SDG Targets, unlike the broader, over-arching Goals, are the very meat and potatoes of the MUN circuit. All delegates can look to SDG targets and find multiple examples of agenda items and debate topics from conferences all over the world. The Targets are complex, nuanced and challenging to research (that’s what makes MUN fun, right?), and while the body of SDG knowledge is growing, there are a lack of curated resources around SDG Targets that are accessible to the average human.
MUN Impact has been given a unique opportunity to partner with ESRI and to have a number of incredible tools available to us to help curate resources in a way that supports the MUN community. StoryMaps contain videos, social media, maps and graphs and old fashioned text and links. We are developing a way to share focused SDG Target content through this amazing platform, and in the months ahead to link a mastery quiz (and digital certificate of completion) at the end of each SDG Target StoryMap. We probably won’t create StoryMaps for each of the 169 Targets, but we are going to start by focusing on the ones that are popular in the MUN community. SDG Targets 4.7 (global education), 15.7 (Poaching and Trafficking Wildlife) and 16.2 (Human Trafficking) are the first to have been developed, with 5.1 (Gender Equality), 6.1 (Clean Water), 12.1(Sustainable Consumption) and 14.1 (Oceans) on the way soon!
But that’s just the start! ESRI’s tools are most powerful and impressive when it comes to collecting and visually sharing data. And we’re excited to be developing tools to help delegates share their awareness of the SDGs, and to encourage delegates to make impact in their communities in a way that can be captured through data. Most importantly, this data will be shared with the United Nations and become part of the body of statistics used to track and monitor the SDGs.
We are at the beginning of a decade’s long journey, to raise awareness on the SDGs and their Targets, to think about the ways in which we can apply our knowledge as an MUN community to take action in our communities, and to lean in to this ambitious agenda. The UN, and the world, needs the talent of MUN delegates and their dedicated teachers and directors.
Our first StoryMap, Put your MUN on the MAP (SDG 4.7) is now live, with more to come.
ESRI has partnered with the United Nations and governments to develop SDG data hubs, information dashboards, and other data products to support the advancement of the SDGs.
ArcGIS plays a fundamental role in creating and sharing SDG data, and informing policy formulation and decision-making around sustainable development programs and investments.
ESRI and Sustainability