The "Leave No One Behind" Principle at the Heart of Agenda 2030
"Leave no one behind" (LNOB) stands as the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. This principle represents the unequivocal commitment of all UN Member States to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that undermine the potential of individuals and humanity as a whole. By adopting the 2030 Agenda, Member States have pledged that no one will be left behind. The Agenda explicitly recognizes that the dignity of the human person is fundamental, and that goals and targets should be met for all nations, peoples, and segments of society. This commitment extends further, with a promise to endeavor to reach the furthest behind first.
Equality as the Foundation for Unity
Equality is not merely an ideal; it is the practical foundation upon which unity must be built. Rising inequalities across the world have become a defining challenge of our time. Gross inequalities both within and among countries are putting sustainable development at risk, stirring social unrest, undermining social progress, threatening economic and political stability, and undercutting human rights. These inequalities threaten all pillars of the United Nations system's work, from development and human rights to peace and security. Development must be more equitable if it is to be sustainable. Deepening, divisive and destabilizing inequalities within and among countries threaten social progress and economic and political stability, affecting all pillars of the United Nations' work. If inequalities continue to widen, development may not be sustainable.
The Interconnection Between Equality, Unity, and the SDGs
The 2030 Agenda is unequivocally anchored in human rights and explicitly grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights treaties, and other instruments such as the Declaration on the Right to Development. The SDGs "seek to realize the human rights of all" and are universally applicable to all people in all countries, including both developed and developing countries. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets announced in the 2030 Agenda demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. The goals and targets seek to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what they did not achieve. They are integrated and indivisible, balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental.
Unity as Prerequisite for Achieving the 17 SDGs
The interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals are of crucial importance in ensuring that the purpose of the new Agenda is realized. If we realize our ambitions across the full extent of the Agenda, the lives of all will be profoundly improved and our world will be transformed for the better. The SDGs reflect a commitment to end poverty and hunger everywhere; combat inequalities within and among countries; build peaceful, just and inclusive societies; protect human rights and promote gender equality; and ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources. They also aim to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all, taking into account different levels of national development and capacities.
The Binary Choice: Collective Action Through Equality or Collective Failure
The 2030 Agenda presents a stark binary choice: either we embrace equality as the foundation for unity and collective action, or we face collective failure in addressing the existential threats confronting our planet. Rising inequalities across the world have become one of the defining challenges of our time. Deepening, divisive and destabilizing inequalities both within and among countries are putting sustainable development at risk, stirring social unrest, undermining social progress and threatening economic and political stability. These threats affect all of the pillars of the United Nations system's work, from development and human rights to peace and security. The imperative to promote more equitable development permeates all 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Addressing Systemic Inequalities and Discrimination
LNOB not only entails reaching the poorest of the poor but requires combating discrimination and rising inequalities within and amongst countries and their root causes. A major cause of people being left behind remains persistent forms of discrimination, including gender discrimination, which leaves individuals, families, and whole communities marginalized and excluded. This principle is grounded in the UN's normative standards that are foundational principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international human rights law, and national legal systems across the world. Inequality extends beyond income and wealth to include inequalities in opportunities and outcomes related to education, health, food security, employment, housing, health services, and access to economic resources.
Equality and Non-Discrimination as the Heart of Sustainable Development
Member States have put "leaving no one behind" at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, so that all people in all countries may benefit from sustainable development and the full realization of human rights, without discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability or other status. The special emphasis on those left furthest behind and the most excluded focuses in particular on women and girls, children, youth, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDS, older persons, indigenous peoples, refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrants, among others. Progress can no longer be measured in averages or in the aggregate, and development must be seen to benefit all people.
The 2030 Agenda: A Transformative Vision for Equality
The 2030 Agenda is a universal, transformative, and people-centered plan of action, strongly grounded in international human rights law. It aims to collectively work towards achieving sustainable development through cooperation and integrating the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. In this Agenda, Member States have recognized that "rising inequalities within and among countries" and "enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power" as well as "gender inequality" are "immense challenges" confronting the world today. In response, and building on the lessons of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the 2030 Agenda puts at its heart the commitments to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind first.
