In 2016, Over $142 Billion Was Raised for Developing Countries But More Needs to be Done

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals are 17 encompassing objectives meant to address the world's most pressing health, educational, social and economic issues by 2030. This month, the UN General Assembly, as well as many of the governing bodies behind the UN's SDGs, will be convening and we'll be breaking down a goal a day.

2016 was a huge year for Official Development Assistance, with total available funding increasing by almost 9 percent to reach $142.6 billion. Six countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom, even met the UN target of contributing at least 0.7 percent of their GDP to ODA.

But we still have a long way to go before this challenging range of SDGs, covering everything from ensuring clean drinking water to protecting our oceans, become a global reality. Less than half of the 125 countries who participated in country-lead development effectiveness data monitoring in 2016 reported overall improvement, suggesting that frameworks need to be adjusted to make overall SDG progress a reality to the majority of participating nations.

We all have a role to play in making the 17 SDGs a reality, and it starts at the community level. Act for SDGs in your own neighborhood and encourage your policymakers to make SDG targets a priority at the local and national level.

Abroad & At Home

Collaboration is the name of the game when it comes to creating a fair and inclusive world. In partnership between Youth for SDGs and the non-profit Indo Global Social Services Society, the Youth Initiative for Empowering Leadership and Development works to empower youth from Delhi's slum clusters to encourage active citizenship from a young age. The program focuses on self-exploration and group-focused capacity building to equip young leaders with the leadership and negotiation skills necessary to create change at the community level.

The Certification for Sustainable Tourism system seeks to encourage partnerships in business, government, advocacy, and academia to support socially and environmentally sustainable tourism practices in countries including Costa Rica, the U.S. and Spain. The certification encourages a market standard that helps tourism organizations take pride in their sustainable practices while encouraging thoughtful consumer choice.

Also keeping with international partnership, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data pulls together support from more than 150 governmental, civic, and non-governmental organizations to develop innovative and accessible methods for exploring SDG progress through data collection and visualization.

With players ranging from Cornell University to the Chamber of Commerce in Bogota, Colombia, this partnership seeks to, "pave a road to dignity for all by 2030."

To learn more about the SDGs, head to the Goalkeepers site created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.