Sustainable Development Goals Targets Research Articles

From agenda to action: JBI Evidence Synthesis and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This pilot study sought to map the alignment of publications in JBI Evidence Synthesis to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (global health and well-being) and to understand JBI authors' awareness of and engagement with the goals. This will contribute to a larger-scale analysis to assist the JBI Collaboration in engaging with and working toward achieving the SDGs. In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 SDGs as the central framework for sustainable development worldwide. However, in the wake of the global pandemic, the 2030 SDG agenda is in jeopardy due to multiple cascading and intersecting crises. The Global Commission on Evidence has urged the evidence community to consider how it might more meaningfully contribute to the evidence architecture. As we pass the midway point to the SDG 2030 target date, it is timely to reflect on the contribution of those in the evidence synthesis community to achieving these important global objectives. A 2-phase study was conducted utilizing desktop audit methods. SDG 3 targets were mapped across systematic and scoping reviews published in JBI Evidence Synthesis using established key terms, followed by a brief author survey and thematic analysis. The results of this pilot study indicate that 28.5% of syntheses published in JBI Evidence Synthesis address 11 of the 13 targets of SDG 3. SDGs are not currently a priority consideration for most JBI Evidence Synthesis authors, but there is a desire to learn more and integrate the goals into their prioritization processes. While this was only a small pilot study, it is indicative of a need to reset and recommit to mutual global agendas to transform the evidence ecosystem, and to maximize the limited resources available in order to truly have a global impact on health outcomes.

Determinants of Neonatal Mortality in Bhutan: A Case-Control Study.

More than half of Bhutan's under-five mortality is attributed to neonatal deaths. Despite this, there is a lack of local evidence on determinants of neonatal mortality. It is critical to generate new evidence to accelerate interventions to achieve sufficient reduction of neonatal mortality rate in line to sustainable development goal target 3.2. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring determinants of neonatal mortality in Bhutan. A case-control study was performed with reported neonatal deaths from hospitals and primary health centers between 2018 and 2019. A total of 181 neonatal deaths were included as cases along with three corresponding controls. Epidata and STATA were used for data management and analysis, respectively. A multivariable model was fitted to identify determinants of neonatal mortality. History of obstetric complications (odds ratio [OR] = 3.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48-8.42), intrapartum complications (OR = 3.86; 95% CI = 1.71-8.74) gestational age (OR = 8.07; 95% CI = 2.89-22.52), and Apgar 1 minute (OR = 4.40; 95% CI =1.83-10.59) were associated with neonatal death. Therefore, quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth besides promoting supportive family environment is essential to reduce neonatal mortality.

A scoping review linking early childhood caries to violence, neglect, internally displaced, migrant and refugee status

BackgroundThe aim of the scoping review was to identify and synthesize the available literature concerning the relationship between the status of refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Early Childhood Caries (ECC) as it relates to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16).MethodsData regarding the links between the status of refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Early Childhood Caries (ECC), and the associations between ECC and maternal and child exposure to physical and sexual abuse, insecurity, crime, exploitation, torture, and displacement were extracted. The search was carried out in January 2023 across three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus). Only publications in English with accessible full texts were included. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the categories of the retrieved papers, and graphical representation was employed for visualization purposes. The relationships between the publications and each of the 10 targets of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) were also assessed.ResultsForty-five studies were reviewed. Most studies (42.2%) originated from the Americas Regions, while no studies were identified from the Africa Region. A significant portion (46.7%) of the papers focused on abuse, violence, and neglect as risk factors for ECC. Migrants, refugees, and IDPs were the most investigated populations (44.4%). Only one study specifically focused on IDPs and migrants respectively. The prevalence of untreated caries was higher among migrants, refugees, and IDPs compared to the host community, ECC was more prevalent among children who experienced abuse, neglect, or were in protective care. The was no clear direction on the associations between ECC and intimate partner violence, adverse childhood experiences, and wars. In terms of the SDGs, the reviewed publications addressed four targets (SDG16.1, SDG16.2, SDG16.3, and SDG16.5) out of the ten targets outlined in SDG 16.ConclusionThere is available evidence regarding the connections between ECC and war, refugees, migration, violence, and neglect, as outlined in SDG 16. Future studies are needed to investigate how forced movements directly affects ECC status, how disruptions of peace and stability is a risk factor for ECC, and the associations between ECC and other indicators related to SDG 16 targets.

