The UN sustainable development goals miss the point

Not many people enjoy the existence of poverty. Some think it’s
inevitable, others that tackling it is politically impossible. But for
those with ambition, an end to poverty is a worthy enough goal.
Naturally, the self-congratulation will be in full flow this weekend, as
celebrities and world leaders gather in New York to launch their latest
effort to do just that, in the form of the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).

But something will be missing in between the speeches and
performances by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Bill Gates and Meryl
Streep. That thing is power. Because unless you understand that the
poverty of some flows from the wealth and power of others, efforts to
fight poverty will not truly work.

The SDGs consist of 17 objectives which aim to build a better planet –
from eradicating hunger to building more sustainable cities. Each
objective contains a number of targets which cover everything from
having better public transport to helping artisanal fisherfolk get
better access to markets.