defying the rules of your askbox again in hopes to get some interesting humanities facts

cytosine pairs with guanine with 3 hydrogen bonds in a single nucleotide of dna

india is estimated to be unable to achieve all the health related SDGs by 2030 and might take up till 2040 to be able to achieve them

The concept of “American exceptionalism” has a long history. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines American exceptionalism as the “idea that the United States of America is a unique and even morally superior country for historical, ideological, or religious reasons.” What if American exceptionalism has a different meaning when compared with other industrialized countries? What if, beyond the dominant positive narrative, there lies a negative one?

In 2015, the global community adopted the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the watchwords “leave no one behind.” It is a framework that recognizes development happens everywhere—not just in the Global South or in “developing” countries. Yet experts, policymakers, and the media still stubbornly categorize countries as “developed” or “developing.” The United States, of course, is part of this “developed” category. Why not? The U.S. economy is the largest in the world and “larger than the combined economies of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, France, and Italy.” The military is the most powerful in the world with the biggest defense budget. The U.S. is home to more top-ranked universities than any other country.

Those narratives, labels, and categories, however, mask the plethora of socioeconomic inequities in the U.S. stripped bare by the pandemic. The people Michael Harrington labeled over 60 years ago as “the socially invisible“ have become more visible since 2020. When numerous other issues are assessed, including poverty in America, as Matthew Desmond reminds us, the inequities not only stack up but the picture that emerges is exceptional only in deeply distressing ways, with development extremely uneven and poverty rates unmoved for decades. On many levels, notwithstanding the size of the economy, the strength of the military, or excellence in higher education, the U.S. has many characteristics more in common with those the World Bank labels as “less developed.”

American exceptionalism in context

Midway to 2030, it is time to not only retire the label of the U.S. as developed but to deploy disaggregated data by race, gender, and where possible, locality—city-level data—and align with SDG targets and indicators to forge more just and healthy communities. In fact, when we have such data, the findings make clear why the SDGs apply to the U.S. and not just the Global South. If that does not happen, numerous communities and millions of Americans will continue to be left behind well beyond 2030.

What follows is not a systematic examination of all the inequities plaguing the U.S. Instead, I offer a few examples suggestive of the larger phenomenon where the U.S. is not meeting the basic needs of millions: reduced life expectancy, spikes in maternal mortality, persistent food insecurity, and poverty levels—none of which resemble peer nations.

These are not new findings, but they have gotten worse in recent years. In 1990, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study looking at the “survival analysis show[ing] that black men in Harlem were less likely to reach the age of 65 than men in Bangladesh.” Fast forward several decades, and shifting to Washington D.C., disaggregated data on the life expectancy of Black men before and during COVID-19 still compared negatively with men in Bangladesh. In 2021, the life expectancy of men in Bangladesh was 73.6 years. For that same year, estimated life expectancy for Black men in the nation’s capital was 65.2. More broadly, the dire declines in life expectancy across several demographics in the U.S.—particularly “the young, the poor, and the vulnerable”—is startling as John Burn-Murdoch reports in the Financial Times.

With regard to maternal mortality, the U.S. has ranked last among industrialized countries for many years. What happens when we pull forward data on Black Americans? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports a sharp rise in 2021 when Black women experienced 69.9 maternal deaths per 100,000. That rate is just below the 70 deaths per 100,000 that the WHO has set worldwide for the SDG target to reduce maternal mortality. Compare the aggregated maternal mortality rate for the U.S. in 2021: The number is 31 per 100,000 (a 40 percent spike from previous years). In comparison, the average maternal death rates in the UK and in Western Europe were 4, in Eastern Europe 12, and in Central Asia 24 per 100,000 for 2021, according to the Gates Foundation. No wonder some argue that the U.S. is the most dangerous place in the “developed world” to give birth.

In the capital of the world’s richest country, in the fiscal year 2022, 22 percent of its residents relied on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to address food insecurity. That’s nearly twice the percentage of Americans in the U.S. that were on SNAP. Most strikingly, nearly a quarter of children (23.9 percent) in Washington D.C., according to the same source, lived below the poverty line. That’s less than but near the number of children in poverty in the poorest state in the U.S., Mississippi at 27.7 percent. Those are exceptional numbers for the richest country on earth.  

More examples of how Americans’ basic needs are not being met could have included the millions who lack access to clean drinking water or sanitation. Tracking these needs and relating them to the SDGs, and then translating percentages into the numbers of people affected would illuminate who is being left behind, a methodology that McArthur and Rasmussen developed to assess the SDGs in Canada. Were such disaggregated data delivered in real time—fixing the current data gaps and lags—they could help drive changes in policies and funds and the conditions of communities.

Not meeting the basic needs of millions of Americans is, alas, not the only way the U.S. is exceptional. Consider that Myanmar, Haiti, South Sudan, Yemen, and the U.S. are the only countries in the world to never have delivered or committed to deliver at least one Voluntary National Review—the way in which the world measures and communicates about the SDGs. When it comes to the rights of the child, the U.S. is the only country in the world not to have ratified the relevant U.N. Convention. (A decade ago, Somalia was the only other country on the list but signed on in 2015.) The U.S. is in the minority to not have signed the Rome Statute and joined the International Criminal Court despite policies advancing human rights around the world. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, while the vast majority of the nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population incarcerated are Black, Latino, or Indigenous. The next four countries on the list? Rwanda, Turkmenistan, El Salvador, and Cuba. The era of American double standards—leading Summits for Democracy while appearing on such lists—needs to come to an end.

