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.

SDGs科研工作台架构设计与实现

【目的】地球大数据平台为可持续发展目标研究提供了计算资源和数据资源的支持,但各学科研究人员对于资源的占用不均衡,且对资源的使用率也不高。本文致力于解决地球大数据平台中资源使用的问题,更好地服务科研人员开展SDGs研究。【方法】本文采用云原生技术构建了一个面向可持续发展研究的一站式科研工作环境,为研究人员提供在线获取和处理数据、训练和使用模型、构建和部署应用软件等服务。【结果】极大地减轻了科研人员搭建科研软件栈的工作负担,提高了对占用资源的使用率,同时依托云原生的自动扩缩容能力,实现了资源的均衡使用。【结论】通过云原生架构构建的科研工作台,实现了云服务从研发、测试、部署、版本更新到使用的一体化应用生态,有效地支持了面向数据驱动的SDGs研究新范式。

基于SDGs以及旅游竞争力指数的旅游型城市的可持续发展评估——以张家界市为例

建立旅游型城市可持续发展评价技术体系是科学识别旅游型城市发展问题、定量评估其可持续发展状况的关键举措。基于联合国可持续发展目标体系(SDGs)和旅游竞争力指数标准化定量评估,构建了由3大系统、12个支柱、17个独立指标组成的旅游型城市可持续发展评价指标体系,采用基于变异系数—熵权法的指标线性加权判断方法,并引入耦合度及耦合协调度分析、灰色关联度分析、障碍度分析法等技术方法分析张家界市2011—2020年连续10年的可持续发展水平。结果表明:①旅游型城市的可持续发展需依赖景观资源系统的主导作用、经济动力系统的支持作用以及社会治理系统的辅助作用的共同发展来实现。②根据SDGs匹配与张家界市可持续发展的需求,三大系统与SDG可进行匹配。③张家界市可持续发展综合水平已经达到中等可持续发展阶段,系统间的耦合协调度逐步提高,张家界市可持续发展整体呈良性发展。

面向SDGs的黄土高原地区可持续发展水平测度、时空分异及未来趋势研究

联合国2030年可持续发展目标(sustainable development goals,SDGs)的本土化是现阶段落实SDGs的核心任务。针对现有研究空间尺度大、时间尺度短的特点,以黄土高原地区348个县域作为研究区,通过构建指标体系以及采用莫兰指数评估2000—2020年可持续发展水平及时空演进特征,并利用灰色马尔科夫模型对未来可持续发展趋势进行探究。结果表明:黄土高原地区可持续发展水平在2000—2020年呈波动式上升,与中国整体平均水平间的差距逐渐缩小。各县域发展存在一定差距,青海省所辖县域处于绝对的劣势地位。各县域之间的空间正向关联性逐渐缩小,高-高聚集地区越来越多,未来10年可持续发展水平将持续提高。

SDGSAT-1: Capabilities for Monitoring and Evaluating SDG Indicators

SDGSAT-1,the world's first science satellite dedicated to assisting the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,has been operational for over two and a half years.It provides valuable data to aid in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals internationally.Through its Open Science Program,the satellite has maintained consistent operations and delivered free data to scientific and technological users from 88 countries.This program has produced a wealth of scientific output,with 72 papers,including 28 on data processing methods and 44 on applications for monitoring progress toward SDGs related to sustainable cities,clean energy,life underwater,climate action,and clean water and sanitation.SDGSAT-1 is equipped with three key instruments:a multispectral imager,a thermal infrared spectrometer,and a glimmer imager,which have enabled ground-breaking research in a variety of domains such as water quality analysis,identification of industrial heat sources,assessment of environmental disaster impacts,and detection of forest fires.The precise measurements and ongoing monitoring made possible by this invaluable data significantly advance our understanding of various environmental phenomena.They are essential for making well-informed decisions on a local and global scale.Beyond its application to academic research,SDGSAT-1 promotes global cooperation and strengthens developing countries'capacity to accomplish their sustainable development goals.As the satellite continues to gather and distribute data,it plays a pivotal role in developing strategies for environmental protection,disaster management and relief,and resource allocation.These initiatives highlight the satellite's vital role in fostering international collaboration and technical innovation to advance scientific knowledge and promote a sustainable future.

Special Issue on the Recent Trends of GeoAI Techniques for SDGs

Reliable and up-to-date geospatial data plays a fundamental role in Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)monitoring.Aiming to providing such geospa-tial data,numerous algorithms,solutions and frame-works have been developed in recent years.A mong oth-ers,A rtificial Intelligence(AI)based techniques have been widely used for the tasks of processing geospatial data.Nowadays,this topic is blooming so fast and to a vast extent in the field of Geomatics that a new subdo-main seems to arise,namely GeoAI[1-2].Even for a very quick and brief glance inthe Internet,people can find a lot of applications,projects,blogs and research articles about GeoAI,w hereas new approaches to GeoAI have been proposed and tested.

