Global transition, global risks, and the UN's sustainable development goals – A call for peace, justice, and political stability

Abstract

Despite an increasing global demand for the implementation of necessary measures to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the increasing number of disaster and public health emergencies, and the outcomes of recent crises, have proven to be a real obstacle to achieving these goals. The outcomes of several past events, in particular the coronavirus-19 pandemic crisis, illustrate a turning point in achieving these goals due to its political, economic, and sociocultural impacts. Since the United Nations' sustainable development goals are interrelated, they are all prone to internal and external disturbances. The analysis of past events has particularly revealed that the lack of partnership, peace, justice, and strong institutional structure, is the main obstacle to achieving these goals. This rapid review confirms the impact of disasters and public health emergencies on two major sustainable development goals, i.e., goals 16 and 17, indicating a need for global partnership (goal 17) to achieve peace, justice, and a strong institutional structure (goal 16) as a prerequisite to achieving the entire United Nation's development goals.