How to change

Is it problematic to focus on such negative examples of American exceptionalism? Does it feed the “what aboutism” practiced for decades by Soviet and Russian leaders? Does it diminish the misery experienced in other parts of the world where vastly more people’s basic needs are not met?  Do these examples eclipse the leap made in just one generation in my own family—from a shtetl in Eastern Europe to Yale University and the United Nations?

Ignoring, or worse, not even gathering disaggregated data, only reinforces the sorrow and the violence inherent in the inequities experienced by many communities across the country. When we talk about the U.S. as a “developed” country while focusing on the needs of the “developing” world, in effect, millions of Americans are left out of the picture, while directing our gaze to the more “exotic” poor, a point detailed by Anand Giridharadas.

Fortunately, there are ways to tackle these problems. From the first day in office, the Biden administration set in motion numerous policies to address domestic inequities. Some of the policies Congress and the White House enacted in 2021 had swift but short-lived impact: The expanded Child Tax Credit temporarily “lifted 2.9 million children out of poverty” or cut the child poverty rate nearly in half. These policies made sense morally but also strategically; meeting people’s basic needs at home helps leverage the U.S. work around the world to advance democracy and human rights.  The administration has, however, not yet embraced the 2030 Agenda as have all its peers and many others including China. By not committing to the SDGs, the administration is obscuring the development framework that the Obama-Biden administration helped shape and risks continuing to leave some Americans behind at the same time it cedes ground to China internationally. Advancing sustainable development at home and abroad impacts our ability to compete in the world and remain a global leader.  It is time for the U.S. to become exceptional in a way that finally leaves no one behind—here and everywhere.

Healthy forests, healthy planet, healthy humans.

Forests are often called the lungs of the planet, because they absorb harmful carbon dioxide and produce life-giving oxygen so it’s no exaggeration to equate healthy forests with healthy people, the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests.

Covering 31 per cent of Earth’s land and providing a home to 80 per cent of all land-based species, forests are crucial to human health and well-being, but their loss across the planet is threatening people everywhere.

Here are five things you need to know about the age-old and ever-growing interlinked relationship between forests and human health.

CityAdapt - Forests are key to building climate resilience.

1. Carbon sinks combat climate change

Forest ecosystems keep the planet healthy by regulating the climate, rainfall patterns, and watersheds and crucially provide the oxygen which is essential to human existence.

Healthy forests help to keep climate change in check by acting as “carbon sinks”, which annually absorb about two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, the gas which is contributing to climate change and the increase of temperatures globally.

The rapidly changing climate is threatening the very existence of people in many different ways: through death and illness due to extreme weather events, the disruption of food systems, and the increase in diseases. Simply put, without healthy forests, people around the world, especially in the world’s most vulnerable countries, will struggle to lead healthy lives and maybe even to survive.

UN-REDD Forest products are processed into medicine in Viet Nam.

2. Nature’s pharmacies: from masks to medicine cabinets

From masks to medicines, forest products are used around the world every day. As many as 80 per cent of developing nations and one quarter of developed countries depend on plant-based medicinal drugs.

Forests contain about 50,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes by both local communities and multinational pharmaceutical companies. For millennia, forest dwellers have treated a range of ailments using products they have harvested. At the same time, many common pharmaceutical medicines are rooted in forest plants, including cancer-treating drugs from the Madagascar periwinkle and malaria medication, quinine, from cinchona trees.

The One Health approach, launched as part of the UN response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizes that the health of humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment, including forests, are closely linked and interdependent.

© FAO/ A woman carries goods through Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve in Morogoro, Tanzania.

3. Dinner for 1 billion people

Nearly one billion people globally depend on harvesting wild food such as herbs, fruits, nuts, meat, and insects for nutritious diets. In some remote tropical areas, the consumption of wild animals is estimated to cover between 60 and 80 per cent of daily protein needs.

A study from 43,000 households across 27 countries in Africa found that the dietary diversity of children exposed to forests was at least 25 per cent higher than those who were not.

In 22 countries in Asia and Africa, including both industrialized and developing countries, researchers found that indigenous communities use an average of 120 wild foods per community, and in India, an estimated 50 million households supplement their diets with fruits gathered from wildland forests and surrounding bushland.

UNDP Timor-Leste / Communities in Timor-Leste are helping to restore mangrove forests.

4. Forests are crucial for sustainable development

Forests provide goods and services, employment, and income to perhaps 2.5 billion people worldwide; that’s around one third of the global population.

Keeping forests – and humans – healthy is also at the heart of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. Woodlands play a key role in advancing progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:

SDG 3 Well-being: Woodlands feel good. Studies show that spending time in forests can boost immune systems while elevating positive emotions and lowering stress, blood pressure, depression, fatigue, anxiety, and tension. Human health and well-being depend on the natural environment, which provides such essential benefits as clean air, water, healthy soils, and food.

SDG 6 Water: Forests play a filtering role in providing freshwater. About 75 per cent of the world’s accessible freshwater comes from forested watersheds. By feeding rivers, forests supply drinking water for nearly half of the world’s largest cities. Threats to forests could trigger water shortages and put global freshwater resources at risk for people across the world, which are among urgent issues addressed at the forthcoming UN 2023 Water Conference.

SDG 13 Climate action: The woods buffer the impacts of storms and floods, protecting human health and safety during extreme weather events. For centuries, forests have acted as nature’s socio-economic safety nets in times of crisis. Sustainably managed and protected forests mean enhanced health and safety for all.

Deforestation continues despite international calls to protect forests.

