What Are the Universal Development Goals?

Starting in 2000, the United Nations (U.N.) created a new list of development goals every 15 years. These goals are a framework to address global challenges and raise billions of dollars to give to governments around the world. The first list of goals, called the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, spanned from 2001 to 2015. Now, from 2016 to 2030, there is a set of goals called the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Probably, next year in 2025, as in 2010, the U.N. will start a new five-year process to create a new set of goals. 

In creating the MDGs, too many non-governmental organizations and businesses entered the process and promoted their own interests. While implementing the MDGs, too many governmental agencies also prioritized their own benefits. They replaced the goals of the law and limited the positive impact these development laws are supposed to provide. Some people worry that this will happen with the SDGs and future development goals. If this continues to be the case, international problems like sustainability and development will get worse.

There is often a lot of politics that goes into deciding who benefits from the money raised. The most powerful and influential tend to win out over those less established. However, when deciding how to tackle the world’s largest problems, politics should not be the deciding factor. Funding should be awarded on the basis of merit and data. As a legal scholar and social scientist, I wondered if there was a way to replace the politics with a more scientific process. This could lead to better results with the U.N.’s development goals. 

In legal science, we start by looking at the basic laws almost all governments agree on. In social science, we look for clear measures of results. We also have standards for the best actions to meet complicated goals. By keeping these standards consistent, we can keep our measures of success clear and consistent as well. That way, no matter where the funding is targeted or who receives it, we can measure success and move forward logically. This is not the case right now. There is no scientific standard.

By looking at international documents, we can see there are key laws and principles guiding a country’s development. These guidelines are good measures for achieving success and provide 13 different goals for development.  

The 13 development goals fit into four categories:

1. the level of the individual (personal development) = 6 goals

2. the level of development of society (or country) = 3 goals

3. the level of communities or cultures = 1 goal

4. all of humanity = 3 goals

Goals for the Individual: Personal Development

The six goals for individual or personal development are the goals for children so they grow into healthy, responsible, educated adults. These include:

1. Physical health and activities: This goal involves physical activity and expression. There are good measures for physical health and ways to achieve it. This includes universal public health care, clean environment, healthy “livable” cities and communities, and safe and enjoyable workplaces.

2. Intellectual development and mental health: There are clear ways outlined for supporting the mental health of people. This goal involves schools with gardens, laboratories, workshops, libraries, community participation, student choices, and equal education for all. It also includes free psychological care, museums, and cultural centers.

3. Appreciation for the environment and for the human spirit: This goal includes freedom of religion, peace, and tolerance. This is about teaching respect and responsibility, along with understanding others and their differences.

4. Moral development: This goal means seeing others as equal to oneself and looking out for others. This is about learning responsibility for the long-term future of everyone. That is different from just obeying laws or rules.

5. Social development and awareness: This goal means learning to respect your family and your community. This means learning to feel a part of the group’s values and to express your own views. It is not about just following leaders. There are ways for countries and communities to support cultures and promote pride in family and communities. This can be done through meaningful participation and learning in the community.

6. Cultural development: This goal involves taking pride in your culture and protecting your heritage. This means learning to protect the history, places, and achievements of your ancestors. Today, cultures, languages, and historic sites are disappearing. 

Goals for the Society: Country Development

The three goals for development of society (or one’s country) involve protecting others who are different and treating them equally. These are three ways of helping to develop a good society. They are:

1. Promoting what is called “social equity”, “equal opportunity” and “social progress”: The idea is really about fairness for everyone. One solution is to tax the wealthy at a higher percentage. The money can be used for things like quality public education and better access to lawyers.

2. Promoting what is called “political equality” or “equal rights”: This goal is so that every person can develop their abilities to be the best that they can be. This means respecting all ideas and views. It means giving citizens equal power and resources to make political decisions. It means giving citizens more control over elected leaders, corporations, military and police, and governments. It means giving citizens more voice, more citizenship skills, and more power in legal decisions.

3. Promoting peace and understanding, and love: This goal involves eliminating the unfair power that some groups have over others. This means teaching negotiation, building of trust, and reducing violence.

Goals for the Community: Cultural Development

There is only one goal for the development of cultural/ethnic groups. Cultural groups have developed on different lands and with different histories and languages. 

1. Continuing to be sustainable and sovereign: This goal means that the cultures can survive. This goal is for groups to protect their environments so they can survive. It is best to start with sustainability and survival plans for the next 50 to 100 years and then carry them out.

Goals for Humanity: Global Development

The three goals for global development are very similar to the goals for the development of society (or one’s country). They call for fairness between countries and between the different cultural/ethnic groups within. These goals also call for peace and understanding between countries, in a harmonious planet. These are:

1. Promoting what is called “social equity”, “equal opportunity” and “social progress” for all countries and cultural groups in the international system: This goal is about fairness. Countries should be free of pressures from other countries on them and their environments. It is not about all countries having the same lifestyle or the same kind of economic or political system.

2. Promoting what is called “political equality” or “equal rights” for all countries and cultural groups in the international system: The idea is balancing the political power of many different groups. This can be done with federal systems that allow minorities to stop majorities and to have representation, including control over militaries.

3. Promoting peace and understanding, and love: This goal involves eliminating the unfair power that some groups have over others. This goal is also about trying to find better ways to solve conflicts. One key in the path to peace is more sustainability planning for countries with less dependency on what other countries have.

With this work, we can see that many of the MDGs and SDGs do not exist in international law. Instead, they include goals and measures that promote trade, making more products, and buying certain things. However, there is so much more to the healthy and sustainable development of people, their communities, and their countries. The work done in my research can be useful in assuring that the next U.N. goals follow the law that serves all people.

Written by: David Lempert, Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A., E.D. (Hon.)

Academic Editor: Neuroscientist

Non-Academic Editor: Local High Schooler

Original Paper

• Title: Universal Development Goals for this Millennium

• Journal: Consilience

• Date Published: 2014 

Contact: superlemp@yahoo.com 

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