SDG: 17 goals that have technology as an ally

The United Nations 2030 Agenda seeks to transform the world. For this, and after years of meetings, a consensus was reached: to define some Sustainable Development Goals, also known as SDG.

As the name implies, these are a group of development goals that demand a global engagement. The ultimate goal is to implement mechanisms that improve aspects in the social, economic and environmental spheres.

To better understand the context of the SDGs, here we describe what they are, their purpose and how technology helps them reach them.

SDG: 17 goals for a sustainable transformation

The SDGs are a master plan of action framed in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. They were decreed in 2015, after the deadline of the previous agenda: the eight Millennium Development Goals, also known as MDGs.

The SDGs are a guide that guides global actions with 169 goals organized into 17 objectives.

Technology at the service of the SDGs: 7 contributions to achieve the goals

Technology is constituted as an ally to contribute to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. How? Simple: with solutions based on digital technology that help drive them. Below, we describe seven ways in which it contributes to the achievement of the 17 SDGs.

1. Contributes to supplying quality goods and services

Technologies provide platforms and means to mitigate Limitations of access to quality goods and servicescontributing to:

• Overcome precarious living conditions and poverty (objective 1).
• Create models of agricultural development with genetic improvements based on data analysis, more efficient and that help reduce hunger (objective 2).
• Improve health systems (goal 3), as well as increase sanitation and safe access to clean water (goal 6).

2. Provide mobile and ubiquitous platforms for education

ICTs are essential for the development of educational processes and continuous training in the labor field. Technology is a platform and a tool that enables the possibilities of:

• Implement new educational modalities or improve existing ones (objective 4).
• Design flexible learning paths that promote mobility and participation of people in vulnerable situations (goal 5, goal 10).
• Obtain progressive certifications that equip people with skills for the access to better jobs (target 8).

3. Promotes industrialization and sustainable production

Countries increase their ability to access industrial and business ecosystems with resilient and competitive infrastructures. Digital and industrial technologies contribute to the development of several Sustainable Development Goals because they promote:

• Innovation and development of infrastructures that make more intelligent and responsible use of resources (goal 9).
• The production and responsible consumption (target 12).

4. Increase connectivity and participation

The development of connected societies is possible to the extent that the digital inclusion in order to exceed the 4.95 billion users that the Internet already has. Thus, information and telecommunications technologies are combined to develop:

• Sustainable cities and communities (Objective 11) where the use of non polluting energy is privileged (Objective 7).
• Participatory, transparent and solid citizen management models (objective 16).

5. New business opportunities

The technologies associated with digital transformation create new business opportunities. Companies have fertile ground to investigate and innovate in new developments. For example:

• integration of high speed networks and wireless devices that increase decent work opportunities and economic growth (Goal 8).

6. It favors the collection and analysis of data

Data collection, analysis and modeling is a requirement to determine which elements should be intervened. If the SDGs are to be achieved, techniques and tools are required to harness data from real and digital environments. The study of the data allows us to understand what is happening and how to create models of attention to situations such as:

• affectation of the climate change in populations and economies (goal 13).
• Alterations in the environment that affect the oceans (goal 14) and terrestrial ecosystems (goal 15).

7. Integration and alliances

Together, technologies facilitate communication mechanisms to establish alliances and reach all Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Participation without geographical barriers is necessary to facilitate inclusion and investment:

• Technologies enable dynamics between public and private actors that make it possible to achieve the established goals (goal 17).

In short, the SDGs seek to promote prosperity, healthy living and the well being of all beings on the planet. They are objectives and goals that are oriented to increase the possibilities of connection, integration and access. Formulated as a universal call, the Sustainable Development Goals unite efforts to develop actions in favor of eradicating problems that affect the planet and the beings that inhabit it.