The United Nations SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The United Nations put together a list of seventeen goals in 2015, related to global development – to be achieved by 2030, these work as a blueprint to work towards a better, sustainable future for all - and are collectively known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ninth SDG, Affordable and Clean Energy, aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation, by 2030. Globally, investment in research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP increased steadily over years, however, it has only been less than 1% in developing regions. In terms of communications infrastructure, more than half of the world’s population is now online and almost the entire world population lives in an area covered by a mobile network. We have come a long way, but we still have a long road ahead. To understand what lies ahead, let us take a closer look at the sub-goals under this SDG. 

1. Develop sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructures

2. Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation

3. Increase access to financial services and markets

4. Upgrade all industries and infrastructures for sustainability

5. Enhance research and upgrade industrial technologies

6. Facilitate sustainable infrastructure development for developing countries

7. Support domestic technology development and industrial development

8. Universal access to information and communications technology

These sub-goals are multifaceted and provide an overview of the various areas that need to be worked upon and reveal the fact that we need to promote sustainable industrialisation and sustainable infrastructure development. Also, there is a need for all to work together to provide a helping hand to people/countries who might require assistance in terms of funding, raw materials, manpower, or others.

Apart from these, the fulfilment of this SDG goal would be necessary for the fulfilment of the other SDG goals of the UN viz. work for all and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, climate action, etc as it would help in creating a better platform to focus on the other goals.

Based on these, individuals, organisations, and governments across the globe need to base their strategies on these goals and sub-goals to bring in a focussed approach to the eradication of social evils in specific communities.

In this series of articles, we will discuss each of the SDGs in detail to understand the role of countries and stakeholders to fulfil these sustainable development goals.