Sustainable Development Goals 2015 A change of mentality required

2015 ECOSOC theme:

"Managing the transition from the Millennium Development Goals

to the Sustainable Development Goals:

What it will take"

 

With those of you, dear readers, who are somehow involved in the process of educating the young, and often the not so young, I would very much like to share some of the conclusions of this dialogue.

“Managing the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals” took place between February and March of 2015. I took a small part in the dialogue. Within this second summary by John-Mary Kauzya, I bring you the first conclusion, the one dealing with the necessary change of mentality. I also feel the opening comment by Professor Kauzya is worth your attention.

Education, of course, is the key to Sustainable Development. It is in the younger generations we deposit our hopes of their being able to curb Global Warming, to somehow harness Climate Change. But this requires the institutions where they are learning adapt, in order to manage the ineluctable transition, if we (or rather they) are to save Planet Earth.

This does not mean only educational institutions, bien entendu!

Mauricio López Dardaine

“While institutional reforms matter, people matter most and that change and
adaptation must not only focus on institutions and structures but on the
people”

John-Mary Kauzya from United States Virgin Islands

March 11th, 2015

2^nd Summary:

This has been a very enlightening reading for me. The problem is how does one write a summary of a discussion which sought to answer questions about institutions and then spread into fascinating discourse on people, ideologies, values, norms, markets, technology, even philosophical contributions, politics, human rights, and so many others. I hope all this will be captured and analysed to make better use of the materials. Here I will put down what (with my limitations imposed by the variety of contributions) I take as a synthesis of the discussion only focusing on institutions and people bearing in mind that without people institutions have no chance of being judged as effective or ineffective. I think every one for the rich postings.

John-Mary Kauzya (moderator)

1: Change of mentality on the part of individuals, populations,leaders in public sector institutions, private sector institutions and civil society, community, local national, regional and global levels.

Changing mentalities is critical in adaptation and change of institutions and structures because as noted in the previous summary while institutions and structures guide the behaviour and practice of individuals working within them, people
build, develop, modify and adapt institutions and structures.

Therefore it will take a significant shift in mentality to effectively drive the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.