Abstract by M.J. Villanueva
The way in which museums can engage with the Sustainable Development Goals may not seem so apparent at first. Yet, the SDGs are broad enough to encapsulate many of the interests that museums have and are adaptable to the resources and outreach of every institution. That is how Jasper Visser outlines his NEMO Webinar on Museums and SDGs. He is an international consultant and advisor for cultural and civic organization, and has had experience applying the Millennium Development Goals (now SDGs) in several institutions, transforming theory into practice and results. The main takeaway from his webinar is to implement local changes to generate global change, which is exactly where museums come in.
For further information and examples of how these changes have been implemented by fellow museums, please watch Jasper’s Webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHBKVZvy1_k
In short, Visser proposes three strategies within which museums can frame their engagement in the SDGs:
Museums can lead the way: he suggests that museums evaluate all the goals and focus on one or two which they feel resonate most with the story they are trying to tell. Moreover, museums should be conscious of the society they are a part of and work in partnership with it to create a sustainable future within the community. It is highlighted that the actions museums decide to take in line with the SDGs should reflect the museum story as well as have an actual impact. Those are the truly meaningful changes that SDGs call for.
Museums can support others: museums here become a platform for entrepreneurs and local initiatives that support the SDGs, making their resources and influence available to those that may not be community referents just yet, but may convey strong messages by making use of museums as platforms.
Museums can change internally: Jasper remarks that taking on the SDG challenges is a strategic decision in order to become future proof organisations. Internalizing SDGs requires the inclusion of the totality of the museum staff, as everyone can think of ways to make their tasks more sustainable however big or small these may be. Alongside making easy and intuitive fixes (like switching for renewable resources of energy or providing free drinking water), he recommends bringing in the museum audience as an auditor for the museums’ performance of the SDGs, allowing them to analyse the progress that has been made and suggest what are the points that should be tackled next.
Fast steps: Three Goals
There are three goals, and targets within them, that specifically address museum action:
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning. Target 4.7 calls cultural centers and museums to educate their public on sustainable development values and lifestyles, as are gender equality, human rights, global citizenship and peace over violence.
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries. Target 10.2 further promotes inclusion for all in economic, social and political spheres, irrespective of their age, sex, race, economic or other status.
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. Target 16.10 urges the accessibility of information to the public to protect fundamental freedoms.
But museums can do more. A detailed overview of what museums according to Visser can do is as follows.
Lead the Way
Goal 1: No poverty
1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.
Goal 2: Zero hunger
2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
Goal 4: Quality education
4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
Goal 5: Gender equality
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.
8.9 By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
Goal 10: Reducing inequalities
10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.
Goal 13: Climate action
13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
Support others
Goal 1: No poverty
1.5 By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.
Goal 2: Zero hunger
2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people
3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.
Goal 4: Quality education
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
Goal 5: Gender equality
5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
Goal 10: Reducing inequalities
10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
11.3 By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.
11.5 By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
Change internally
Goal 2: Zero hunger
2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people
3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.
3.6 By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.
Goal 5: Gender equality
5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate.
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
8.4 Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead.
8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.
8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.
Goal 10: Reducing inequalities
10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
11.2 By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.
Goal 13: Climate action
13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
17.6 Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge-sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.
17.9 Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.
Sources:
Jasper Visser, 2018. Museums and the SDGs: Where to make a difference?
http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2018/07/18/museums-and-the-sdgs-where-t…
UN, 2016. Final list of proposed Sustainable Development Goal indicators
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/11803Official-L…
