Beyond Geopolitics: What are the challenges in making our world more sustainable?

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face in building a better, more inclusive world for everyone. “Conflict, insecurity, weak institutions and limited access to justice remain threats to sustainable development,” among many others, says the UN SDG Progress Report 2020.

These challenges have crystallized in recent months. As several World Economic Forum experts and partners explained, “the rise in populism and ‘country first’ politics have threatened the spirit of international co-operation and the workings of the multilateral institutions,” which are sorely needed right now to work together to overcome the crises. “This left the international community at a significant disadvantage as it faced the COVID-19 pandemic,” they continued. Around the world, journalists are persecuted and even killed trying to get to the truth. Even the wealthiest nations aren’t immune: systemic racism is embedded in police departments, medicine, even housing and financial policy in the United States, says the IMF, a sign of decades of injustice towards Black and African American communities across the country.

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on all economies, societies and people, we’re physically separated, with people staying in their homes, meetings and travel all but halted – and the world’s most vulnerable are falling through the cracks.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is a tragic reminder of how deeply connected we are. The virus knows no borders and is a quintessential global challenge. Combatting it requires us to work together as one human family,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

It’s hard to say there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, but perhaps there’s this: as we embark on the Great Reset, we have an opportunity to come together stronger than before, with a greater commitment to achieving a more sustainable world.

All 17 SDGs play a role in building a better, more inclusive world – but two in particular focus on geopolitics:

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The targets include:

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. This comprehensive goal aims to implement and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. As part of this, developed countries must fully implement their official development assistant commitments and work to assist developing countries with other financial challenges. Additional targets include:

The short answer: not nearly enough.

Too many innocent people are being killed or abused, according to the UN SDG Progress Report 2020. Between 2015-2017, nearly 107,000 civilians were killed in a dozen armed conflicts. While intentional homicides have declined – from 6.8 per 100,000 in 2000 to 5.8 in 2018 – if current trends continue, we’ll only reach around 5.2 per 100,000 in 2030. Meanwhile, between 2012-2019, nearly 8 in 10 children between the ages of 1-14 were subjected to psychological aggression and/or physical punishment at home in the previous month in 69 countries, and children accounted for one-third of trafficking victims in 2016.

Access to justice also requires more progress. Worldwide, 31% of prisoners are being detained without being sentenced for a crime – “a level that has not declined since 2005,” continues the report – and 60% of prisons in 190 countries exceed capacity. Even the wealthiest, most developed nations require greater progress on justice – as we’re seeing now in the United States with the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism.

Speak up about these injustices, and one may face retribution: “From 2015 to 2019, the United Nations recorded at least 1,940 killings and 106 enforced disappearances of human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists across 81 countries, with over half of killings occurring in Latin America and the Caribbean," says the progress report, along with physical and online attacks and harassment. "This is underscored by a marked rise in widespread hostile rhetoric directed at the media and journalists,” according to the report.

COVID-19 makes these challenges worse. In 2019, more than 79.5 million people fled war, persecution and conflict. Now, these displaced people face another risk: a deadly virus. Women and children face increased risk of domestic violence when locked down in unsafe homes; even vulnerable children who don’t face violence may not have food or access to education if they can't go to a physical school. Even in areas where we’ve made considerable progress – like the steady increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) to developing economies – we expect to see declines. FDI, as just one example, is projected to decline by as much as 40% in 2020 due to the economic crisis, and 5-10% more in 2021.