) is one of the major forest management modalities in the world. A growing body of literature documents various outcomes and interactions of people with CF, but limited studies have assessed the mode of forest-people interaction considering changing socio-economic and environmental contexts by employing a broader theoretical framework. Our study employed Ostrom’s social-ecological system (SES) framework accompanied by a meta-synthesis of peer-reviewed literature (n = 74), review of policy documents and census reports (n = 28), interviews with four stakeholder groups (n = 47) and group discussions with district-level forest user groups (n = 20), to explore the changed context in Nepal’s mid-hills since 1990 s. The study revealed transformational changes in socio-economic and environmental contexts of Nepal’s mid-hills compared to the conditions in which the CF was developed during 1990 s. Changes in the forces (or factors) of SES, including demography, socio-economic development, government policy and environmental discourse are so pronounced that its feedback to the social-ecological system is discernible. For example, the evolving dynamics have changed the mode of forest-people interaction and their relationship by altering land use practices, resource use patterns, farm-forestry linkage, and pool of human resources, which is reflected in diminishing participation, social capital, collective action, and (voluntary) contribution to CF management. Such (emerging) dynamics in the social-ecological system could further jeopardise CF institutions and their deliberation, weaken the forest-food security nexus, augment leadership gaps in forest management, and impede the country’s efforts in achieving global climate and development goals. To revitalize CF in this changing context, we suggest that community forests should be managed in three different models: urban, protection and production by putting payment of ecosystem services in place. As Nepal is a global leader in CF and its policies are informing forest and land use policies around the world, the outcomes of our study could offer an insight to the decision-makers of other countries for recalibrating land use policies by considering evolving local and global dynamics and their feedback to SES.

Modelling Local Demand and Locational Configuration in Floating Catchment Area Measures of Spatial Accessibility

The modelling of catchment-based instead of local demand and optimal instead of sub-optimal character (i.e., locational configuration) of service delivery systems, commonly done in Floating Catchment Area (FCA) measures, generate spatial accessibility indices that might be misleading. The ability of recent FCA measures, three-step (3S) FCA, Modified (M) two-step (2S) FCA, and Balanced (B) FCA to capture local demand and locational configuration was examined in hypothetical systems and Rural Wards of Dodoma Urban District and found to be less appealing. The resulting 3SFCA, M2SFCA, and BFCA spatial accessibility indices inconsistently varied with the local demand or locational configuration. Thus, the study proposed a Modified (M) 3SFCA measure to effectively capture local demand and locational configuration. The proposed M3SFCA measure was implemented in hypothetical systems and Rural Wards of Dodoma Urban District and found to generate spatial accessibility indices that logically varied with local demand and locational configuration. The service users (or households) with low local demand or closer to service providers (or water points) are characterized by higher spatial accessibility indices and vice versa. This characterization of spatial accessibility indices is more realistic and essential for effective monitoring of progress made on the global and national development goals.

Defining the Future: The Role of Blockchain Technology in Monitoring International Aid Funds

This article presents an in-depth analysis of blockchain technology's role in international aid fund management. The authors outline a conceptual framework illustrating how blockchain can be applied to improve aid monitoring systems, focusing on critical aspects such as transparency, recipient identification, and automation of fund distribution. We also discuss the ethical, security, and technology readiness challenges that may be faced in blockchain implementation. This article provides in-depth insight into how blockchain technology can address existing problems in international aid fund management by detailing concrete case studies and describing the research methods used. Research findings show that blockchain implementation has succeeded in increasing transparency, speeding up the distribution process, and optimising the use of aid funds. The article's result underscores the importance of continuing to pay attention to ethical, security, and inclusivity considerations while developing and implementing these technologies. By taking a holistic approach, using blockchain to monitor international aid funds can bring about significant positive change, increase efficiency, and support global development goals.

