What Future for a World of 8 Billion?

School Opens in Weapons Free Zone East of UNMISS”. Credit: UN Photo/Amanda VoisardBy John WilmothUNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 2022 (IPS) What does a young girl from Juba, in South Sudan, an 8-year-old boy living in the slums of Mumbai, in India, a young mother from the south of Lima, in Peru, and an 83-year-old man enjoying retirement in the suburbs of Stockholm, in Sweden, have in common?

Many things, perhaps, but here is one of the most important: they are all members of the human population, whose size will surpass 8 billion people in mid-November 2022. They are part of a common humanity that aspires to live peacefully and in dignity, that desires access to quality education, adequate living conditions and decent work, and that hopes to enjoy a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
Even though all of them are part of the same humanity, the challenges and opportunities that they face in their daily lives are drastically different.
In 2015, Member States of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the core of this agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which constitute an ambitious call-for-action to end poverty and hunger, protect the planet and improve the current lives and future prospects of all people everywhere.
Reducing social and economic inequalities is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. Yet many inequalities persist and are deepening, both within and across countries and regions. Today, the probability of living a long, heal...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - July 11, 2022 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: John Wilmoth Tags: Development & Aid Featured Gender Global Headlines Health Inequality Population Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news