Sustainable Development Goals
SDG17 – Partnership for the Goals
The world today is more interconnected than ever before, meaning that the time is now to partner up and help each other out. The SDGs can only be realized with strong global partnerships and cooperation.
Improving access to technology and knowledge is an important way to share ideas and foster innovation. Coordinating policies to help developing countries manage their debt, as well as promoting investment for the least developed, is vital for sustainable growth and development. The goals aim to enhance North-South and South-South cooperation by supporting national plans to achieve all the targets. Promoting international trade, and helping developing countries increase their exports is all part of achieving a universal rules-based and equitable trading system that is fair and open and benefits all (UNDP).
Scouts Australia has a proud history of working with partners to deliver environmental and community outcomes, so we are well prepared to tackle this goal. We have partnered with Clean Up Australia and Landcare for over thirty years to support a healthy environment, and many Scouts have taken UN Women’s #HeForShe pledge – check out our other SDG pages for even more ways we partner for the goals.
We are always looking for more ways to further this collaboration to achieve the SDGs. In 2021 we are launching the SDG Challenge, to increase awareness of the SDGs and encourage our members to take action. If you want to help out, testing the program or to be a local champion for this, please get in contact.
To achieve the SDGs, we need everyone working together, across government, industry and the community. The goals are interconnected, and through building awareness and working together, we can achieve them. Who do you know that is already tackling the SDGs in your community?
Scouts Australia’s youth program team have started developing ideas for how you might engage with each of the Sustainable Development Goals. This card challenges you to contribute to building Partnerships for the Goals through raising awareness in the community and seeking partners to further action on the SDGs. Every small part counts as we work towards these goals!
Learn more and take action
- WOSM’s Scouts For SDGs page: Partnership for the Goals (WOSM)
- Scouting Ireland’s 17days17sdgs campaign: Partnership for the Goals (SI)
Who else knows about the SDGs in your community? What ways can you work with others to build awareness?
Partnerships in action
At the 2019 Australian Jamboree, some passionate youth members and leaders partnered with SolarBuddy to build solar-powered battery lamps for developing communities in the Asia Pacific Region.
With government and Indigenous community support, Scouts in Mount Eliza (Victoria) have been working on erosion control works at their beach with other environmental community groups. Learn more about their experiences combating erosion in the Australian Scout Magazine article.
The December 2019/January 2020 bushfires have seen many partnerships form in aid of bushfire relief and support. There may be many examples of partnerships from these events. The Australian Scout Magazine article, Helping Others, highlights just a few of these examples.
Share your efforts
Now that you’ve taken action, share it to inspire others. If you post to social media, please tag Scouts Australia and include the hashtags #Scouts4SDGs #ScoutsAustralia #SDG17 #Partnership4SDGs, and then head over to scout.org to register your project: https://www.scout.org/node/add/project
