United Nations Secretary-General Mr
António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Ms Amina Mohammed have
been emphasizing the role of media in achieving SDGs. [UN Photo]
When 17-year-old high school student Darnella Fraizer filmed the last
minutes of George Floyd’s life under the knee of police officer Derek
Chauvin, she could not have imagined that her footage would reignite the
explosive global question of racial inequality and the subsequent
clamour for reforms in policing.
This act of filming validates the force of the media globally, we need a
similar drive for urgent action in Africa. We need the continent’s
media to help ensure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are
achieved and the life of every African afforded the opportunity they
deserve.
“Around the world, success in achieving the SDGs will ease global
anxieties, provide a better life for women and men and build a firm
foundation for stability and peace in all societies, everywhere,” said
the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, a wave of demonstrations from Lebanon
to Chile, from Iran to Liberia, was sweeping across countries. This was
a clear sign that, for all our progress, something in our globalized
society is broken.
The Covid-19 pandemic has struck the world like a bolt of lightning
exposing the contours of deep inequalities. Media reports have helped
reveal the interwoven threads of inequality and health, with poorer
people suffering a strikingly disproportionate share of the fallout from
the virus, either through infection or loss of livelihoods.
The global sweep of protests due to years of disenfranchisement and
racism has made it clear that the world must change to offer equal
treatment to all people.
Media can do the same for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Achieving the SDGs, and so improving the lives of millions of Africans,
depends heavily on increasing public awareness, and on the focused
action and funding that such awareness ignites.
One major shortcoming of development progress is the lack of widespread
knowledge about the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. We must look to the media
to push the SDG discourse; what is reported and how it is reported helps
shape policy and has implications for the millions of people whose
lives are affected. Knowledge is power and if citizens are aware of the
issues, they are empowered to help determine the national response.
Traditionally, development experts have failed to explain the relatively
new concept of sustainable development to influencers such as
educators, politicians, and the media. Doing so is key, so that easily
understood narratives are developed to raise public support.
We are already a third of the way towards the 2030 Agenda deadline which
193 UN member states committed to. But at the current pace of change –
notwithstanding the global pandemic - Africa is likely to miss out on
the time-bound targets in key sectors - including health, education,
employment, energy, infrastructure, and the environment.
Improved public awareness of the SDGs themselves, and of the actions
needed and the bodies responsible for such actions is essential. By
stepping up to address and explain the global quest for social justice
and equality which the SDGs represent, the media can help galvanise
civil society, business, international bodies, regional organizations,
and individuals.
Pressure from an informed public, pushes policymakers into action, offering hope to millions of poor people.
Development is never far from the media agenda in Africa, so the
opportunity to build understanding of sustainability is there.
Sustainable development experts must explain why the SDGs are important,
and why ‘business as usual’ in development is no longer viable in the
face of increasing populations and climate change. Then, news outlets,
who would then be able to develop compelling narratives to make the
concept understandable by all can help raise the SDG profile, thereby
raising public support.
We must “flip the orthodoxy”.
What is reported, how it is reported, and on what channels helps in
shaping policy and has implications for the millions of people whose
lives are affected.
To this end, the media must be brought into the conversation and be made
to understand the role they can play towards the greater good.
The SDGs pledge that “no one will be left behind” and to “endeavour to
reach the furthest behind first.” In practice, this means taking
explicit action to end extreme poverty, curb inequalities, confront
discrimination and fast-track progress for the furthest behind.
The media can shine a spotlight on those left behind, for example by
using COVID-19 to examine the wider issue of universal health coverage,
the subject of SDG 3.
It also plays a critical role in holding governments to account for
their Agenda 2030 commitments. Though these commitments demand that
countries have clear reporting and accountability mechanisms, most
nations still have no reliable data on their progress towards specific
goals. This matters because countries can only unlock financing for the
SDGs by disaggregating data to understand where resources are required.
In Africa, where national commitments are rarely backed by adequate
investment, this is particularly important.
Rapid mobile penetration in Africa offers unparalleled opportunities for
content sharing on digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube. Though the lack of affordable internet connections and poor
connectivity remains a challenge, mobile technology is a powerful
enabler across many sectors.
One in every six people on Earth lives in Africa; its problems are the
world’s problems and solving them is the world’s responsibility. If
Africa fails to achieve Agenda 2030, the implications will be felt
across the planet through conflict, migration, population growth and
climate catastrophe.
The media in Africa is a stakeholder in the achievements of the SDGs.
Let us support the media and enlist their help in the quest for
economic, environmental, and social justice across the world.
-Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya. Follow him on twitter- @sidchat1
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