SDGs, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, are the universally recognized development goals that outline the action plan for the next fifteen years in order to eradicate extreme poverty, hunger, inequality, and climate change. They are the future plans for the globe in order to achieve a better future for all; through the collaboration and innovation globally, SDGs are set to improve the lives of those compromised. Through the last generation of the SDG effort, extreme poverty has declined by more than half compared to 1990, education rate and the rate of access to water and medicines than ever before. SDGs play a very important role in leading the world forward.
During this Student Summit, students are put into groups, and through their collaboration and exchange of ideas, each group would present their project in response to one of the SDGs topics. At the beginning of the summit, the speaker Fernando Reimers gave out a speech about his upbringing, the global meaning of SDGs, and the importance of youth taking action in changing the world for the better. Professor Reimers introduced the importance of SDGs by presenting people’s access to education around the globe, and the importance of access to clean water and medicine. He advocated for young people to take action in designing the SDGs projects, stating that the world is left to the young generation, and it is the human race’s responsibility to make the world a better place.
As someone who is fortunate enough to have a privileged global education experience, it is emotional but also important to realize people’s lives on the other end of the spectrum. As professor Reimers stated in his lecture, the ability to call for action is held in the hands of the developed countries, therefore makes it more crucial to call for global progress and have sustainable development goals.