Food waste initiatives in the tertiary sector in Aotearoa New Zealand

Food waste is a global issue; 30 to 40% of all food is wasted. Despite a growing body of research, information on food waste in the tertiary education sector is lacking. The variety and size of foodservice operations at tertiary institutes provides an opportunity to address food waste and work towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3. We investigated food waste initiatives at 13 tertiary institutes in Aotearoa and identified challenges to further initiative implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff working in sustainability at each institute. The most common initiatives included worm farms (n=11), solutions for leftover foods (n=11), and composting (n=9). Challenges to the initiatives included: the Covid-19 pandemic; contamination of organic food waste destined for composting; attitudes of individuals and institutes; and funding and resources. Although a range of initiatives are in place, these approaches are near the bottom of the waste hierarchy. New initiatives should be developed to reduce the volume of excess food, focusing on prevention and avoidance rather than recycling and recovery. Tertiary institutes in Aotearoa should also adopt the “Target, Measure, Act” approach to tackle food waste, through setting formal goals, regularly measuring food waste, and acting by implementing a wide variety of initiatives.

Perkembangan Pendidikan Berkualitas di Indonesia: Analisis SDGs 4

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a major topic in the global development agenda discussed by United Nations (UN) member states in Rio De Janeiro, with the aim of replacing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the fourteen goals in the SDGs is to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and increase lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals. This study aims to track the development of education in Indonesia to achieve the SDGs target, namely in building a quality education system and providing fair learning opportunities to all citizens. This study used a descriptive method. The results show that education development indicators in Indonesia continue to show improvement from year to year, thanks to government policies in the education sector, but there are still some challenges that need to be overcome

Implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining task-sharing in family planning: a protocol for a mixed-methods systematic review

BackgroundEnsuring access to quality family planning (FP) services is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets 3.1, 3.7, and 5.6, including universal access to reproductive health services. However, barriers such as health workforce shortages and restrictive policies on the role of mid and lower-level health workforce cadres limit access to contraceptives and FP in many settings.Workforce reorganization makes more efficient use of human resources. Consequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends task-sharing for FP by different cadres. Evidence on the implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining task-sharing could inform financing, implementation approaches, and technical assistance of national and global FP task-sharing programs. Therefore, this study aims to describe and assess the quality of the evidence on implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining task-sharing in FP and the outcome of the scale-up/sustainability interventions.MethodsThis systematic review protocol was developed using relevant guidelines, including the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Protocols (PRISMA-P). A search of five databases, namely CINAHL (EBSCOhost), EMBASE (OvidSP), Global Health (OvidSP), MEDLINE (OvidSP), and Scopus (www.scopus.com), and gray literature resources will be conducted. Two independent reviewers will screen and select studies, assess their quality using the “Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool,” and extract data from eligible studies. Publications or articles are eligible if they report implementation strategies, facilitators, or barriers to scaling up/sustainability of task-sharing in FP/contraception or the outcomes of the scale-up/sustainability interventions. A convergent synthesis that integrates qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, and mixed-methods data into one dataset will be used for analysis based on an a priori framework—the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care (EPOC) taxonomy of the health system framework. Two independent reviewers will assess the quality of evidence using the GRADE-CERQual guideline.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this systematic review of implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining task-sharing in family planning is the first in this area. Our rigorous methodology based on up-to-date guidelines can help generate relevant recommendations to support interventions to scale up and sustain task-sharing in family planning.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42022339885.

Community engagement in maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR): Realist review protocol