5. Forests need protecting

The wide-ranging benefits of forests are well known, but that doesn’t mean they are offered the protection that they perhaps deserve. Fire, insect-damage and deforestation have accounted for up to 150 million hectares of forest loss in certain years over the last decade, that’s more than the landmass of a country like Chad or Peru. The production of agricultural commodities alone, including palm oil, beef, soy, timber, and pulp and paper, drives around 70 per cent of tropical deforestation.

Many governments have adopted forest-friendly policies, and others have increased investment in woodlands and trees. Local communities and actors are making their own strides, sometimes one tree at a time. The UN established the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2023) and its agencies are harnessing partnerships with local to global stakeholders to better protect forests, from planting three million trees in Peru to empowering young women to work as community forest rangers to protect illegal fauna trafficking in Indonesia.

Established in 2008, UN-REDD is the flagship UN knowledge and advisory partnership on forests and climate, supporting 65 partner countries. Building on the expertise of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the initiative has, among other things, seen member countries reduce forest emissions at levels equivalent to taking 150 million cars off the road for a year, ushering in a lot of more fresh air.

For guidance on creating an enabling environment in which people can benefit from all woodlands have to offer, FAO offers recommendations alongside a closer look at many key interlinkage between forest and human health in its report, Forests for human health and well-being

Enhancing CSR Impact through Collaboration with Marpu Foundation

Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, has become a crucial component of company plans, changing how businesses engage with the community. Businesses can promote sustainable development, enhance community welfare, and enhance their brand image by coordinating their profit-making operations with social good. The United Nations created the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to tackle urgent social, economic, and environmental issues by 2030. Businesses may ensure their efforts support global interests by coordinating their CSR programs with these objectives.

Collaborating with entities such as the Marpu Foundation can greatly augment the influence of corporate social responsibility endeavors. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are effortlessly aligned with the varied and significant programs of the Marpu Foundation, offering businesses a strategic avenue to promote positive change.

Respected National Youth Awardee Mr. Kadiri Raghu Vamsi founded "Marpu," a synonym for transformation. The Marpu Foundation is an NGO that aims to leverage people's potential to improve the world. With a staff dedicated to bringing about change and offering a haven for everyone, the Marpu Foundation was voted "The Best NGO in India" in 2020.

The Marpu Foundation's CSR strategy is distinguished by its focus on employee engagement and volunteering. Operating out of 39 locations throughout 15 states, it has over 10,245,120 beneficiaries and over 80,261 volunteers. Their work focuses on social, economic, and environmental development and teamwork to achieve objectives.

Collaborating with a pharmaceutical business, the Marpu Foundation set up health camps in isolated villages, providing free medical examinations, administering necessary medications, and holding health education seminars. These camps addressed concerns including maternity and child health, infectious diseases, and preventative care, and they expanded access to healthcare services, especially for underprivileged communities.

The strategic alignment of Marpu Foundation's projects with the SDGs enables businesses to address local difficulties while contributing to global goals. This alignment guarantees that CSR initiatives are in line with international development agendas and have an impact.

In summary, in order to fully realise the potential of corporate social responsibility, it is necessary to form strategic alliances with institutions that have the know-how, means, and commitment to promoting long-term transformation. For companies looking to connect their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives with the Sustainable Development Goals, involve staff members in worthwhile volunteer work, and have a lasting impact on their communities, Marpu Foundation stands out as the perfect partner. Businesses and institutions like the Marpu Foundation working together can create a more just and sustainable society for the coming generations. The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in promoting sustainable development is becoming more and more important as the world community tackles complicated issues like poverty, inequality, and climate change. Businesses have an effective partner to maximize their CSR impact and create a better community in the Marpu Foundation, which is setting the standard.

Cities and Tenacities

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Isaiah 40:26 (ESV) [1]

City life is what I have known since childhood. I couldn’t think for a moment of not living in the city. Maybe when I’m older, but not anytime soon. This makes me witness the change in our cities in Metro Manila, for better or for worse, and try to compare it with the other cities abroad. The need for more livable cities is becoming more apparent given the rise in urbanization. These sustainable cities are modeled in some parts of the world, mostly in developed countries. This means that most developing countries still are playing catch up. Hence, tenacities at all fronts are needed to build cities that are livable, sustainable, and progressive all over the world.

The United Nations SDG 11 aims for sustainable cities and communities by making them inclusive, resilient, and safe among many things; In its progress report, the UN cited that over 4 billion people live in urban places and that by mid-century, at least 70 percent of the global population will be living in cities; Even with this mobility, many cities are unable to develop their infrastructure, housing, and other necessary services leading to more slums created in the process, where 85% of people living in slums are concentrated in Central and Southern Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa; Other than this, air pollution and energy consumption are some of the most pressing issues cities face[2]. In a report published by the World Bank titled Thriving: Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate, a framework that assesses city development is introduced and proposes development pathways and the interlinked phenomena of climate change, agglomeration economies, and urban growth stresses; It captures how policy instruments (i.e., information, incentives, insurance, integration, and investments) can address those phenomena to achieve the intended development pathways[3]. Knowing the problem and the solution framework we can use is the first tenacity at our disposal.

Urbanization builds doors of opportunities for socio-economic progress and sustainability yet continues to exert challenges in resource allocation like energy, and also infrastructure; According to the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), urban growth will happen in Asia and Africa in the next 20 years; Through its Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) mandate, UNIDO aims to promote city science and sustainability technologies with its expansive project portfolio globally, and through this, there were several case studies which can be considered as success stories: There is an initiative in Senegal where the urban strategy places focus on resilience and the move towards renewable energy, addressing informal settlements, and land-use governance; In India, UNIDO aims to tackle urban governance and emissions management given that in 2030 there will be about 590 million people living in urban areas; In China, a regulatory framework for the use of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) technologies was established to facilitate the integration and adoption in cities[4]. Understanding where the concentration of urbanization will be and the proven case studies thus far help us prepare and are our second tenacity.