The right to free development of your personality: concept and content

The right to free development of your personality: concept and content

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Yield, Nutrition, and Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation Responses to Circular Economy-Based Innovations in a Mining-Degraded Landscape

Mining operations in Ghana's Forest-Savannah Transition Zone have caused widespread land degradation, jeopardizing ecosystems, food security, and agroecological sustainability. In response, we conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects of biochar and poultry litter amendments on cassava (Manihot esculenta) growth, nutritional quality, and heavy metal accumulation at an illegal mining-degraded site in the Amansie Central District of Ashanti, Ghana. The experiment included five treatments: biochar (10 ton/ha), poultry manure (10 ton/ha), a biochar-poultry manure mix (1:1 ratio, 10 ton/ha each), and two control groups (degraded and forest sites). The combined biochar and poultry manure treatment yielded the highest cassava stover biomass (22.9 ton/ha) during the first year. Nutritional characteristics of cassava such as %carbohydrate, %protein and %total ash tubers were influenced by treatment amendments. Additionally, biochar and poultry manure reduced the accumulation of Arsenic (As) by 168.9% and Lead (Pb) by 149.8% in cassava compared with galamsey soil control. This study showcases a circular economy-based approach that employs locally available resources to restore mining-degraded landscapes and enhance regenerative agricultural practices, reducing waste, bioaccumulation of heavy metals and improving carbon sequestration. Promoting the use of biochar and poultry manure amendments for ecological restoration in mining-degraded areas can contribute to sustainable land use, food security, and livelihoods. Policymakers should consider these strategies to align with global and national development goals while improving food systems and ecosystem services. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of cassava cultivation on amended mining sites and assess the potential of these amendments for agroecological enhancement and heavy metal immobilization.

The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030

This Analysis presents a recently developed food system indicator framework and holistic monitoring architecture to track food system transformation towards global development, health and sustainability goals. Five themes are considered: (1) diets, nutrition and health; (2) environment, natural resources and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience. Each theme is divided into three to five indicator domains, and indicators were selected to reflect each domain through a consultative process. In total, 50 indicators were selected, with at least one indicator available for every domain. Harmonized data of these 50 indicators provide a baseline assessment of the world’s food systems. We show that every country can claim positive outcomes in some parts of food systems, but none are among the highest ranked across all domains. Furthermore, some indicators are independent of national income, and each highlights a specific aspiration for healthy, sustainable and just food systems. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative will track food systems annually to 2030, amending the framework as new indicators or better data emerge.

Climate Smart Agriculture: The Role of Fertilizer Innovations and Efficient Plant Nutrient Management

Climate change has emerged as a significant threat to the global agro-economy, adversely affecting agricultural productivity, food security, and local and global agricultural development goals. To ensure sustainable crop productivity and meet future demands, it is essential to take prompt actions to address the current challenges of lower agricultural productivity due to climate change. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a novel concept that offers a promising approach to tackle these challenges by introducing sustainable farming practices that minimize negative environmental impacts and enhance resilience to climate change. It involves realigning current agricultural practices and introducing smart techniques to reduce the adverse effects of agriculture that contribute to climate change and higher carbon footprints. The importance of climate-smart fertilizers in agricultural productivity cannot be overemphasized, as the soil is susceptible to structural changes and alterations in nutrient availability due to climatic impacts. Therefore, the implementation of proper nutrient management mechanisms and advanced fertilizer innovations has become a top priority in implementing the concepts of CSA. Consequently, there has been a greater focus on introducing more climate-adaptive and resilient plant nutrient delivery systems and technologies in recent times. For instance, nanofertilizer, bio-based controlled-release and slow-release fertilizers have provided a more sustainable and climate-friendly alternative to traditional synthetic fertilizers. Despite the innovations, challenges remain in implementing CSA practices and practices of climate-smart fertilizers at scale. This is largely attributed to the lack of proper knowledge and a streamlined policy framework on climate resilience in agriculture and fertilizers. This article seeks to review the role of fertilizer innovations and nutrient management in CSA, targeting the reduction of nutrient losses due to climate changes. It also examines the current status of climate-smart fertilizers with a particular emphasis on the current implementation challenges and future prospects in fertilizer production, leading to global food security by adapting to climatic changes. By highlighting specific examples of modern climate-smart agriculture and fertilizer management, this article aims to provide insights into the potential benefits and challenges of implementing CSA practices and encourage further research and development in this important field.&#x0D; Keywords: Climate-smart agriculture, Climate-smart fertilizers, Climate change, Nutrient Management, Innovations in fertilizers