Transforming Our World: Promoting Dignity, Inclusion, and Systemic Reform

Abstract

When reflecting on the consistent theme threaded through articles in this themed Issue on Promoting Dignity, Inclusion, and Systemic Reform and looking at the state of the world, I can’t help but fluctuate between hope and despair. We continue to witness unprecedented events to the degree that the word “unprecedented” has almost lost its meaning. What is clear is that the world is facing unparalleled levels of social and environmental crises. Humanity cannot continue down the same path as we collectively face the ever-growing crisis of climate change and global inequality, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. The legacies of colonialism and neoliberalism, among numerous other factors, have created systems and structures built on exploitation, inequality, obsessive growth, and hyper-individualisation that are not sustainable. Without urgent action, this situation may lead to environmental and social collapse, making the need for systemic advocacy and change all the more pressing. The United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) exemplify both the possibilities and barriers towards global action. The SDGs are a non-binding (barrier number 1) resolution signed by all 193 UN member states, yet it is those same states that are the biggest barriers to action. The SDGs lay out a series of 17 goals and 169 targets that countries must meet by 2030. The goals recognise the varied and systemic dimensions of sustainability and that all rights are interconnected and inalienable. For example, we will not achieve climate action (SDG 13) without gender equality (SDG 5), and so forth. As of 2022, not a single member state is on track to meet a single SDG, with the pandemic setting back progress as we see an increase in extreme poverty for the first time in a generation (UN, 2022b). The SDGs have great potential and offer a pathway for systemic reform (the official name for the SDGs is Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), a point that is often lost among the bright colours, catchy slogans, and tokenistic implementation (e.g., Australia). The SDGs continue to be further evidence of core problems within the UN system with the lack of accountability, empty symbolism, and perpetuation of Western colonialism (Liverman, 2018; Schultz, 2020; Yap &Watene, 2019). The UN will only overcome these issues if it works in partnership with the nongovernment sector, including social workers, who in many cases around the world are among the groups achieving SDG progress despite the many barriers imposed by member states. While the issues are numerous, climate change is one of the greatest challenges that we face, highlighting the interdependence of all life on the planet. The changes confronting our environment because of human-induced global warming are already profound and extensive, with 2021 breaking all sorts of horrible records. For example, the years from 2013 to 2021 all rank among the 10 warmest years on record, resulting in increased extreme weather events (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2020). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2018) warned that we have only a decade to halve global emissions (and then reach net zero by 2050) to meet the 1.5C target, which now seems