A Critical Review on the Applications of Optimization Techniques in the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The United Nations agenda 2030 adopted sustainable development goals in 2015 with 17 targets and 231 unique indicators achievable in 2030. The ever-growing demand for member countries for these achievements resulted in the setting of individual aspirational goals. This article extensively discusses the optimization techniques applied in modelling and analyzing several member countries’ vital economic indicators. The study reveals that goal programming (GP) and its variants mostly applied in this regard. Some variants identified include fuzzy GP, stochastic GP, polynomial GP, weighted GP, and GP with satisfaction function. Other multi-criteria optimization techniques also used in different concept. They include the analytic hierarchy process, the fuzzy-AHP, entropy method, the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), the fuzzy-TOPSIS, the VIKOR method, the combined compromise solution method and data envelopment analysis. Most of the studies carried out in Africa, Asia, Europe and the UAEs. It shows that some targets are achievable while others are not. Several suggestions and conclusions made in respect of different countries studied to achieve the SDGs vision 2030.