Utilisation of green urban space for food sufficiency and the realisation of the sustainable development goals-UK stakeholders perspective

The exponential growth of food demand due to the increasing global population has the potential to seriously threaten the quality and quantity of food supplies due to climate change.This study explores the utilisation of green urban spaces for achieving food self-sufficiency by investigating the extent to which sustainable urban farms could be used to reduce the consumption of imported produce in the UK.It also examines urban farming stakeholders'perspective on how food self-sufficiency can help realise the SDGs especially SDG 2(Zero hunger)and SDG 13(Climate action).The study adopts a mixed method approach through a survey with 115 respondents and semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 respondents from 4 different urban farming stakeholder groups.The findings of this study presented a strong correlation between stakeholders who had concerns about where their food came from and the carbon footprint of imported produce.The research shows that,urban farms will no doubt play a vital role in the future of food security in our cities/communities and that the SDGs could be realised through sustainable urban farms implemented within the relevant planning regulations/policies.

The Importance of Setting Treatment Goals for Cardiovascular Diseases

Background: Guidelines are issued by most major organizations that focus on a specific disease entity. Guidelines should be a significant help to the practicing physician who may not be up-to-date with the recent medical literature. Unfortunately, when conflicting guidelines for a specific disease are published, confusion results. Purpose: This article provides a suggested guideline outcome measure that would benefit the physician and patient. Methods: A review of 19 different guidelines for cardiovascular disease treatment is one example of the lack of specific outcomes that currently exist. The basic problem with most guidelines is that they do not state the expected end result (i.e., the benefit to the patient) if that guideline is followed. When guidelines use cardiovascular disease risk factors to dictate therapy, the end benefit is never stated so that the patient can make an appropriate choice of which (if any) guideline to follow. Results: A good example is guidelines published by the American Heart Association for reducing cardiovascular disease. These guidelines are risk factor based and only indicate that cardiovascular disease would be reduced if followed. No specific percentage in the reduction of the incidence of disease is given. In contrast, when elimination of the disease is the stated goal of the guideline, the end result is clear. To date, this goal has been stated by only one organization devoted to eliminating cardiovascular disease. Conclusion: Guidelines need to be written to provide the physician and the patient with a specific end point that is expected when the guideline is followed. Patient acceptance and compliance will be much improved if the patient knows the risk/benefit of following the guideline’s recommendations.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization,cities with different locations and varying functional positioning,resource endowments,and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development.Moreover,successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified,sustainable development across the country.Furthermore,emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,the Internet of Things,big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities.Therefore,there is a growing need for“knowledge-based,personalized and intelligent”technologies to support monitoring,evaluation,and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities.This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis.This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons,which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system.The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’sustainable development capabilities in China.Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart,resilient,and low-carbon cities.To this end,an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods.Finally,analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

基于SDGs与乡村振兴战略的农业数字化建设——以福建省泉州市安溪县为例

在新一轮科技革命和产业变革的背景下,如何进行农业现代化,实现农业的可持续发展,已经成为中国式现代化发展中面临的问题的重要问题。2020年年底,联合国“数字千村”倡议启动,旨在通过数字化增加量产,助力SDGs实现。在一定程度上,“数字千村”与乡村振兴战略具有此呼彼应的潜在联系。数字农业作为一种新业态,对农业现代化具有重要意义。文章将乡村振兴与SDGs相结合,阐述数字农业的基本内涵、特征及其作用,并以福建省泉州市安溪县为例展开研究。结果表明,以数字农业为突破口,通过构建完善的农业产业链,打造农业的现代化经营与生产体系,可以有效推动数字化乡村建设,为乡村振兴提供强大动力,同时助力SDGs实现。

The Impact of the Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Goals on Mineral Resource Availability in Africa

Understanding and predicting the impact of the global energy transition and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on global mineral demand and African supply is challenging. This study uses a resource nexus approach to investigate and analyze the impact of this transition on energy and water demand and CO2 emissions using three annual material demand scenarios. The results indicate that African mining will consume more energy by 2050, leading to an increase in cumulative demand for energy (from 98 to 14,577 TWh) and water (from 15,013 to 223,000 million m3), as well as CO2 emissions (1318 and 19,561 Gg CO2e). In contrast, only a modest increase in energy demand (207 TWh) will be required by 2050 to achieve the SDGs. Therefore, the African mining industry should reduce its energy consumption and invest more in the renewable energy sector to support the global energy transition.

