Role of self-help groups on socioeconomic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)among rural women in Cooch Behar District,India

This study examines the transformative role of self-help groups(SHGs)in the socioeconomic development of rural women in Cooch Behar District,India,and their contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)of the United Nations.In this study,we explored the effect of SHGs on rural women by specifically addressing SDGs,such as no poverty(SDG 1),zero hunger(SDG 2),good health and well-being(SDG 3),quality education(SDG 4),and gender equality(SDG 5).Given this issue,a cross-sectional survey and comparison analyses are needed to assess the socioeconomic development of rural women and their awareness level before and after the participation of rural women in SHGs.The survey conducted as part of this study was divided into three sections,namely,demographic characteristics,socioeconomic development,and awareness level,with each focusing on different aspects.A group of 400 individuals who were part of SHGs completed the questionnaire survey form.The results showed that the participation of rural women in SHGs significantly improved their socioeconomic development and awareness level,as supported by both mean values and t test results.Memberships in SHGs and microcredit programs were the major elements that boosted the socioeconomic development of rural women,which also achieves SDGs 1,2,3,4,and 5.This study revealed that participation in SHGs and related financial services significantly aided rural women in economically disadvantaged communities in accumulating savings and initiating entrepreneurial ventures.Moreover,participation in SHGs was instrumental in enhancing the self-confidence,self-efficacy,and overall self-esteem of rural women.Finally,doing so enabled them to move more freely for work and other activities and to make family and common decisions.

Spatial differences of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)among counties(cities)on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains

The county(city)located on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains is the primary area to solidify and extend the success of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China in poverty alleviation.Its Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)are intertwined with the concerted economic and social development of Xinjiang and the objective of achieving shared prosperity within the region.This study established a sustainable development evaluation framework by selecting 15 SDGs and 20 secondary indicators from the United Nations’SDGs.The aim of this study is to quantitatively assess the progress of SDGs at the county(city)level on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.The results indicate that there are substantial variations in the scores of SDGs among the nine counties and one city located on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.Notable high scores of SDGs are observed in the central and eastern regions,whereas lower scores are prevalent in the western areas.The scores of SDGs,in descending order,are as follows:62.22 for Minfeng County,54.22 for Hotan City,50.21 for Qiemo County,42.54 for Moyu County,41.56 for Ruoqiang County,41.39 for Qira County,39.86 for Lop County,38.25 for Yutian County,38.10 for Pishan County,and 36.87 for Hotan County.The performances of SDGs reveal that Hotan City,Lop County,Minfeng County,and Ruoqiang County have significant sustainable development capacity because they have three or more SDGs ranked as green color.However,Hotan County,Moyu County,Qira County,and Yutian County show the poorest performance,as they lack SDGs with green color.It is important to establish and enhance mechanisms that can ensure sustained income growth among poverty alleviation beneficiaries,sustained improvement in the capacity of rural governance,and the gradual improvement of social security system.These measures will facilitate the effective implementation of SDGs.Finally,this study offers a valuable support for governmental authorities and relevant departments in their decision-making processes.In addition,these results hold significant reference value for assessing SDGs at the county(city)level,particularly in areas characterized by low levels of economic development.

Knowledge Gaps in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Impacts on Biodiversity Conservation in Nairobi, Kenya

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to ensure environmental sustainability is enhanced focusing on the future generation. Knowledge of the SDGs becomes pivotal in biodiversity conservation thus, a gap impacts such efforts on protecting and preserving biodiversity habits difficult. Nairobi City was chosen because of her unique ecosystem that habits wildlife and urban life with great prospects of being East Africa’s business hub. With an estimated double city population by 2030, knowledge of SDGs would be useful in enhancing biodiversity conservation in unique cities like Nairobi. Thus, a gap in the knowledge of SDGs threatens the future of biodiversity unless it is mitigated. The study employed a cross-sectional design that caters to qualitative and quantitative data. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model was adopted to evaluate how determinants of human perceptions, decisions, and activities related to implementing sustainable development goals impact biodiversity conservation. Results indicate that respondents’ knowledge (30.5% ± 2.01%), attitudes (30.4% ± 1.56%), and practice (26.3% ± 0.08%) on implementation of SDGs was significantly low. Further, a majority believed that lack of awareness of SDGs 87% impacts biodiversity conservation, coupled with 12% and 1%, respectively, who opined that limited SDGs knowledge sharing and corruption were barriers to biodiversity conservation. The majority of respondents believed that increased awareness of SDGs (78.2% ± 2.61%), and strengthened institutional capacity (58.7% ± 3.01%) underscores SDGs’ importance in biodiversity conservation. Knowledge of SDGs is pivotal in the enhancement of biodiversity conservation.

