This paper addresses a series of questions about United Nations reform and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines what incentives the UN should offer countries that meet SDG targets, what reforms a prospective Secretary-General might initiate, and which of the 17 SDGs are most and least likely to be achieved. The paper also evaluates whether too much power is vested in the Security Council veto, how that system might be changed, which global issues remain unaddressed by the SDGs, and which of the five recognized weaknesses of the UN is most damaging to the organization. Throughout, the analysis draws on economic, governance, and equity considerations.
The UN should go an extra mile and mobilize all possible resources to fund projects and support countries that have successfully implemented the Sustainable Development Goals or demonstrated a genuine commitment to them. Providing meaningful incentives is essential to sustaining the momentum needed for global progress.
The need to reform UN management is not new. Incoming Secretary-Generals have repeatedly reordered how UN departments operate, introduced new lines of command, and carried out structural reorganizations. If elected the next Secretary-General, the priority reforms would include outsourcing all secretariat services and pushing for fresh authority to adjust budgets and wind up programs without requiring consultation with the General Assembly (GPF, 2012).
Beyond administrative reform, sustainable development strategies must be inclusive. The needs of the poor must be taken into consideration, and action must be collaborative, ambitious, and oriented toward results, with due regard for national circumstances. Key initiatives would include readjusting production and pricing patterns, promoting the preservation of natural resources, strengthening economic governance, and reducing inequality. The role of technology cannot be ignored in this process. Economic and financial incentives will be needed to encourage the creation and adoption of new technologies, and innovative policy reforms will be essential to achieving lasting change (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2013).
Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls appears to be the most attainable. Reforms targeting women's equal access to economic resources — including control and ownership of land, property, financial services, and natural resources, in accordance with national laws — are already underway through the efforts of various stakeholders and are likely to be realized within the timeframe set.
By contrast, ensuring affordable, reliable, and sustainable access to modern energy for all is among the least achievable goals. Most global energy demand continues to be met by fossil fuels, and there is little realistic prospect that this dependency can be substantially reduced within the next 15 years.
Regarding the 17 SDGs as a whole, the 8 Millennium Development Goals before them were already largely unachievable. Setting 17 goals represents an attempt to solve too many problems simultaneously. Some critics acknowledge, however, that the process that gave birth to the SDGs was at least open and transparent.
The veto power held by the five permanent members of the Security Council represents an excessive concentration of authority. The United Nations comprises members from across the globe, and there is no principled justification for granting some nations the unilateral right to block collective decisions. This arrangement contradicts the very principle of equality that the UN claims to uphold.
"Veto power undermines equality; dissolving P-5 proposed"
"Unfair trade practices left unaddressed by SDGs"
"Co-optation most harmful; coherence easiest to fix"
You’re 54% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 3 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.