In the recent Global Destination Sustainability Index, the top ten cities[5] are all in Europe and most are Nordic countries, with Gothenburg, Sweden in the top spot, followed by Oslo, Norway; For Gothenburg, it is about the commitment of the city for people to live sustainably every day; for instance, more and more charging stations are installed encouraging residents to adopt electric vehicles. Moreover, the Gothenburg Green City Zone is a major city project that aims to adopt green transportation options for it to become net-zero by 2030; The city’s airport is also considered to have the highest Airport Carbon Accreditation certification[6]. While most cities in Europe are considered sustainable, some cities are consistently listed among the worst. According to Mercer’s Quality of Living Index, cities like Harare (Zimbabwe), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tripoli (Libya), Lagos (Nigeria), and Damascus (Syria) are among those at the bottom of the list[7]. This is corroborated by the recent Global Liveability Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) where the same cities are part of the top 10 worst cities to live in the world[8]. Measuring the gaps between the best and worst cities in the areas of livability and sustainability creates a focus on where to address the problems and allocate funding—this is our third tenacity.

When you want to measure how advanced a society is, you look at its cities. Our world can be seen as divided in many ways but for me, the most exigent one is the developed and developing country classification—we saw this in the indices and realities of cities today, which is why the tenacities I have pointed out are deeply needed so everyone, and I mean everyone, can experience a city or cities in their country they can opt to live in and be proud of.

[1] English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+40%3A26&version=ESV

[2] Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. (n.d.). United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/

[3]Mukim, M., & Roberts, M. (2023). Thriving: Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate. World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstreams/0a323ecc-c5ad-46f0-884b-fe3be48e4b63/download

[4] Sustainable Cities: Hubs of Innovation, Low Carbon Industrialization and Climate Action. (2016, June). United Nations Internation Development Organization (UNIDO). https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/2017-03/CITIES_22.06.2016_WEB_0.PDF

[5]Ruggeri, A. (2024, April 2). Five standout cities making the world a better place. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240402-five-standout-cities-making-the-world-a-better-place

[6] Puckett, J. (2023, November 6). These 20 Cities Were Just Named the Most Sustainable. Conde Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/most-sustainable-cities-in-the-world

[7] Martin, W. (2018, April 20). The 23 major cities with the worst quality of life in the world. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-cities-in-the-world-to-live-2018-4

[8]Fernandez, C. (2022, August 7). These are the top 10 best and worst places to live in the world—and you won’t find the U.S. on either list. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/07/global-liveability-index-2022-best-and-worst-places-to-live.html

Time to be “Significant”

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”– Dr. Jane Goodall, Scientist & Activist

Christened the “World Environment Day,” June 5th, this year marks half a century since the inception and foundation of the moral principles to encourage and direct countries and people to preserve and enhance the human environment in Stockholm, also known as the 1972 Stockholm Conference. This indeed was the cornerstone for it heralded the admission of “Environment” as a sprouting and salient issue of global importance. It led to the marriage of science and society that gave birth to environmental laws and established institutions bearing environmental impacts. It set the ball rolling for international environmental diplomacy and, through these years, also prophecised the goliath we are now confronted with – climate change. We have come a long way since then, where stakeholders now convene to tackle the Earth’s triple planetary crisis – climate, nature, and pollution and facilitate the fulfilment of SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and support the adoption of green post-COVID-19 recovery plans at Stockholm+50. What will be interesting to witness is the outcome of the Stockholm+50 meeting for which my fingers are crossed.

At this juncture, it is too bold of me to comment on what other counties are doing or have committed to tackling the planetary crisis and hence will restrict myself to India. The honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi advanced India’s formula of ‘Panchamrits‘ at the COP 26, where India will,

increase its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030

meet 50% of its energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030

reduce its forecasted carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030

reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45% by 2030

achieve net-zero by 2070

This is a testament to India’s bold vision and dedication to the collective global battle against the aforementioned crisis. It is, in fact, one of the very few nations on course to meet its Paris Agreement targets , and hence, it is fair to state that it is on its path to being successful.

Nevertheless, having said that, I believe it is important for India not to focus on being successful. Yes, you read that correct; I do not want India to be focused on being successful. Don’t get me wrong; every country ought to be successful, and I hope India does too. There is no harm or nothing wrong with being successful. But, success is just about oneself. I instead want India to be “Significant.” because significance is about others. And I want India to be significant both domestically and Internationally.

Domestically, it is paramount that India does not abandon the development needs of the most vulnerable communities. And hence, this planetary crisis must prioritize equity, exchange, and access; and have a human rights-based approach where development, along with mitigation and adaptation measures, fortifies the resilience of such vulnerable constituents.

Internationally, it is paramount that India puts its best foot forward, contributes to the international stage, and extends a helping hand to the most vulnerable nations and communities. To quote Dr. Shashi Tharoor, when countries, especially the developing ones, “Look at India, they say, there is a mess just like us. They have the same sort of problems; they have poverty, they have the divisions. We may have clans; they may have castes. If they can triumph over these problems, we can learn from them.” This is an opportune time for India to strike while the iron is hot, make an impact in the global arena, and also concurrently further its foreign policy through its environmental and climate change diplomacy.