Background: While there has been a decline in maternal and perinatal mortality, deaths remain high in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. With the sustainable development goals (SDGs) targets to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality, more needs to be done to accelerate progress and improve survival. Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) is a strategy to identify the clinical and social circumstances that contribute to maternal and perinatal deaths. Through MPDSR, an active surveillance and response cycle is established by bringing together different stakeholders to review and address these social and clinical factors. Community engagement in MPDSR provides a strong basis for collective action to address social factors and quality of care issues that contribute to maternal and perinatal deaths. Studies have shown that community members can support identification and reporting of maternal and/or perinatal deaths. Skilled care at birth has been increasing globally, but there are still gaps in quality of care. Through MPDSR, community members can collaborate with health workers to improve quality of care. But we do not know how community engagement in MPDSR works in practice; for whom it works and what aspects work (or do not work) and why. This realist review answers the question: which strategies of community engagement in MPDSR produce which outcomes in which contexts? Methods: For this realist review, we will identify published and grey literature by searching relevant databases for articles. We will include papers published from 2004 in all languages and from all countries. We have set up an advisory group drawn from academia, international organizations, and practitioners of both MPDSR and community engagement to guide the process. Conclusion: This protocol and the subsequent realist review will use theoretical approaches from the community engagement literature to generate theory on community engagement in MPDSR. Prospero registration number: CRD42022345216

An analysis of Hong Kong high school curriculum with implications for United Nations sustainable development goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Target 4.7 stated that by 2030, all learners should acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. However, only scattered studies outline how SDG knowledge has been taught in public K12 curricula. This study aims to identify SDG topics in 13 subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education curriculum and the perceptions of teachers in relation to SDG education. Data were collected through a machine learning approach and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the module, subject, and curriculum level was conducted. By examining how teachers perceive in relation to the results of SDG classification and implementation of SDG education, the findings showed that teachers and administrators have adopted positive attitudes towards SDG classification, and supportive government can positively influence teachers and administrators in implementing SDG education. Such findings can be useful for policymakers to develop strategies to facilitate SDG education.

Wealth-based inequality in the continuum of maternal health service utilisation in 16 sub-Saharan African countries

BackgroundPersistent inequalities in coverage of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region home to two-thirds of global maternal deaths in 2017, poses a challenge for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets. This study assesses wealth-based inequalities in coverage of maternal continuum of care in 16 SSA countries with the objective of informing targeted policies to ensure maternal health equity in the region.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 16 SSA countries (Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia). A total of 133,709 women aged 15-49 years who reported a live birth in the five years preceding the survey were included. We defined and measured completion of maternal continuum of care as having had at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, birth in a health facility, and postnatal care (PNC) by a skilled provider within two days of birth. We used concentration index analysis to measure wealth-based inequality in maternal continuum of care and conducted decomposition analysis to estimate the contributions of sociodemographic and obstetric factors to the observed inequality.ResultsThe percentage of women who had 1) at least one ANC visit was lowest in Ethiopia (62.3%) and highest in Burundi (99.2%), 2) birth in a health facility was less than 50% in Ethiopia and Nigeria, and 3) PNC within two days was less than 50% in eight countries (Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania). Completion of maternal continuum of care was highest in South Africa (81.4%) and below 50% in nine of the 16 countries (Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda), the lowest being in Ethiopia (12.5%). There was pro-rich wealth-based inequality in maternal continuum of care in all 16 countries, the lowest in South Africa and Liberia (concentration index = 0.04) and the highest in Nigeria (concentration index = 0.34). Our decomposition analysis showed that in 15 of the 16 countries, wealth index was the largest contributor to inequality in primary maternal continuum of care. In Malawi, geographical region was the largest contributor.ConclusionsAddressing the coverage gap in maternal continuum of care in SSA using multidimensional and people-centred approaches remains a key strategy needed to realise the SDG3. The pro-rich wealth-based inequalities observed show that bespoke pro-poor or population-wide approaches are needed.

“Save the #Talibés”: A State-Led Intervention to Remove Children from the Street in Dakar, Senegal

ABSTRACT Between July 2016 and May 2018, the Senegalese state implemented two phases of a project designed to remove children from the streets of Dakar, targeted at the talibés, or child students of the Qur’an, who beg. Based on qualitative research conducted in Dakar in 2017–2018, this article demonstrates the dynamics behind an uncoordinated and unplanned anti-trafficking intervention. It shows that the contradictions between two different explanations for talibés’ begging led to reward rather than sanctions for those responsible, who are framed variously as child traffickers and as legitimate Qur’anic teachers. It demonstrates the lack of coordination and cooperation among state structures, and between state structures and NGOs, which is then employed by the same actors to explain away the project’s minimal impact. It argues that the project was an example of the Senegalese state trying to adhere to international prescriptions to action to end child trafficking, while avoiding the political wrath of religious leaders domestically. By drawing attention to the distance between global discourse and local implementations, the findings of this article contribute to promoting nuanced policymaking under the Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Congolese Information Technology Graduates’ Employability: Towards Sustainable Employment