Identifying interlinkages between urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals

Urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)are important global issues in the current“Anthropocene”.Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated global urban problems and hindered the ability to meet SDGs on time,while the broad interlinkages between urbanization and the SDGs remain poorly understood.This study shows that among the interlinkages of urbanization with 17 SDGs,synergies are observed with 151 targets(89%),among which 67(40%)have stronger synergies,and trade-offs are observed with 66 targets(39%),among which 31(18%)have stronger trade-offs.Furthermore,the synergies and trade-offs between urbanization and the achievement of SDGs are specifically analyzed based on four fundamental interaction fields:(a)public health and social welfare equality;(b)energy consumption and economic growth;(c)natural resource use and ecological/environmental impacts;and(d)international cooperation for development.Finally,based on these analyses,we propose four recommendations for sustainable urbanization,including(a)shared well-being and spatial justice for urban and rural residents;(b)guiding green and low-carbon urban development;(c)building resilient cities;and(d)promoting multilateral cooperation in cities,which can contribute to the achievement of SDGs by 2030.

Prioritizing sustainable development goals and linking them to ecosystem services:A global expert’s knowledge evaluation

The implementation of strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)is frequently hindered by potential trade-offs between priorities for either environmental protection or human well-being.However,ecosystem services(ES)-based solutions can offer possible co-benefits for SDGs implementation that are often overlooked or underexploited.In this study,we cover this gap and investigate how experts from different countries value the SDGs and relate them with ES.A total of 66 countries participated to the survey,and answers were grouped into three macro-regions:Asia;Europe,North America,and Oceania(ENO);Latin America,Caribbean and Africa(LA).Results show that the most prioritized SDGs in the three macro-regions are usually those related to essential material needs and environmental conditions,such as SDG2(Zero Hunger),SDG1(No Poverty),and SDG6(Clean Water).At a global scale,the number of prioritized synergies between SDGs and ES largely exceeded trade-offs.The highest amount of synergies was observed for SDG1(No Poverty),mainly with SDG2,SDG3(Good Health),SDG5(Gender Equality),and SDG8(Economic Growth).Other major synergies among SDGs include SDG14-15(Life below water-Life on land),SDG5-10(Gender Equity-Reduced Inequality),and SDG1-2(No poverty-Zero Hunger).At a global scale,SDG15,SDG13,SDG14,and SDG6 were closely related to ES like climate regulation,freshwater,food,water purification,biodiversity,and education.SDG11(Sustainable Cities)and SDG3 were also relevant in Asia and in LA,respectively.Overall,this study shows the potential to couple future policies that can implement SDGs’strategies while adopting ES-based solutions in different regions of the world.

Integrate ecosystem services into socio-economic development to enhance achievement of sustainable development goals in the post-pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has stalled and rolled back progress on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Ecosys-tem services(ESs),defined as the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being,underpin the achievement of SDGs.To promote SDG achievement in post-pandemic era,we teased out the links between ESs and SDGs while examining the impact of COVID-19.We found that ESs benefited all SDGs,yet man-made pressures led to degra-dation of ecosystems and their services.There is broad consensus that the virus lurks in degraded ecosystems and generates spillover due to human interference.The pandemic and global lockdown/restriction disrupted the flow of ESs and altered human ESs demand,threatening the efforts for the SDGs.We suggested:1)to study the association and traceability of ESs-SDGs under the pandemic;2)to prioritize pressing issues such as health care,livelihood,and resource security and in the long run,we should promote human-nature harmony to achieve the SDGs;and 3)to enhance ESs and to promote the SDGs through local community efforts,ESs accounting,and ecosystem restoration.This paper provides insights into the importance of ESs to the SDGs and the ways to integrate ESs into socio-economic development to promote the SDG achievement after the pandemic.