In conclusion, even as we mark one more “World Environment Day,” I hope we all are reminded as individuals and as a nation – “महत्वपूर्ण भारत “( Significant India) that it’s about ‘progression’ and ‘not perfection.’ It is about getting into an ‘active relationship’ with this planetary crisis of climate, nature, and pollution, facing it head-on, one pebble at a time.

Credit Suisse Global Megatrends Conference. “Martin Jacques and Shashi Tharoor discuss China and India.” YouTube. 2016.

MEA. “National Statement by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at COP26 Summit in Glasgow.” Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Last modified November 2021.

NRDC. “The Road From Paris: India’s Progress Towards Its Climate Pledge.” Natural Resources Defense Council. Last modified October 2021.

Sohn, L. B. “The Stockholm Declaration on the human environment.” UN Environment Document Repository Home. Last modified 1973.

UNEP. “About.” Stockholm+50. Last modified June 2022.

REVAMPING SDG

The importance of reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 cannot be emphasised, particularly in a country like India with a large population and multiple challenges. While national commitment is essential, development depends on translating global goals into tangible action at the state level.

Statistics present a strong picture, India is home to 17.5% of the world's population and struggles with poverty, inequality, and environmental destruction. Fulfilling the SDGs is critical for addressing these concerns and ensuring inclusive growth. However, the NITI Aayog's SDG India Index and Dashboard paints a dismal picture of uneven progress across states.

TASK IN HAND

As the state government, you must survey the people in and around the campus to find out how well your assigned states are doing in terms of achieving the following SDG goals.

Get survey from 20 people‼️

1) SDG 1- No Poverty

2) SDG 4 - Quality Education

3) SDG 5 – Gender Equality

4) SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

5) SDG 13- Climate Action

The catch is that the person you ask to complete the survey shouldn't be a student at your college. Create CSR initiatives to achieve the two lowest-rated Sustainable Development Goals in your assigned state after compiling the survey results.

Maximizing Corporate Social Responsibility Impact: Why Marpu Foundation is the Ideal Partner for Sustainable Development goals through CSR

As the world revolves, many changes take place, especially when man plays a part in it to make this place much more pleasant and comfortable for him, which with time starts to cause natural disasters as well as distress for people and the environment more than ever, which has made Corporate Social Responsibility and its impact gain the importance in recent years. Many companies and organizations have taken up CSR as a part of their business, not just only to gain identity and trust from people, but with the vision of making the world a safe and protected land.

Basically, Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is a business model in which companies or organizations collaborate and make a collective effort in ways to enhance society and the environment. In other words, it is the concept that a company is responsible for the impact that it has on all its stakeholders and the environment. This can include many things, from donating money to charity, to investing in sustainable energy, to contributing to the environment through their products. 

Marpu Foundation, a youth-run Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with the mission of making people responsible global citizens by educating and bringing sustainable objectives to life and encouraging positive changes from social activities and volunteerism, the foundation has earned the title of “The Best NGO in India” in 2020. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also known as Global goals, which was taken on by the United Nations in 2015 with 17 SDGs to ensure that people of 2030 live in peace with a sustainable future. Marpu Foundation focuses on all the 17 goals, making itself the Ideal Partner for maximizing corporate social responsibility for the most part in sustainable development goals.

By associating with companies and organizations, Marpu Foundation is able to design and organize environmentally conscious ideas like campaigns to increase awareness in a wider range, health camps to visit places and conduct campaigns, coordinate charity and donating money of the product and advertising the issues. With the young minds of the foundation, they always come up with brand new and efficient intentions to look after the issues, they stay up-to-date and never stick with the old ideas, making them the absolute example of a successful and compelling non-profitable organization for other businesses.

The Marpu Foundation has earned achievements and recognition because of their green eco-friendly hard work and dedication to make this place peaceful by protecting sustainable development goals through their CSR activities. Their corporative and understanding team work with organizations and companies, makes the work more efficient and effective, making them the ideal partner for maximizing the corporate social responsibility.

Understanding The Global Scale Of Deep-Rooted Sanitation Crises

Introduction

It is distressing to think about the ongoing global sanitation challenge in a world characterized by technical marvels and great development. A huge number of individuals keep on confronting social injustice, infection, and poverty because of their powerlessness to get safe drinking water and satisfactory sanitation.

Additionally, a staggering 673 million individuals continue to engage in open defecation practices, and an estimated 367 million children attend schools lacking proper sanitation facilities.

This article centers around open defecation to exhibit how challenging the current sanitation circumstance is. We shall move from a global perspective to the particular scenario in India before delving into the problems at the state level.

The Global Sanitation Crisis

Open defecation has serious and significant results. It harms human well-being, dignity, and the climate too. Exposure to defecation can result in diarrhea, gastrointestinal diseases, lack of healthy sustenance, and so forth. These sicknesses can hurt children’s physical and mental development, bringing about diminished educational and societal growth.

Besides, open defecation disregards the protection and security of women and girls, who might endure provocation or attack while searching for a place to defecate. Moreover, by delivering ozone-harming substances and diseases into the biological system, open defecation can add to environmental decline, water contamination, and environmental change.

Addressing the Global Problems Related to Open Defecation

Different stakeholders have been cooperating to support the reception of protected and sustainable sanitation practices to reduce the worldwide sterilization challenge. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) expect to guarantee general admittance to basic sanitation services by 2030 and to stop open defecation. The WHO gives specialized counsel and helps nations for them to carry out efficient sanitation policies and projects. The World Bank and other donors invest in sanitation infrastructure and service delivery. 

Impact on Human Lives

Civil society organizations and community leaders raise awareness to help individuals change their ways of behaving and perspectives towards sanitation. These endeavors have brought about some advancement, yet considerably more should be initiated to guarantee that everybody can partake in the advantages of further improved sanitation.

