EVERYONE, INCLUDING “lazy” people, can take part in attaining the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an officer of the international organization said in a forum held Wednesday.
Teresa Debuque, national information officer and operations manager of UN Information Centre in Manila, presented The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World, which laid out ways for everyone to participate in achieving the organization’s SDGs.
These ways include turning off appliances when not in use, staying informed on local happenings, refraining from using plastic, and riding public transportation.
“This is a practical to-do list that anybody at any age could be guided by and know that by doing these [and] by subscribing to these steps, you have taken one step…towards helping the global push to implementing the SDGs,” Debuque said.
Seventeen goals are included in SDGs which are geared towards eradicating poverty, promoting human rights, protecting the planet, and ensuring peace and prosperity. These targets are expected to be achieved by 2030.
“I’m sure The Lazy Person’s Guide…that will be your contribution to the global efforts. ‘Di ba sabi ni Gandhi: ‘Be the change you want to see [in the world,]’” she said.
“We all want growth; we all want to have better lives. But at the same time we have to make sure that the process that which we get there, we don’t compromise the integrity of our environment,” Debuque added.
However, UN member states should formulate their own national frameworks to achieve the sustainable development goals, she stressed.
The UN project titled Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to strengthen and complete its previous agenda, the Millennium Development Goals.
The forum titled United Here, United Nations is the first part of the Kasaysayan Lectures organized by the UST History Society. F – Vann Marlo Villegas