Cross-national Perspectives on Using Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) Indicators for Monitoring Sustainable Development: A Database and Analysis

Sustainable development is the theme of the 21st century. To monitor the progress of sustainable development, the United Nations launched Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) in 2015. Subsequently, nations of the world have drawn up a list of localized indicators regarding the United Nations SDGs as a paradigm. We established a database including SDGs indicator systems of 11 economies by collecting and determining a large number of materials. Based on this database, we analyzed SDGs indicators by designing a conceptual framework of comparative analysis that included three views. We found that the SDGs indicator systems of 11 economies are different between the number of indicators, the proportion of different categories, and the connotation of indicators. Although the SDGs indicator systems among economies regarded the United Nations SDGs as a framework and included the major social problems related to sustainability, the inconsistency between SDGs indicator systems is large. It is a major reason why scholars lack the systematic method for developing indicators. There are challenges faced in data accessibility. The framework for comparative analysis could be applied to different economies.

The Russian‐Ukrainian armed conflict will push back the sustainable development goals

The Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict is a dramatic world event. Apart from the loss of life, the present conflicthas tremendous impacts on the environment, economy, and society. The conflict provoked a ripple of events withimplications at the global level, especially in energy and food. The escalation of this conflict is imposing severethreats to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) not only to the countries di-rectly involved in the conflict but also to other countries, especially the developing ones that are more vulnerableto the economic crisis. In this editorial, we assessed the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on BiophysicalSDGs, Social SDGs, Economic SDGs and Partnership for the Goals SDG that consider all the previous dimensions.The Russian-Ukrainian conflict’s impact on the SDGs is variable. Biodiversity SDGs are mainly affected at theregional level (Russia, Ukraine, surrounding and European Union countries). Society SDGs are affected at local(e.g., SDG3 good health and wellbeing;SDG4 quality education) and global (e.g., SDG2 zero hunger) levels. Fi-nally, the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict has world-level implications for the economic SDGs. Nevertheless,the ongoing conflict’s impacts are not entirely understood, and several uncertainties exist. Peace is needed toachieve the UN’s SDGs in 2030.

Five tips for China to realize its co-targets of climate mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)

In 2018,a total of US$166 billion global economic losses and a new high of 55.3 Gt of CO_(2)equivalent emission were generated by 831 climate-related extreme events.As the world’s largest CO_(2)emitter,we reported China’s recent progresses and pitfalls in climate actions to achieve climate mitigation targets(i.e.,limit warming to 1.5-2°C above the pre-industrial level).We first summarized China’s integrated actions(2015 onwards)that benefit both climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).These projects include re-structuring organizations,establishing working goals and actions,amending laws and regulations at national level,as well as increasing social awareness at community level.We then pointed out the shortcomings in different regions and sectors.Based on these analyses,we proposed five recommendations to help China improving its climate policy strategies,which include:1)restructuring the economy to balance short-term and long-term conflicts;2)developing circular economy with recycling mechanism and infrastructure;3)building up unified national standards and more accurate indicators;4)completing market mechanism for green economy and encouraging green consumption;and 5)enhancing technology innovations and local incentives via bottom-up actions.

Study the Role of Maritime Energy Management in Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), in particular, Goal 7, in Oman Maritime Community

Sustainability is a concept for achieving integration and balance in development to preserve and use resources properly by providing new solutions to overcome structural,social and economic misconceptions to prevent further degradation and waste of natural resources and create a better future for human societies.Sustainable development can be defined as a strategy for the correct use of resources,by modifying and redefining consumption patterns and avoiding one-sided development approaches.Therefore,sustainable development is defined as a long-term and unlimited solution for aligning different concepts(social,economic,and environmental),seemingly independent but related and influencing each other.This paper examines the challenges and capacities of the Oman Maritime Community and Maritime Energy Management's role in terms of sustainable development.To analyze this issue,the role of key players in Oman's maritime industry,such as the Oman Fisheries Company and the Oman Shipping Company,has been studied with the five main indicators of sustainable development goals,including people,the planet,peace,welfare,and partnership.

Influence of foreign direct investment from China on achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in African countries