金砖国家可持续发展评价——基于SDGs指标分析

联合国可持续发展目标(SDGs)是2030年可持续发展议程的核心内容,全球可持续发展指标框架以此为基础,用多领域指标监测可持续发展进展。金砖国家是由新兴大国发起的国际合作机制,在世界事务中的影响力日益增强,并对联合国实现2030年可持续发展目标发挥重要的作用。该评估以金砖国家实现2030年可持续发展目标为基础,围绕可持续发展的经济、社会、资源环境协调发展的核心理念,对标SDGs的目标与指标,建立适合金砖国家实现可持续发展目标的评价指标体系,为金砖国家实现《2030年可持续发展议程》提供指标建议。本文选取2015-2020年为研究时间,采用联合国可持续发展目标全球指标数据库中的可用指标,并以世界银行、教科文组织和国际能源组织等相关指标作为补充,建立社会、经济、环境发展三位一体的评价指标体系,对金砖国家的可持续发展状况进行初步评价。结果表明,中国、巴西和俄罗斯可持续发展水平相对较高,而南非和印度则稍显落后。就不同的发展目标而言,中国和印度在社会发展方面取得了显著增长,巴西在环境发展方面表现优异且有所提升,中国在经济发展上取得了最为显著的成就,俄罗斯实现了经济的快速增长。通过分析具体的SDGs目标发现,金砖国家要优势互补,相互借鉴,共同推进SDGs发展目标落实。

Life Needs More Goals,and Fewer Complaints

In my opinion,we should have more goals in our lives and have fewer complaints.As is known to all,goals make us go further and prevent us from being lazy.When we have goals,we are encouraged to work hard to achieve them.But if we lose our goals,we may feel uncertain and insecure.For a student,goals do play an essential role in study.I once set a goal to play better in basketball games,and I tried my best to train myself without any fear and hesitation.It was the goal that helped me accomplish my ambition.

What Business Models Best Suit the Private Sector in Achieving the SDGs

Since the United Nations Sustainable development goals and the 2030 agenda were initiated in 2015,it has provided governments with a comprehensive blueprint to take action and meet the challenges of the world’s most pressing issues today.But the private sector also plays a large role in contributing to the problems highlighted in the SDGs and companies ranging from many different industries have increasingly become more involved in developing new and innovative solutions to solve the issues highlighted in the SDGs.Social and environmental accountability has been one of the areas that the private sector has been focusing its attention on.Companies in the corporate sector across all industries have adopted Environmental,Social,and Governance(ESG)regulations and targets,that aim to ensure ethical responsibility within private companies and promote transparency about their role in promoting social and environmental well-being across the world.This has allowed many companies to align their values and business models to emphasize the importance of the SDGs.Furthermore,innovative technologies are being utilized to ensure that public reports about the company’s practices are fully accountable and transparent to the public community and the overall private sector.For example,some private companies are using Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence to analyze sustainable practices highlighted in the company’s ESG reports and see if they are genuine and free of greenwashing.This shows that technologies are playing a key role in promoting corporate accountability in terms of sustainability and encouraging private companies to adhere to the guidelines highlighted within the SDGs.Furthermore,private companies have adapted their business models to better promote innovations and collaboration with governments,other private companies as well as NGOs.Since the SDGs were designed to be interconnected and not siloed into their own different challenges,many companies who adopt the SDGs as a major sustainability framework will often develop partnerships and connections with other private sector groups so that they could develop new innovative solutions to meet the challenges posed by current global issues.This is especially prevalent in the clean energy sector,which aims to solve SDG 7 and SDG 13 both important in eradicating the issue of climate change.For example,the solar energy private sector has been currently collaborating with a wide range of universities and research institutions in order to develop solar panels that are more energy efficient and affordable for everyday consumers,while still allowing the private companies to generate significant returns in revenue.When private sector Industries adopt the measures highlighted in the SDGs,not only does it allow them to work with other industries to contribute to combating the world’s most pressing issues,but also maintains and improves their sources of revenue and profit.Overall,in order to meet the world’s most pressing challenges and issues,the private sector has increasingly adopted the SDGs in their business models,so that they would be able to better collaborate with others to develop innovative solutions and to bridge commitment to sustainable development throughout different industries.

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.

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.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Its Promises for the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Girls and Women in Africa

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals take into account the economic, social and environmental challenges of our world. In relation to the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of girls and women, the Sustainable Development Goals provide a platform for the enhancement of the SRHR of adolescents and women, especially in Africa. The promises of SDGs are to eliminate gender disparities in the education sector and to ensure equal access at all levels particularly for the vulnerable girls and women in Africa. The SDGs promise to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages through universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes. Predictably, few years down the line, most African countries have not demonstrated sufficient commitment and political will towards the realisation of these noble goals. The reproductive and sexual health of concerned girls and women in Africa that have been deliberately relegated for several decades can no doubt be redeemed by the SDGs. We advocate to Governments, non-governmental organisations and stakeholders in Africa to work towards the realisation of the SDGs and for more sensitization to enable African women live a happy and fulfilled life devoid of discrimination, sexual abuses or exploitations, injustice as well as unequal access to economic, political and reproductive health services.