The results of deficient sterilization are sweeping and obliterating, with open defecation playing a critical part.

Globally, a child succumbs to diseases resulting from poor sanitation conditions every 20 seconds.

Unsafe drinking water, often associated with open defecation, contributes to a staggering 21% of disease spread worldwide.

Open Defecation in India: A Sobering Statistic

Lack of sanitation facilities

One of the significant difficulties in addressing open defecation is the arrangement of satisfactory and useful latrines with a clean water supply. Numerous public latrines that have been developed are either ineffectively planned, deficient in number, ineffectively kept up with, or need a water supply, making them unusable and unhygienic. Subsequently, many individuals opt to relieve themselves in the open as opposed to utilizing these facilities.

Cultural factors

Another huge element that impacts open defecation is the attitude and conduct of individuals toward restroom utilization. A few studies have tracked down that in any event, when individuals approach government or private restrooms in their homes, they don’t utilize them consistently or at all. 

Some of the reasons include low awareness of the health benefits of using a latrine, inclination for open-air defecation, absence of protection or security in restrooms, or normal practices and customs. India, with its immense populace, wrestles with a stunning open defecation issue, even as it puts resources into foundation improvement.

A startling 50 million individuals in India practice open defecation, despite having access to toilets. This dilemma underscores the need for not just infrastructure development but also behavior change interventions to promote proper sanitation practices.

Wide Disparities Within the Nation

The sanitation crisis in India is not uniform, and state-level disparities are striking. Nearly half of India’s population (around 594 million people) practiced open defecation, with India accounting for 90% of South Asia’s open defecation and half of the global total. Some Indian states have made significant strides in addressing open defecation, while others continue to grapple with the issue.

Sanitation at the State Level in India

Some Indian states have made significant strides in addressing open defecation, while others continue to grapple with the issue.

Bihar’s Ongoing Challenge

In contrast, the state of Bihar in northern India faces an ongoing challenge with open defecation. Despite efforts to improve sanitation facilities, cultural and behavioral factors continue to contribute to the problem.

Bihar’s struggle highlights the need for customized approaches to address open defecation at the state level.

Odisha Struggles to overcome this challenge

Odisha’s experience shows that toilet construction alone is not enough to eliminate open defecation, and that sustained behavior change communication is essential.

These were the examples of only some of the Indian states. The problems and challenges related to open defecation remain consistent throughout the nation. What can be done to overcome these challenges?

Banka Bio: Pioneering Solutions to Open Defecation

In the battle against open defecation and sanitation challenges in India, Banka Bio emerges as a beacon of hope. As a research-driven, award-winning enterprise deeply committed to impacting India’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) value chain, Banka Bio is at the forefront of developing innovative infrastructure and services. 

Through groundbreaking solutions, Banka Bio is working tirelessly to transform the sanitation landscape across the nation. By bridging the gap between technology, research, and on-ground implementation, Banka Bio is not only addressing the problems related to open defecation but also driving positive change in the lives of millions through it’s Unique Product Bio Toilet, bringing us one step closer to a sanitation-revolutionized India.

Conclusion

Understanding the global scale of deep-rooted sanitation crises, with a specific focus on open defecation, reveals a complex web of challenges. From global statistics to India’s nationwide problem and state-level disparities, it is clear that addressing this crisis requires tailored approaches and persistent efforts. India’s experiences, from Kerala’s success to Bihar’s ongoing challenge, serve as important lessons in the journey toward universal sanitation and a healthier, more equitable world.

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How might India's creation of specialized farm indices elevate agricultural productivity and boost farmers' incomes effectively?

India is preparing to change its agricultural sector, considering the need for farm sector indices. These are all integral parts of a comprehensive plan to carry out targeted policy interventions to raise agricultural productivity and income. This strategy is based on the difficulties in implementing agricultural reforms using the farm laws previously announced by this government, which were subsequently withdrawn.

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One high-ranking government official who spoke to ET revealed that work on this revolutionary enterprise is already under way at both Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The likely policy interventions envisioned are to be unveiled after the general elections in 2024. Taking a broad approach, Niti Aayog is deeply involved in developing indices covering the entire agricultural and rural scene. These indices will not only measure the performance of existing schemes, they will also help identify weak spots in flagship programs so that their outcomes can be improved.

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The overall objective is to create a sustainable food regime for the entire country under principles of natural farming. At the same time, it is hoped that incomes from farming will increase markedly, thereby further raising demand and consumption in the countryside. This policy approach, explained an unnamed official, is aimed at introducing targeted policies promoting water-saving farming techniques, raising related incentives for switching to crops requiring less water and integrating farmers into the supply chain so as to reduce their reliance on middlemen.

The government believes that sustainable food systems are not only key to eliminating hunger, but also one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Of these goals, 12 are directly related to agriculture. India has agreed to attain these SDGs by 2030.

Niti Aayog, the government's think tank, has also undertaken collaborations with research institutes and experts to generate insights and suggestions that can form the basis of a sector-specific policy framework in tune with India's developmental goals. More recently the University signed a statement of intent with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and other engagements are in the offing with additional institutes and individuals.

With more than 70 % of rural households reliant on agriculture for their livelihoods, this sector is the backbone of the economy. The agricultural sector now accounts for about 17 % of the total GDP and provides employment to some 58 % of the population. Its transformation, besides improving economic indicators, has great potential in terms of promoting sustainable development and social progress.

