GOAL 9 : INDUSTRIES, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
GOAL 9 : INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Adequate infrastructure makes it possible for children to get to school conveniently and quickly. In some parts of the world, this infrastructure is lacking. With the development of wireless telecommunications, education has been able to reach people in remote areas enabling countries lagging behind others to leapfrog over the expensive investment in infrastructure that would otherwise be necessary. Nonetheless, improvements in infrastructure help immensely in the pursuit of formal education. Innovation and education often go hand-in-hand. Education inspires and provides the tools for innovators to thrive. Industry can provide cost-effective educational products and services, and eliminate barriers to access, such as cost, distance, and infrastructure inadequacies. Innovative businesses can also improve the quality of learning through an array of learning and measurement tools. By taking a long-term perspective, business has a lasting effect on education by investing in educational innovation, infrastructure, and workforce training
Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure. Manufacturing is an important driver of economic development and employment. At the current time, however, manufacturing value added per capita is only US$100 in the least developed countries compared to over US$4,500 in Europe and Northern America. Another important factor to consider is the emission of Carbon Dioxide during manufacturing processes. Emissions have decreased over the past decade in many countries but the pace of decline has not been even around the world. Technological progress is the foundation of efforts to achieve environmental objectives, such as increased resource and energy-efficiency. Without technology and innovation, industrialization will not happen, and without industrialization, development will not happen. There needs to be more investments in high-tech products that dominate the manufacturing productions to increase efficiency and a focus on mobile cellular services that increase connections between people.’
Financing for Sustainable Development
Most people live in places committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, but funding remains elusive
More than 80% of the global population lives in a country that is dedicated to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, outlined in 2015 in order to help put the world on a more sustainable footing by 2030. However, 70% of these national SDG-integration plans fail to clearly identify a financing strategy that includes both private and public funds. Greater public-private cooperation is key to reversing this trend, and addressing an estimated $2.5 trillion annual gap between what is on hand and what will be needed to achieve the goals in developing countries. More capital needs to be mobilized through innovative methods like blended finance (combining funds from public and private investors in a way tailored to each party’s risk appetite) and aggregation vehicles (which pool multiple development projects into a single investment vehicle) – and it needs to be better allocated. Urgent action is necessary at the country level in particular, where key public and private stakeholders have an opportunity to work together and establish benchmarks for success.
It is important to enable the people behind existing country-level efforts to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore ways to cooperate in the future. The efforts of developing countries in particular will be crucial for the achievement of the SDGs – not least in terms of establishing the healthy regulatory environment, rule of law, and political stability necessary to create an attractive investment climate. United Nations Integrated National Financing Frameworks have now been introduced in dozens of developing countries, in a bid to help governments there better identify funding gaps and develop strategies for financing the SDGs.
Responsible Innovation
Technology is evolving quickly, and creating a risk of backlash
The onset of Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought with it a rapid evolution of technology, creating tremendous opportunities but also new risks. Social structures and many of our previous assumptions are in a state of flux, as we ponder big questions about the use of data – in terms of ownership, quality, access, and use. This issue has been thrust into the public spotlight by repeated controversies, not least related to the approach of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to publishing potentially disingenuous and harmful political advertising tailored to users’ personal data. In addition to curbing the use of data to spread of misinformation and disinformation, it is imperative to avoid creating technology-related global inequality. While inequality has actually been decreasing in many developing countries as digital tools increase financial inclusion in places with limited infrastructure, inequality has been worsening within high- and middle-income countries. In these places, labour-saving technology has begun to replace decently-paid blue collar jobs, as workers who once held those jobs are slotted into retail-related or other roles where the pay is typically lower.
We as a society need to keep a close eye on this potential for technology to further exacerbate inequality (in the form of the digital divide separating those with internet access from those without, for example), reap environmental damage (in the form of carbon emissions related to proliferating data centres, for example), and aggravate social tensions (as has been the case with anger over rent increases related to rampant Airbnb rentals or job losses tied to car-sharing services like Uber). We need to ensure that technology actually improves rather than degrades human and environmental well-being. In response to this need, the concept of agile governance has become increasingly prevalent; it emphasizes policy-makers and regulators working together with private developers, industries, and civil-society organizations in order to exercise more responsible digital leadership, and to become able to more quickly adapt to changing circumstances. However, the risk of public backlash against technology remains high. More dialogue and cooperation among companies, regulators, investors, consumers, and workers will be necessary to earn and sustain public trust.
UNIDO – LKDF is a platform that promotes industrial skills development among young people in emerging economies