The lack of funding is one of the most important challenges in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)in African countries.Can foreign direct investment(FDI)from China as an important source of external financing help African countries achieve their SDGs?This study used the panel data random effects model to analyze the influence of China’s direct investment on SDG scores.Then,the study conducted the ordered probit model to examine the influence of FDI from China on the trend of achieving each SDG in Africa,with the SDGs being grouped into social,economic,and environmental dimensions.Results showed that China’s direct investment contributed to the achievement of SDGs in Africa.FDI from China positively influenced the SDG score in general and some of the 17 SDG scores including SDG 7(Affordable and Clean Energy),SDG 8(Decent Work and Economic Growth),SDG 9(Industry,Innovation,and Infrastructure),SDG 12(Responsible Consumption and Production),SDG 13(Climate Action),and SDG 15(Life on Land).The relationship between FDI from China and the trends for SDG 7,8,9,11(Sustainable Cities and Communities),and 14(Life below Water)was significantly positive.However,the SDG scores above belonged to the economic and environmental dimensions,whereas FDI from China had no significant influence on the social-dimension SDG scores and trends.To further expand the scale of China’s direct investment,more investment scopes,particularly those in the social dimension,should be developed.Moreover,China-Africa cooperation should be deepened to create a good investment environment for the achievement of African countries’SDGs and to facilitate China’s implementation of promoting the development of developing countries as mentioned in the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development and building the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Exploring the nexus between Indian forestry and the Sustainable Development Goals

Forests are considered as a sacred asset in India and have guided the way of living throughout its history.Indian forests not only accommodate the myriad species but also act as a survival support system to the communities that depended on them.The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposed by the United Nations(UN)has gained momentum and becomes an integral part of the recent efforts of Indian governance.In this investigation,we examined the potential nexus between Indian forestry system(biodiversity-enriched assets,ecosystem services,constitutional mechanisms,and governances)and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)through theoretical underpinnings from literature that selected from database like Google Scholar,Indian forest survey reports,and information retrieved from Indian government websites.The significance of this review is that it presents comprehensive information about Indian forestry,biodiversity-rich assets,and sustainable forest management practices.The results show that Indian forestry as a whole is an integral part of the food-energy-water cycle and contributes to all dimensions of sustainable development,i.e.,economic sustainability,social sustainability,and environmental sustainability.The investigation confirms that besides partly contributing to the economy and life support systems to many dependent species,forests also act as boosters in the areas of food security and health.Targets related to the climate action,peace,and partnership goals are well in place through various forestry interventions and environmental commitments by the Government of India.

Post Millennium Development Goals Prospect on Child Mortality in India: An Analysis Using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Averages (ARIMA) Model

Background & Objectives: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are set up as a part of the Post Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Then it becomes essential to review the achievement of the MDGs in India and lessons learned to incorporate into the SDGs. The present study reviews and predicts different components of under-five mortality rate beyond 2015 to assess the present situation and to determine the future possibilities of achieving the new targets for SDGs in India. Data and Methods: It uses available time series data on different components of U5MR from the India’s Sample Registration System (SRS). Autoregressive Integrated Moving Averages (ARIMA) model has been taken as the method of time series analysis to forecast the mortality rates beyond 2015. Results: There is a consistent pattern of faster decline in the under-five mortality compared with the neonatal mortality rate across all major states in India although neonatal mortality contributes largest share in under-five mortality. Again, share of neonatal death among under-five death is increasing steadily over the future projected years. This indicates very slow progress of reduction in neonatal mortality. Stimulating efforts with new intervention programmes will be needed to focus more on lowering neonatal mortality particularly in rural India.

Synthesis of Attaining Sustainable Development Goal 6.5: A Case Study of Mano River

The Mano River is a transboundary river that runs through Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. According to a 2018 United Nation report on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5, which aims to improve the adoption of cohesive water resource management by 2030;the impact of this goal on the Mano River management is minimal. The research summarizes previous studies using an integrative literature review method, drawing general conclusions and identifying unsolved problems with respect to water resources management. The research finding demonstrated that existing water stress and poor management as exacerbated by socioeconomic practices in the region are the major threats to achieve SDG 6.5. As a result of these activities, long-term management of the river basins has become extremely difficult. The research informs a discussion to achieve cooperative water resource management, which is best achieved by shared collaboration and shared interests as described by SDG 6.5.

Development Goals——for the Non-ferrous Metal Industry During the Ninth Five-year Plan

According to the Ninth Five-year Plan and 2010 Long-term Goal Program, the non-ferrous metal industry will focus on revamping and expanding its existing enterprises. Through systematic technical renovation, the industry will expand production capability, increase varieties, improve the recovery of waste metals, and do a good job of

International Telecommunication Union Standardization for Trust Provisioning in Information, Communication and Technology Infrastructure toward Achieving United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

