DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT

What is Development Communication? What role do the Sustainable Development Goals

play in development?

Development Communication:

Development Communication is the use of the various modes of communication to enable and
guide the process of social development. It emerged in the late 1950s as a medium to bring
about rapid development in developing nations after the second world war. Making use of
various methods of communication to bring about societal development and changing
mindsets is development communication. This field of communication is concerned with using
mass media in order to change people’s lives for the better.

Its main goal is changing behaviour, not just spreading awareness and information. Example -
The SITE project undertaken in India (1975) is a popular example of development
communication. In this, developmental shows were broadcasted through satellites to six rural
groups. The aim of this experiment was to improve literacy and spread awareness about family
planning, agriculture and hygiene. The effects of the experiment were studied and it was found
that it actually widened the villagers' knowledge and horizons.

Community Radio is also a great example of development communication. These radio stations
provide localised content that speaks to members of a particular community. Topics and issues
relevant to that community are discussed. Community radio is used to enable community based
initiatives by NGOs and other organisations. It is a great medium to promote local history,
culture and traditions.

Sustainable Development Goals:

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the basis of the 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda that was signed in 2015 by UN members. All member nations are
responsible for working towards the completion of these goals and targets by the year 2030.
These goals aim at tackling burning issues like poverty, hunger, inequality, climate change etc.
List of the 17 SDGs -

1. No Poverty 4. Quality Education 7. Affordable, clean energy

2. Zero Hunger 5. Gender Equality 8. Decent Work
3. Good Health & Well Being 6. Clean Water & Sanitation 9. Industry, Innovation, Infra
 10. Reduced Inequalities 13. Climate Action 16. Peace, Justice,
11. Sustainable cities & communities 14. Life below water strong institutions
12. Responsible consumption & production 15. Life on land 17. Global Partnership

The goal of SDGs is to completely transform the world and to protect it. Their main principle
is that no one should be left behind. There exist 169 targets under these 17 SGD heads. Each
goal is somehow linked to the others because a change in one aspect will automatically cause
changes in other spheres.

What makes SDGs unique?

- The SDGs are global and universal. They are not restricted to only developing nations (like the
Millennium Goals of 2000).
- They aim at establishing universal health cover.
- They use methods like research and development, sustainable financing etc. to bring about
change.
- They encourage intersectoral cooperation i.e. multiple stakeholders working towards the same
cause.
- There has never been such a high degree of global consensus on issues affecting the world.
- They are highly detailed and elaborate and have 200 indicators that track progress.

Role and Importance of SDGs-

The Sustainable Development Goals are an incredibly important milestone for the world. It
was the first time that so many nations were on the same page about the issues faced by
mankind, and were willing to work together to reduce the adverse effects of these issues. These
goals act as a guide to member countries on what is to be done, in what amount and by when.
The goals are precise and specific, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Most of the SDGs highlight the solutions to the issues mentioned within their targets. For
instance, if the goal is Quality Education (goal 4), one of its targets is to increase the supply of
teachers by 2030, which is simply a solution to the problem at hand. The SDGs provide the
framework for the developmental process. They also spread awareness about the problems
faced by mankind among the general public. Reliable data and statistics are provided to support
the goals and targets. There even exists an annual SDG report that details what progress has
been made in accomplishing the goals or what setbacks have been faced in fulfilling these
goals.
 These SDGs are a guiding light for countries around the world. With carbon emissions still
rising, oceans filling with plastic, millions of people living in poverty and only 6 years to
achieve the goals, the SDGs are more important now than ever before and must be closely
followed.

Development under the SDGs/ Achievements -

- The number of nations that have disaster reduction strategies has increased from 45 (in 2015)
to 118 (in 2021).

- The percentage of children (aged 5 or under) facing stunted growth has reduced from 33% (in
2000) to 22% (in 2020).

- The worldwide rate of suicide has dropped by 36% from the year 2000 to 2020. The
significance of mental health is being more accepted.

- Total climate finance (funding for mitigation of climate change) is now at almost 50 billion
dollars.

- The percentage of children receiving pre-primary education has risen from 65% (in 2010) to
73% (in 2020).

- The number of yearly civilian deaths has dropped by 61% between the years 2015 and 2020.

- The percentage of people that have access to electricity has risen from 87% (in 2015) to 91%
(in 2021).

- As of now, 95% of the world is connected by broadband network.

- The worldwide rate of unemployment has fallen to 5.4% which is lower than the pre-pandemic
level of unemployment.

- The percentage of people globally that can access safe drinking water has risen from 69% (in
2015) to 73% (in 2022).

- The rate of primary school completion increased between 2015 and 2021.
- HIV treatment has reduced deaths caused by AIDS by 52% since 2010.

The COVID 19 pandemic has reversed a lot of the progress that was made towards achieving
the SDGs. Health goals have become tougher to meet, usage of fossil fuels increased, the
number of people living in poverty has increased. It has become even more essential now to
unite with one another and work towards achieving the sustainable development goals. If not, it
may be too late to save the earth and ourselves.