High unemployment rates in many developing countries have prompted research to focus on sustainability and inclusiveness of employment in line with the sustainable development goal target 8.6. The democratic republic of Congo (DRC) in sub-Saharan Africa experiences one of the highest youth unemployment rates owing to its long-term socio-political and economic instability. Qualitative and quantitative research studies have linked low employability of university-educated youth in the DRC to tribalism, corruption, and insecurity. The current study sought to identify contextual factors that predict employability of information technology (IT) graduates in the DRC. The study surveyed 355 graduates (274 male, 81 female) using 43 questionnaire. Bartlett test was 3,930.05 for Chi2 ( p-value = .000) and KMO test scored 0.68. McDonald’s Omega test of reliability of the instrument scored 0.77 with a total cumulative variance of 72.02%. Results of this study advance the conflict theory by pinpointing the true factors which influence the employability of IT graduates in unstable developing countries. This study has discovered that socio-political background of graduates, graduate academic competencies, graduate-employer relationship, and university employability strategies are the contextual factors that predict the employability of IT graduates in the DRC. The Cronbach’s Alpha test of reliability for the retained contextual factors scored .78, .75, .63, and .53, respectively.

Potential of Rice-Based Food Processing Industries Along Eastern Plains of River Ganga

The Indo-Gangetic plains are considered to be the most fertile land area within India. It contains alluvium type of soil which is rich in nutrients and have high water retention capacity. According to many agricultural think tanks, including Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the northern belt of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) and Bihar are the only states having naturally sustainable soil conditions for the cultivation of water-intensive rice crops in India and are also among very few regions of Asia. This paper will be an attempt to propose an integrated system where Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets like poverty, well-being, economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, and sustainable communities will be addressed. With the optimum production of rice in the region and with the support of government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampda Yojana scheme for overall growth and development of food processing units, food processing industries can be established in selected pockets of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The food processing industries based on rice processing will produce varied local sweets such as Anarsa, Lakhtho, Thekua, etc., and food products that can get a vital push from the government’s One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. With the help of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the products can be promoted for international exports as well. Also, it will address the much-known menace of outmigration (4–5 million of workforce per annum) from states and will provide local human capital with income growth and identity. A whole integrated system can be built where linkages from farm to market can be created which will reap farmers: good prices and regular procurement, food industries: good promotion of products plus profits, and local people: economic and social protection. Therefore, by using locally climate suited crop and government supported food parks or industrial system, the holistic aim of 3P’s – people, planet, and profit, will be realized.

Birth Notification and Registration: A Survey on Knowledge and Attitude Among Postpartum Women in Northwest Ethiopia.

Birth registration is the official and permanent recording of a child's birth within a civil registry, according to the legal requirements of a country. Although the Sustainable Development Goal targets providing legal identity for all by 2030, birth registration levels remain critically low. Therefore, this study aimed to assess postpartum women's knowledge of and attitudes towards birth registration and its associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1-30/2022 among 422 participants who were selected using systematic random sampling. A pretested and structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were entered into EPI Info 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the factors associated with knowledge and attitudes towards birth registration. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered to be significantly associated with the dependent variable. Among the participants, 41.7% had good knowledge of birth registration. Less than one-quarter (22.6%) had a favorable attitude towards birth registration. Having a college and above educational level (AOR = 4.01, 95% CI: 2.3-8.4), being urban resident (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 3.1-7.4) and full exposure to media (AOR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.5-5.7) were associated with knowledge of birth registration. Having primary educational status (AOR = 2.04, 95% CI: 2.96-8.31), being fully exposed to different media (AOR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.22-11.36) and having four or more antenatal care visits (AOR = 5.10, 95% CI: 1.18-14.35) were associated with favorable attitudes towards birth registration. Postpartum women had poor knowledge of and attitudes towards birth registration. Increasing educated women at all levels, awareness rising through different media and integration of birth registration with antenatal care is crucial for realizing the registration of all births by 2030.

