Progress Toward the Sustainable Development Goals: Insights From the Global South

• Published in: International perspectives in psychology : research, practice, consultation practice, consultation, 2022-01, Vol.11 (3), p.197-205
• Main Authors: Perkins, Krystal M., Kurtiş, Tuğçe, Velazquez, Luis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Colonialism; COVID-19; Education; Female; Goals; Human; International Organizations; Male; Poverty; Social Justice; Sustainability; Sustainable Development
• ISSN: 2157-3883; 2157-3891
• DOI: 10.1027/2157-3891/a000043

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an assemblage of interwoven goals intended to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030" (United Nations, 2020). The SDGs have been the subject of extensive research and debate, particularly regarding their feasibility and global applicability in our COVID-19 world. This research considered the question of progress toward sustainable development from the perspective of professionals involved in sustainability education and movements across diverse Global South settings. Participants emphasized three key themes: the role of poverty in sustainability efforts and challenges within the Global South, shortcomings of Global North-based notions and strategies of development, and the importance of local knowledge derived from Global South perspectives. The discussion considers more emancipatory possibilities for sustainable and just living. Impact and Implications This research highlights insights of sustainability scholars and activists within diverse Global South settings, whose accounts rarely inform psychological science and global discourses of sustainable development. Participants emphasize the role of poverty in sustainability efforts within the Global South, and note the extent to which efforts toward sustainability are intricably linked to social justice. The findings further reveal shortcomings of Global North-based notions and strategies of development and the importance of local knowledge derived from Global South perspectives. This research contributes to expanding knowledge on sustainability in ways that are more attuned to Global South realities, where the majority of the human population lives. It further illuminates gaps in the UN Sustainable Development model and illuminates alternative, more broadly emancipatory possibilities for sustainable and just living.