A Charter for People and the Planet

In September 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This follows a universal approach and will apply to developing, emerging and developed countries alike. Transforming Our World is constructed around five themes and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Goal 6 pertains specifically to water:“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Goal 6 encompasses water-related ecosystems.

The resolution begins with a declaration that includes this statement:

“This is an Agenda of unprecedented scope and significance. It is accepted by all countries and is applicable to all, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. These are universal goals and targets which involve the entire world, developed and developing countries alike. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development.”

To Learn More:

To download a copy a copy of the actual UN Resolution, click on Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To download a copy of the report-style document, click on Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (publication).

Nine Earth Boundaries

“The 2030 Transforming Our World agenda promises to be the most comprehensive and inclusive effort to positively change the world in all of human history. This may well be the most important thing we have ever done for ourselves and for our planet. It is nothing less than a charter for people and the planet for the 21st century,” states Bob Sandford, water champion and author.

He was the keynote speaker for the Feast AND Famine Workshop co-hosted by the Partnership for Water Sustainability and Irrigation Industry Association in December 2015.

“Of the nine Earth system boundaries which we dare not cross, water plays a significant role in seven. We have already crossed four,” stresses Bob Sandford. “The 2030 Transforming Our World agenda is as important as the Paris climate negotiations.”

“The sustainable development goals, especially that pertaining to water, address many of the numerous threats that are exacerbated by and in turn exacerbate climate change. This makes managing water critical to achieving many other sustainable development goals. In fact those other goals cannot be achieved without managing water better in the context of a change in climate.”

To Learn More:

To read about Bob Sandford’s presentation at the Feast AND Famine Workshop, click on VIDEO: “The sustainability challenge: Do nothing and fall behind; or run hard just to stay where you are,” Bob Sandford said to his Feast & Famine Workshop audience