Localizing SDG in Eastern Region Malaysia: Key Challenges of Project Impact Evaluation

The Solution Provider Project for the community throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak is one of the remarkable flagship programs of The All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia –Sustainable Development Goals byCivil Society Organization Alliance (APPGM-SDG CSO). With theclear aim to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)in Malaysia, several projects for 2022 have beenimplemented throughout the country including 10 solution projects in the Eastern Region,particularly in Kelantan. The solution project implementorswere given financial assistance to runskill-based training and community-based projects for community development, empowerment, and an industry-ready talent pool. This paper intends to discuss the key challenges and project impact evaluation carried outon behalf of APPGM-SDG. The methodology employed was a mixed method –embedded design approach to assess the project impact evaluation. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to evaluate the impact of the project. Data was gathered from proposal and project monitoring documents, focus group discussions(FGD), and site visits. Findings from solution providers, project beneficiaries, and evaluators' observations were then combined and triangulated to provide a more in-depth understanding of the impact of the solution projects. There were several key challenges found in the solutions projects from the perspectives of solution providers, project beneficiaries, and project evaluators in the Eastern regiondiscussed in this paper. This paper also highlights several recommendations to overcome those challenges via a clear communication plan between solution providers, APPGM representatives, and impact evaluators to facilitate andstrengthen the impact evaluation process. The challenges discussed in this paper are hoped to better inform project implementors and policymakers in their decision-making, program design, and policy papers, particularly in the areas of economic, social, and environmental with a clear target SDG deliverables and target group.

SCIENTOMETRIC REVIEW OF SMART WATER MANAGEMENT LITERATURE FROM THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL PERSPECTIVE

Water is essential to human survival; however, many people, particularly those in poorer countries, lack access to reliable sources of clean and safe water. Despite decades of effort to address this issue, water sustainability remains elusive even today. Smart technologies have been widely adopted for water management, rendering smart water management a promising path to achieving water sustainability. Nevertheless, the efficacy of such smart water management in attaining sustainability remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the progress made in pursuing water sustainability with smart water management through a scientometric literature review. The Scopus database was employed to extract a pool of 460 candidate publications, which were then analyzed for content using bibliometric analysis and VOSviewer software. Nine clustered research themes were classified, corresponding to the nine targets of sustainable development goals (SDGs) for water. The findings show that engagement across these topics is highly unequal, providing substantial guidance on where emerging research efforts should be concentrated. The novelty of this study mainly lies in the SDG perspective that provides a significant but overlooked angle for observing progress in smart water management domain. The findings can enlighten the international water industry to create a more favorable environment for regions lagging in using smart technologies to facilitate overall water sustainability.

Assessing progress of India in reduction of premature mortality due to four noncommunicable diseases towards achieving the WHO 25×25 goal and the sustainable development goals

AbstractThe World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a global noncommunicable disease monitoring framework in 2013 with a target of a 25% reduction in premature mortality from four noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic respiratory disease (CRD) by 2025 compared to 2010. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target to reduce premature deaths from the four major NCDs by one‐third from 2015 to 2030. The objective of this study was to estimate the trend and reduction in premature mortality in India due to 4 major NCDs combined and separately between 2001 and 2030 and compare its progress toward the WHO and SDG target achievement. The publicly available data from the census for population and the Sample Registration System (SRS) for cause of death by 5‐year‐age groups were extracted. Age standardized premature mortality rates, unconditional probability of dying and annual percent change (APC) were computed. The premature mortality for four major NCDs decreased by −13.9% from 2010 to 2025 and by −15.6% from 2015 to 2030. The percentage changes in premature mortality from 2010 to 2025 were −33.9%, −17.4%, −9.3%, and 6.9% for CRD, cancer, CVD and diabetes respectively. For 2015–2030, these changes were −21.7%, −11.5%, −15.4%, and −15.1%. A significant reduction trend was observed for CRD with an average APC of −5.2%. The current reduction trend in premature mortality indicates that either the 25% reduction by 2025 or a one‐third reduction by 2030 will require intensive implementation of policies and program for NCD reduction.

