SDG of the Month - SDG 2
Well, it is halfway through April and that means it is time to focus on another important Sustainable Development Goal, and for the month of April we have chose to focus on SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.
Efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition have advanced significantly since 2000, although it is an ongoing global concern and priority as there as millions of individuals every day with inadequate nutrition.
According to the United Nations, "in 2016, an estimated 52 million children under 5 years of age worldwide suffered from wasting (with a low weight for their height, usually the result of an acute and significant food shortage and/or disease). The global wasting rate in 2016 was 7.7 per cent, with the highest rate (15.4 per cent) in Southern Asia."
More than double the population of the USA....
Although there has been a decrease in undernourished people globally, from 930 million (2000-2002) to 793 million (2014-2016), there is still a mass amount of individuals in hunger (793 million!!).
It is daunting to even begin to think of how many people this, but to put it into perspective this is more than 2 times the population of the entire United States of America! That is A LOT of undernourished individuals globally, and the change will begin with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 2.
United Nations Targets
In relation to the UN, their targets hope to achieve the following by 2030:
1. end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
2. end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons
3. double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
4. ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices
5. maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species
You may be wondering, how do we achieve these targets...
So, now let's talk about how YOU can get involved in SDG 2 and making global change. As with the other goals, this will only be achieved by 2030 if ALL individuals from ALL global sectors are involved. It takes us all working together at a grassroots level to make the targets become reality.
This is where Youthnited Nations comes in, and we have put together a list of different actions you can take to make an influence:
- Become a Region Representative for your area
- Become a SDG Representative and let us know of the active work you are doing
- Volunteer at your local food bank
- Create a food drive in your community to gather nutritious food
- Share this blog to increase awareness
- Raise money to donate towards providing food or water to a community in need
- Buy local to support local farmers and growers
- Inform and empower others to get involved and make change!
And remember.... "we cannot all succeed when half of us are held back" - Malala Yousafzai.
Don't hold back - be the change!
