Section: 1 - SDGs: a common vision for the future of humankind (6 videos) | Sustainable Development Goals (Advanced)

Section outline

The videos in this section provide a good understanding of the genesis of the 17 SDGs and the vision they carry. They highlight their strength and originality in the history of development and sustainable development, both for countries of the South and countries of the North. They also provide a better understanding of the relationship between these SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement, also adopted in 2015.

SDGs: a common vision for the future of humankind

Jean-Paul Moatti, Chairman and CEO of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), provides some background information on the current global context and on the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals.

A historical introduction to the SDGs

Jean-Michel Severino, President of Investors & Partners, discusses the origin of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, he looks back at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and then at the processes for developing the SDGs.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals

Henri Waisman, researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), analyzes the connection between the Paris Climate Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, both adopted in 2015. He shows that achieving these SDGs will be all the more difficult as global warming will be significant. He then studies, in terms of development, the implications of different scenarios for achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century.

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Three key elements setting SDGs apart in the history of development

Tancrède Voituriez, a researcher at CIRAD, provides an analysis of what the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are and what they are not. He then goes on to discuss the relationship between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the SDGs, the origin of the values supported by the SDGs and finally the paradoxical situation of the European Union with regard to this political project.

The “doughnut”: between social foundation and ecological ceiling

Jean Merckaert, Editor-in-Chief of Revue Projet, explains why a doughnut chart is often used when talking about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He describes what would be a "just and safe space for Humanity" and shows the magnitude of the challenge, which includes the need to significantly reduce inequality.

SDGs: a transformation framework with tradeoffs

Patrick Caron, a researcher at CIRAD, provides an analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He focuses in particular on the issues of values driven by the SDGs, the interactions between the multiple goals and the trade-offs and tensions associated with achieving these goals.