The role of the Sustainable Development Goals for better governance of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

The discussion on the Anthropocene has increased the urgency to promote a sustainable society, considering the planetary boundaries, population growth and resource scarcity. Thus, the United Nations created the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to address this challenge, including 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 SDG targets. In this context, the energy sector is one of the main sectors to achieve sustainable development and contribute to climate action using new technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, CCS can positively and negatively impact the planet and hinder or boost the SDGs, depending on how it is governed. Therefore, this article aims to discuss the role of the SDGs to better governance of CCS. To inform this discussion, we first show that 25 SDG targets are impacted positively or negatively by the use of CCS. This implies an urgent need to improve the way this technology is being deployed worldwide. To contribute regarding the governance, we highlight 13 targets that can help guide better use of this technology. This aspect of governance highlights that, to improve, actions must be spread on topics such as strengthening international collaboration, transfer of technology and financial resources, and the organisation of actors (researchers and decision-makers) to work together to achieve sustainable development. Finally, we point out that the sustainable deployment of CCS should be a goal to improve governance. Furthermore, we emphasize that the results of this work might have to be constantly updated, given that current research and technological advances may imply significant changes.

Envisaged methodologies for sustainable food labelling policies might worsen water scarcity

To reduce the current billions of people facing water scarcity, which is a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target, different actions and measures are required. This includes food labelling which accounts for water scarcity, to help consumers make informed choices when purchasing food products. The European Commission is considering the proposal of a “Sustainable food labelling framework” in the last quartal of 2023, within its ambitious Farm to Fork strategy. Implementing such a food label in the EU has a potential reach of 447 million consumers. Most prominent label candidate is its own developed PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), a tool already implemented by some retailers in the EU. However, this paper argues that the category water scarcity in the PEF has two major flaws. First, it does not account for water efficiency of a product, which is essential to solve global water stress. Second, the spatial resolution for water stress is much too coarse. The current PEF tool makes comparisons between products useless and even misleading. Its use might worsen global water scarcity, as it provides producers and consumers the wrong incentives. Urgent revision of the category water stress in the PEF is required. This can be done by using the indicators water stress and water efficiency in a complementary way, as well as using the most detailed spatial resolution science can provide.

Rethinking sustainability in cocoa supply chain in light of SDG disclosure

PurposeThis paper aims to assess how cocoa supply chain companies disclose sustainable development goals (SDGs) information in their sustainability reports. This assessment highlights strategic aspects of sustainable supply chain management and reveals leveraging sustainability points in the cocoa industry.Design/methodology/approachThe two-step qualitative approach relies on text-mining company reports and subsequent content analysis that identifies the topics disclosed and relates them to SDG targets.FindingsThis study distinguishes 18 SDG targets connected to cocoa traders and 30 SDG targets to chocolate manufacturers. The following topics represent the main nexuses of connections: decent labour promotion and gender equity (social), empowering local communities and supply chain monitoring (economic) and agroforestry and climate action (environmental).Practical implicationsBy highlighting the interconnections between the SDGs targeted by companies in the cocoa supply chain, this paper sheds light on the strategic SDGs for this industry and their relationships, which can help to improve sustainability disclosure and transparency. One interesting input for companies is the improvement of climate crisis prevention, focusing on non-renewable sources minimisation, carbon footprint and clear indicators of ecologic materiality.Social implicationsThis study contributes to policymakers to enhance governance and accountability of global supply chains that are submitted to different regulation regimes.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has framed the cocoa industry from a broader SDG perspective. The interconnections identified reveal the key goals of the cocoa supply chain and point to strategic sustainability choices for companies in an important global industry.

From ‘the conscience of humanity’ to the conscious human brain: UNESCO’s embrace of social-emotional learning as a flag of convenience

ABSTRACT This article analyses UNESCO’s advocacy of social-emotional learning (SEL) as key to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly SDG target 4.7. It interrogates the agency’s growing emphasis on digital SEL and conscious “whole brain” approaches as part of a wider neuroliberal turn towards the behavioural, psychological and neurological sciences and considers their implications for UNESCO’s status as the “conscience of humanity.” It argues that “SEL for SDGs” operates as a “flag of convenience” hoisted by UNESCO to garner legitimacy in a global governance landscape increasingly shaped by private/corporate interests, new (tech-based) philanthropy, and neoliberal policies and funding infrastructures. It demonstrates how the privileging of biological and neuropsychological explanations for complex global problems is reconfiguring UNESCO’s global citizenship work towards a depoliticised, individualistic and neuroliberally-inflected “conscious human brain” response to complex societal challenges which forestalls political dialogue and undermines an appreciation of their material and economic determinants.