Empowering the Future: Azure Power's Pledge to Sustainable Energy for All in 2030

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Donation For Farmers: Why Is It Important To Them

Due to a changing climate, farmers face a variety of difficulties, such as heat stress, wildfires, and extreme weather events, which makes agriculture more unpredictable. Given this, it is essential that governments assist farmers in changing their methods in order to increase resilience and drastically lower their reliance on chemicals derived from fossil fuels.

For almost 58% of India's population, agriculture is their main source of income, and other businesses based on the country's natural resources are the cornerstone of its economic expansion. These industries—field crops, horticulture, livestock, fisheries, and poultry—align well with a number of SDGs (sustainable development goals) of the United Nations, such as combating climate change, enhancing nutrition, and ending hunger, thus donation for farmers is the only way to help them improve their ways and means.

The government forecasts that India's food output in 2019–20 was 291.95 million metric tons (MT), and for 2020–21, the country wants to produce 298.3 MT, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2020, 189.2 million people, or roughly 14% of India's population, are undernourished despite the country's advances. Out of 107 nations, India was placed 94th in the Global Hunger Index 2020. By 2050, food production must quadruple in order to keep up with the nation's growing population and revenue. Achieving the SDGs and guaranteeing India's food security depend heavily on small and marginal farmers. The audacious target of "zero hunger" by 2030 necessitates a thorough, multifaceted strategy for advancing sustainable agricultural and food systems across the country. In relation to sustainable agriculture, is it possible for agriculture to act alone in combating climate change? 

WHAT IS ORGANIC FARMING?

An environmentally friendly kind of farming, organic farming makes use of nitrogen-fixing cover crops, biological fertilizers mostly produced from plant and animal waste, and ecologically derived insect treatments. Organic farming has a number of environmental benefits over conventional farming practices. It uses fewer pesticides, prevents soil erosion, lowers nitrate leaching into surface and groundwater, and encourages the recycling of animal waste within the agricultural ecosystem. These advantages do, however, always come with costs. Lower crop yields and increased consumer food expenditures are common outcomes of organic farming. According to research, crop yields from organic farming can, on average, be 25% lower than those from conventional farming, however this difference might vary depending on the particular crop.

Maintaining the advantages organic agriculture offers the environment, increasing crop yields, and cutting prices will be necessary to keep organic products economically viable in the face of expanding global population and climate change with the help of donation for farmers.

ORGANIC FARMING METHODS IN INDIA

When giving donation for farmers they learn crop rotation, composting, green manures, biological pest management, and mechanical cultivation are the main techniques used in organic farming. When farming organically, nutrients are released into the soil to support more sustainable crop growth in a clean, green environment. A crop with a high nutritional value is the desired outcome, and many organic farming techniques are used:

Crop Diversity: Despite its ability to support healthy ecosystems and prevent the extinction of species, this technique is rarely employed, and its promise in organic farming and agriculture is not well studied.

Crop rotation: An essential farming technique to protect soil health and control soilborne pests, it entails growing a variety of crops in various locations each year. By altering the needs and patterns of nutrients, this approach keeps the soil healthy and prevents soil depletion. It also breaks the life cycles of pests, making it more difficult for them to develop and proliferate. The same crop being grown continuously in one area may result in nutritional depletion and a rise in insect populations. Crop rotation is a sustainable method that ensures more resilient and fruitful farming systems by preserving healthy soil, improving nutrient uptake, and managing soilborne hazards.

Soil Management: After agricultural cultivation, the soil loses nutrients and becomes of worse quality. The practice of organic farming promotes the use of natural techniques to restore soil health. This method places a strong emphasis on using beneficial bacteria found in animal dung to help make soil nutrients more accessible, which improves the general fertility and condition of the soil.

Livestock: Organic farming places a strong emphasis on providing milch cows with a balanced diet that includes a mix of dry and green feed as well as appropriate supplements. The farm and the animals both benefit from this all-encompassing approach. These animals live in perfect conditions on the farms, where they can have enough of exercise, wholesome food, and fresh air. Utilizing these robust companion animals improves the sustainability of farms.

Green manuring is the technique of using green, undecomposed plant debris as a natural fertilizer by uprooting dead plants and adding them to the soil to increase its nutritional content. Green manuring usually means growing leguminous plants in the field, letting them develop to a suitable size, and then adding them to the soil to improve its quality.

While the government acknowledges the contribution of agriculture to climate change mitigation, it is upon NGOs operating across India to ensure that measures are taken to improve the environment with the help of donation for farmers.

THE TOP RURAL DEVELOPMENT NGO IN INDIA?

Since its founding in 1995, Search NGO has worked to improve the welfare of India's rural populations. The goal of the leading NGO for sustainable rural development in India is to promote good social, economic, and environmental change by supporting community-driven development initiatives. The goal is to enable each and every person living in rural India to enjoy lives characterized by dignity, security, and prosperity.

