Inequality is threatening Sustainable Development Goals – Gates Foundation

Humans have been to the moon, conquered seas, brought worlds together and built the most prosperous economy known to mankind, yet where you’re born is still the biggest predictor of your future, and no matter where you’re born, life is harder if you’re a girl.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on September 17, launched this year Goalkeepers report calling for a sustained action against inequality  which restricts opportunities for nearly half a billion people—about one in 15— to access to basic health and education and this has become a barrier to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The new report titled ‘Examining Inequality’ features new data showing that while progress on health and development continues unabated, global inequality remains a major barrier to achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

Gaps between countries, districts, and boys and girls prove that the world’s investments in development aren’t reaching everyone, the foundation said in a release.

”For the past 20 years, we’ve invested in health and development in low-income countries, because the worst inequality we’ve ever seen is children dying from easily preventable causes.

“In the United States, we’ve invested primarily in education, because a good school is a key to success, but you’re less likely to have access to one if you’re low-income, a student of colour, or both,” the report said.

Using new sub-national data, the report uncovers the vast inequalities within countries that are masked by averages.

For example a child in Chad is nearly 55 times more likely to die than a child in Finland but this gets buried in reduced ratios of declining global child mortality that when examined independently, becomes confounding how both worlds can exists in one world.

“As we write, billions of people are projected to miss the targets that we all agreed represent a decent life,” Bill and Melinda Gates write in the Goalkeepers Data Report, “Examining Inequality 2019,” which they co-authored. “We believe that seeing where the world is succeeding will inspire leaders to do more, and seeing where the world is falling short will focus their attention.”

To address persistent inequality, the foundation is calling for a new approach to development, targeting the poorest people in the countries and districts that need to make up the most ground.

“Governments should prioritize primary health care to deliver a health system that works for the poorest, digital governance to ensure that governments are responsive to their least-empowered citizens, and more support for farmers to help them adapt to climate change’s worst effects,” the organisation advised.

However, for many African governments ravaged by poverty, conflicts and failing economies, who spend a chunk of their resources in big infrastructure projects to present short-term progress to their people, this may yet prove to be a tough counsel.

The Bill and Melinda Gates says it will produce the Goalkeepers Data Report every year through 2030, timing it to the annual gathering of world leaders in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly.

The report is designed to track progress in achieving the Global Goals, highlight examples of success, and inspire leaders around the world to accelerate their efforts. The goal is to identify both what’s working and where we’re falling short.

As in past years, in conjunction with the report, Bill and Melinda Gates will co-host the third annual Goalkeepers events in New York City during the U.N. General Assembly, convening global leaders to celebrate progress in global health and development and highlight the critical importance of closing the global inequality gap to achieve the Global Goals.