Guest editorial: The UN sustainable development goals and management theory and practice

Abstract

The "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" was launched in 2015, aiming to drive society in developed and developing countries to reach sustainable development considering economic, environmental and social issues (United Nations, 2022). The agenda comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets and 213 measurable indicators. According to the United Nations (UN), these 17 SDGs can be classified into four distinct pillars: social (SDGs 1-6), economic (SDGs 7-11), environmental (SDGs 12-15) and law and governance (SDGs 16 and 17) (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Conference of Parties, 2015).The 2022 report about SDGs from the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (which is the forum for sustainable development issues within the UN) identifies many challenges affecting the progress towards implementing SDGs. These challenges include the COVID-19 global pandemic, geopolitical tensions, open conflicts and climate change. The report is the outcome of a session conducted from 5 to 15 July 2022, explicitly discussing progress towards SDG4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality), 14 (life below water), 15 (life on land) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) as well as the needs of developing countries to advance these SDGs.Regarding education, the report focuses on the importance of recovering from the learning losses due to COVID-19 and the importance of education at all levels. In terms of gender equality, the increase in physical and sexual violence against women is highlighted, especially the fact that women made up nearly 45% of global employment losses in 2020. SDG14 (life below water) receives less financing than other SDGs, despite being critical for achieving the other goals. The report also suggests building sustainable businesses, dividing benefits with local communities and reducing the complexity of funding processes. Regarding SDG15 (life on land), the continuous loss of forest areas in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa and the role played by agriculture in this process are pointed out. As a solution, the report highlights the importance of green and blue bonds and carbon credits; it also recommends creating incentives to better understand the nature-health nexus and stakeholder engagement.SDG17 points out the challenges in getting financial resources for sustainable development and the importance of intensifying international cooperation for mobilizing and sharing Science, Technology, and Innovation. Most of the discussions are related to the challenges of implementation and alternatives to face these challenges (Earth Negotiations Bulletin, 2022).