President Tinubu To Attend 78th UN General Assembly In New York

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU SET TO ATTEND 78TH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK After a successful outing at the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India, President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Sunday for New York, where he will participate in the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which will be his first as the Nigerian leader. The theme of the UNGA is: “Rebuilding trust and Reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.” On September 19, the first day of the High-Level General Debate of the 78th UNGA Session, President Tinubu will deliver his inaugural National Statement. Before engaging in the General Debate, the President will join other world leaders to participate in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN 2023 Summit on SDGs). President Tinubu’s address will encompass several issues, such as sustainable development, climate change, global cooperation, and the imperative to address inequalities and global humanitarian crises. Additionally, President Tinubu is slated to participate in the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development; High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response; UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit; High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage; High-Level Panel on Reform of the Global Financial Architecture, amongst others. In New York, President Tinubu is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders, including the Presidents of the European Union Commission, Brazil, and South Africa, amongst others. The President will also advance his economic development agenda for aggressive investment attraction in meetings with the global leadership of transnational firms, such as Microsoft, Meta Technologies, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, and others. Furthermore, on the margins of UNGA, President Tinubu will detail emerging cross-sectoral investment opportunities in Nigeria in his address to American business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It is noteworthy that while engaging with officials at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) Headquarters in New York City, the Nigerian leader will have the honour of conducting the NASDAQ closing ceremony during its trading session, making President Tinubu the first African President to do this. The President will also address the Nigerian SMEs Business Summit, where he will seek to highlight the increasingly important role of Nigerian enterprises in global trade. President Tinubu will be accompanied by Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State; Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State; Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; Uba Sani of Kaduna State; AbdulRahman AbdulRazak of Kwara State; and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. Also traveling with the President: the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Coordinating Minister of the Economy & Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mohammed Pate; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu; and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite. The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and other senior government officials will also be present. Chief Ajuri Ngelale Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) September 16, 2023 Read the full article

As the United Nations General Assembly gathers for its 78th session, it does so in the wake of a summer that has repeatedly shown the global dashboard to be flashing red. Climate records have been smashed, with the highest average temperatures in thousands of years and devastating flooding from India and China to Norway and Greece. The Black Sea grain deal, intended to alleviate high food prices in lower-income countries, has broken down. Military takeovers in Niger and now Gabon bring the number of coups in West and Central Africa since 2020 to eight.

Confirmation of that gloomy picture will come at the summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Sept.18-19 . This was meant to be a midway progress review: the implementation period for the 17 interlinked objectives, which include ending extreme poverty and hunger, began in 2016 and is due to end in 2030. The world is far from the right track. Out of 140 metrics by which the SDGs are measured, half are not on the desired trajectory and about one-third have stalled or gone into reverse.

That makes the interinstitutional squabbles over the summit’s desired outcomes especially dismal. The U.S. administration and its allies reportedly objected to calls in its draft declaration to reform the international financial system. It is a familiar stumbling block: rich-world national governments and the Bretton Woods international financial institutions bridling at any moves by the United Nations to stray into “their” territory. But the United States and its friends are not the only ones resurrecting red lines better suited to the history books than the present crisis. India and its allies also reportedly clashed over whether to make reference to the G-20 in the draft declaration.

Old ghosts seem to dog the process and allow no one to raise their eyes to the looming crises. These disputes risk making this crucial SDGs summit a flop. That would be doubly disastrous: virtually dooming the goals to nonfulfillment and casting a heavy shadow over the U.N.’s Summit of the Future, billed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renew global governance but already postponed from this year to next. Whatever the historical rights and wrongs of these interinstitutional suspicions, they are utterly out of step with the moment. Time and trust are running out, both on the SDGs and the wider restoration and renewal of the multilateral system.

That very urgency, however, also makes this a window of opportunity. Governments and institutions are recognizing that in our age of “poly-crisis,” new ambition is needed. Dynamic coalitions and initiatives are coalescing, like the Bridgetown Initiative, launched by Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley to create additional fiscal space for climate and development spending. The Paris summit on climate and development finance in June may not have generated commitments on the transformative scale needed, but it represented a newly open and, crucially, political conversation on those topics between the so-called global north and global south.

New ideas and proposals are percolating through the international system. Take the report published in June by the G-20 independent expert group on strengthening multilateral development banks. It called for bold action on three fronts: adding global public goods to the banks’ existing goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity; marshalling new financial firepower to triple their lending by 2030 to $300 billion annually; and establishing a new “global challenges” mechanism enabling coalitions of sovereign and nonsovereign entities to crowd in lending alongside the multilateral development banks. This “triple agenda” ought to represent the realm of the eminently possible.

These new realignments, coalitions, impetuses, and ideas would make the failure of the SDG summit all the more lamentable. History will not be kind to leaders too tangled up in the intrigues and rivalries of corridors of power in Washington and New York to seize the opportunities of the moment. International financial institutions and national governments, particularly Western ones whose standing in the global system is already under strain, should welcome the U.N.’s engagement.

For its part, the U.N. system needs to find the versatility and nimbleness needed to marshal a consensus. Its architecture is creaking, built for a postwar world very different from today’s permanently shifting multipolarity. This is a reality further underscored by the G-20 summit in New Delhi last weekend, both in its strong focus on global governance reform and its diplomatically tortuous declaration skirting around Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The old western powers backed down to accommodate their Indian hosts and their major developing country allies. That may not be a comfortable development, but it is a recognition that power is shifting globally and needs to do so at the United Nations, too.

Our collective priority must be restoring multilateralism and guiding the world onto a better course, including comprehensively meeting the SDGs by the goal of 2030. A new global polling report by Open Society Foundations, the philanthropy that I lead, ought to focus minds. Charting the attitudes of more than 36,000 respondents in a representative group of 30 countries, the Open Society Barometer documents a widespread appetite for greater ambition. Among those we surveyed, 65 percent agreed that lower-income countries should have a greater say on international financial decisions, 68 percent said that high-income countries should increase the World Bank’s funds, and 70 percent were anxious that climate change could have a negative impact on their lives in the next year.

Those figures and the expectations that they represent, not comparatively petty institutional squabbles, should be at the top of minds in Turtle Bay next week. There is not yet much sign that they will be. New Yorkers famously hate U.N. General Assembly for the traffic gridlock it produces. This year, they may have more grounds than ever for their impatience.