The advancement of the fourth industrial revolution has shaped the integration and interaction of different information, communication and technologies (ICTs) in the merging cyber, physical, and social infrastructures. The impact of ICT has accelerated the progress of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and influenced the evolution of smart, sustainable, stable society development. Making the trustworthy information and communication technologies infrastructure widely available will promote the community innovation needed to stimulate domestic economics, provide decent work, and reduce inequalities. This article attempts to outline a big picture about the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s trust provisioning framework, including its motivation, current status, and application for achieving the UN SDGs by 2030. This article first describes the purpose of the UN SDGs and the evolution of the industrial revolution, then demonstrates the challenges of global risks affecting the fourth industrial revolution and the need for trustworthy ICT infrastructures. Subsequently, the article evaluates the ITU trust provisioning framework and assesses its applications in the future knowledge society, trust provisioning ecosystem, and cyber, physical, and social infrastructure toward achieving UN SDGs. Use cases are also presented in this article to show the effectiveness of the ITU trust provisioning framework on achieving UN SDGs.

Mathematical Methods Applied to Economy and Sustainable Development Goals

Mathematics is a key factor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), because of its applicability to real situations. To achieve the set goals in SDG, this paper suggests some mathematical methods that will be useful for solving real situations in relation to goals 2 and 12 of SDGs approved by UN when modeled mathematically. The Northwest Corner Method (NWCM), Least Cost Method (LCM), and Vogel Approximation Method (VAM), which are the initial solution methods were examined to ascertain the ideal route of transporting commodities from production facilities to requirement destination while the optimal solution methods involve Stepping Stone Method (SSM), and Modified Distribution Method (MDM), that give the feasible solution which will enhance minimum transportation cost were also thoroughly defined. Subsequent research shall focus on application of the methods in relation to SDGs problems in comparison with other existing methods.

Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Ready-Made Garment Industry of Bangladesh in Order to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals: A Study on Bangladeshi Garment Manufacturers

The Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector has played the most momentous role for the economic development of Bangladesh. To achieve the culmination, this labor-intensive industry needs to go through sustainable practices with the adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in its garment manufacturing chain. CSR, being a fast-developing phenomenon in industrial arena, is drawing the attention of world-renowned apparel buyers working with Bangladesh. After a few tragic occurrences, for instance, Rana Plaza collapse & Tazreen Fashion fire, the reputation of the RMG sector of Bangladesh has been somewhat blemished. Presently, this scenario is being changed since a considerable number of Bangladeshi garment producers have adopted CSR practices spending a huge sum of money. This study shows the current status of sustainable development through the implementation of CSR practices in the RMG industry of Bangladesh.

Quantifying the impacts of COVID-19 on Sustainable Development Goals using machine learning models

The COvID-19 pandemic has posed severe threats to global sustainable development.However,a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)is still lacking.This research quantified the post-COVID-19 SDG progress from 2020 to 2024 using projected GDP growth and population and machine learning models including support vector machine,random forest,and extreme gradient boosting.The results show that the overall SDG performance declined by 7.7%in 2020 at the global scale,with 12 socioeconomic SDG performance decreasing by 3.0%-22.3%and 4 environmental SDG performance increasing by 1.6%-9.2%.By 2024,the progress of 12 SDGs will lag behind for one to eight years compared to their pre-COVID-19 trajectories,while extra time will be gained for 4 environment-related SDGs.Furthermore,the pandemic will cause more impacts on countries in emerging markets and developing economies than those on advanced economies,and the latter will recover more quickly to be closer to their pre-covID-19 trajectories by 2024.Post-COVID-19 economic recovery should emphasize in areas that can help decouple economic growth from negative environmental impacts.The results can help government and non-state stakeholders identify critical areas for targeted policy to resume and speed up the progress to achieve SDGs by 2030.

Comparison of indicators for agricultural green development and the Sustainable Development Goals,and mapping the way forward

While agricultural green development(AGD)is highly recognized and has become a national strategy in China,it is imperative to bridge the knowledge gaps between AGD and the UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),and to evaluate the contribution of AGD to meeting the SDGs.The first aim of this study was to compare the AGD goals and indicators with those of the SDGs so as to identify their relationship.The next aim was to examine the historical evolution of AGD indicators and analyze the gaps between the current status of various indicators and their benchmarks.Limiting factors were identified in China's transition toward AGD.These findings reveal that the indicators of AGD align with those of the SDGs,but have greater specificity to the context in China and are more quantifiable.There has been a significant increase per capita calorie and protein intakes in China,as well as a notable rise in agricultural output per unit of arable land and rural incomes from 1980 to the 2010s.However,these achievements have been accompanied by a high resource use and environmental pollution,highlighting the need for a more sustainable,environmentally responsible agriculture in China.