Abstract
This chapter identified the factors that could justify the growing social inequalities and reduce possible threats of discontent that may arise among disadvantaged groups across the world. The research has been conducted based on data provided by the VNR reported by the HLPF from 2016 to 2021. The number of actions implemented to comply with the principle of LNOB and the number of SDGs affected by the actions implemented at the country and regional levels are the two parameters that support the analysis which led to the conclusion of the potential pockets of discontent. Since 2016, a total of 143 countries have committed, with 605 actions for the implementation of the LNOB principle. The chapter revealed that people from all around the world have expressed a desire to move towards a more equal world of sustainable development. Nevertheless, some regions of the globe have shown more commitment and determination than others since the movement of LNOB was born. The risk of delay is that the need for managing conflicts will only grow from frustration and discontent.
TopIntroduction
Humanity is increasingly tightened in the vice of inequalities, to the point of being suffocated by its weight that is gaining ground every day. There is reason to believe that the policies put in place by states, both national and international, condition the resurgence of the scourge. For example, the inequalities induced by the global coronavirus health crisis in recent years is sobering. From inequalities in economic recovery and access to vaccines, to worsening income losses and widening learning gaps, COVID-19 has disproportionately penalized poor and vulnerable populations in 2021 (Gopalakrishnan et al., 2021). What could be the fate of the disadvantaged victims left behind, whose numbers are increasing day by day? Is the international community acting for the reduction of the social disparities caused by emerging crises? What are the outputs of these actions, especially with the aim of building a world where access to well-being is equal for all? What should be done to avoid all attempts to self-justice discontents could generate and increase among the peoples, the social belonging felling? These are the concerns that deserve to be answered through the present work.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Member States: The 193 United Nations countries and territories that adopted the Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and committed to achieve them. Through sustainable (economic, environmental, and social) development, their overall objective is to create a better world, and a better life for all, by 2030.
Leaves No One Behind (LNOB): Leave no one behind (LNOB) is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It represents the unequivocal commitment of all UN Member States to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine the potential of individuals and of humanity as a whole. LNOB not only entails reaching the poorest of the poor, but requires combating discrimination and rising inequalities within and amongst countries, and their root causes. A major cause of people being left behind is persistent forms of discrimination, including gender discrimination, which leaves individuals, families and whole communities marginalized, and excluded. It is grounded in the UN’s normative standards that are foundational principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international human rights law and national legal systems across the world.
Social Inequalities: Social inequality is the condition of unequal access to the benefits and rights of society. Social inequality is usually the result of unfair inter-social treatment (biases and prejudices) and unjust government regulations. Social inequality can be further broken down into two types: direct and indirect. It is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments. In a purely equal society, every citizen is equally able to contribute to the overall wellbeing of that society, and they are equally able to benefit from their membership within that society.
SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). In 2015, the United Nations drew up 17 Sustainable Development Goals to set the course for the future of our world. With the 2030 Agenda, 193 countries have committed to ensuring that all people can live in dignity by 2030 while at the same time preserving the natural foundations of life in the long term, whether social, economic, or ecological. The 17 SDGs concern everyone: governments worldwide, civil society, the private sector, academia, and individuals. The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs include 169 targets. Together they provide a holistic framework for achieving a sustainable society globally. The SDGs are a call to action for all countries worldwide to foster prosperity while protecting our planet. Therefore, the targets include tackling poverty and strategies that address people’s social needs, such as health, education, social protection, employment opportunities etc.
Commitment: An agreement or pledge to do something in the future; especially: an firm engagement to assume or achieve some development obligation at a future at the benefice of people. It is also a promise to do something or to behave in a particular way; a promise to support somebody/something.
The Geography of Discontent: The geography of discontent is a social phenomenon that refers to the feeling of grievance or dissatisfaction perceived by a good part of the population living in those territories that feel abandoned by governments and policy makers. This phenomenon appears as a factor that can make the SDGs a valuable tool for more inclusive and people-centered policymaking. Indeed, high unemployment, low wage growth and other symptoms of poor socioeconomic performance have led to growing public discontent with the political and economic status quo. The geography of discontent stresses a growing mistrust from citizens about the capacity of their governments to ensure well-being now and in the future. This mistrust has generated a pattern in which the degree of discontent reflects the economic performance of a region relative to others in the country, inside country disparities depending on levels decentralization. The geography of discontent is a symptom of an underlying policy failure. Too many regions struggle because public policy has not responded adequately to their problems. A focus on aggregate performance at the national level has obscured that struggling regions require distinct solutions. Only if policymakers address this fundamental issue will they be able to deal with the cause behind the geography of discontent (OECD, 2019a). It is considered that SDGs can help to address some of the underlying causes of the discontents shown by the citizens through responsive and effective local and regional policies considering the principle of LNOB.
Discontent: A feeling of wanting better treatments or an improved condition of life. It is an expression of unsatisfaction on the way things are going or managing. Discontent among the people contributes to pressure from many quarters to check the powers in force. General feeling of discontent and despair, stimulated mass demonstrations and the emergence of pro-democracy movements across a geographical sphere or entity (country or region).