The Role of Equality in Environmental Sustainability
The 2030 Agenda recognizes the need to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources, and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. Those often left behind are people living in poverty and other vulnerable situations, including children, youth, persons with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, older persons, indigenous peoples, refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrants. Their voices must be heard, and their active participation as agents of change needs to be promoted. Climate change often disproportionately affects the poorest, most marginalized, and least resilient, who contribute the least to it.
Economic Dimensions of Equality in the 2030 Agenda
Member States have committed in the 2030 Agenda to achieving more inclusive economies and societies where "wealth is shared and income inequality addressed" and where gender equality is achieved, and all forms of discrimination are eliminated. SDG 10 aims to combat income inequality as well as promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status. It also aims to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices. SDG 10 further calls for adopting policies, especially fiscal, wage, and social protection policies, to progressively achieve greater equality.
The Transformative Nature of the 2030 Agenda
The SDGs are different from the previous Millennium Development Goals in several crucial ways. While the MDGs applied only to so-called 'developing countries', the SDGs are a truly universal framework applicable to all countries. All countries have progress to make in the path towards sustainable development and face both common and unique challenges. As an agenda for "people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership", the 2030 Agenda offers a paradigm shift from the traditional model of development. It provides a transformative vision for people and planet-centered, human rights-based, and gender-sensitive sustainable development that goes far beyond the narrow vision of the MDGs.
Equality as a Catalyst for Peaceful and Just Societies
The 2030 Agenda aims to foster peaceful, just, and inclusive societies that are free from fear and violence. There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. The goals and targets of the Agenda seek to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Member States are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda through a revitalized Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders, and all people.
Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Inequalities
The United Nations system has a critical role to play in promoting the institutionalization of legal and policy measures, regulations, and practices that promote greater equality and non-discrimination for all people. A comprehensive approach to reducing inequalities includes setting up programs to promote institutions, laws, policies, and actions to combat discrimination on the basis of race, sex, language, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, and other grounds, and to advance equal access. It also includes providing support for reducing spatial or geographical inequalities between rural and urban areas and/or between industrialized and non-industrialized or remote regions. Implementing initiatives that promote gender equality and eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women is another crucial aspect.
Data Disaggregation to Track Progress on Equality
To achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, we need holistic and coherent cross-sectoral policies supported by disaggregated data and evidence-based policymaking. We need to identify those who are left behind and the circumstances that prevent their full participation in the benefits of development. The 2030 Agenda calls for data to be disaggregated by "income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migration status, disability, and geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts", aligning with the grounds of discrimination prohibited in international law. This commitment to data disaggregation will help to ensure that no one is being left behind.
Addressing Global Inequalities
The 2030 Agenda also addresses inequalities between countries, not just within them. It calls for promoting a more equitable global trading system that addresses inequities built into existing trade rules, particularly for the least developed countries (LDCs), and that implements the principle of special and differential treatment. It also calls for developing a more equitable international financial system, including better regulation of global financial markets and of speculation, the equitable participation of all States in the institutions of global governance, and official development assistance (ODA) to countries with people in the greatest need. The impact of rising inequality is felt both within and between countries, requiring coordinated policy responses at both levels.
The Path Forward: Achieving Equality for Global Survival
Ultimately, leaving no one behind requires the transformation of deeply rooted systems—economic, social and political, governance structures and business models at all levels, from local to global. Rising inequalities are not inevitable, but rather the result of policies, laws, institutions, and cultural practices, or rules of the game that shape the economy, and political and social systems. The United Nations has a critical role to play in promoting the institutionalization of legal and policy measures, regulations, and practices that promote greater equality and non-discrimination for all people. Achieving the 2030 Agenda requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of inequality and discrimination.
Conclusion: Equality as the Only Way Forward
In conclusion, equality is not just a moral imperative; it is a practical necessity for addressing the existential threats facing our planet. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its central principle of leaving no one behind, provides a framework for achieving equality and unity in our collective response to these challenges. We must recognize that we are all in this together, and that our collective survival depends on treating everyone as equal without exception. It is only through embracing equality as the foundation for unity and collective action that we can achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and secure a sustainable future for all. The choice is clear: either we come together as equals to address the challenges we face, or we risk collective failure and the continuation of patterns of inequality and exclusion that threaten the very sustainability of life on our planet.
