eaving no one behind” is the spirit of the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs). For simplicity’s sake, let me categorise the seventeen interlinked and mutually non-exclusive goals into three categories. The first six goals: eradicating poverty, hunger and diseases, ensuring quality education, gender equality and safe drinking water/ sanitation facilities for all, are what we want to achieve; our common destination or you may call it the unfinished millennium development goals (MDGs, the predecessors of SDGs). The following six goals define how to reach there. Using clean and affordable energy for inclusive economic growth based on innovation and infrastructure can reduce inequalities and make our communities and cities sustainable. The principles of sustainable consumption and production are the drivers to achieve the first six goals for all without leaving anyone behind. The next five goals define what would be under threat if we don’t reach our common destination using the drivers mentioned above. We would be facing more climate disasters that threaten not only life on land and below water but also a peaceful coexistence on this planet – a situation like Covid-19, where instead of partnering to avoid the pandemic, the first response of the rich world was to close its national and subnational borders and hoard vaccines.

Some criticise these goals as over-ambitious. Others point out the global community’s failure to perform on most of the eight MDGs. Irrespective of their number, the first thing we need to keep in mind is that no country can achieve any of the goals while ignoring the rest. It is a “take all or leave all” package. Hence, the SDGs cannot be achieved through a single country, single ministry or a single player (public or private). Achieving this collective agenda requires an integrated and synchronised approach from all concerned. This requires not just a “whole of the government” but a “whole of the society” approach.

Not following this approach may lead to a situation where often well intended efforts become self-contradictory. For instance, we can be in a situation where one ministry or department is trying to conserve the environment blocking all avenues for economic growth, and another is trying to promote growth, compromising the health of our planet.

While agreeing to achieve the SDGs in 2015, the international community set itself a timeline for the year 2030, by which no one (individual, society, nation) would be left behind on this planet. This gigantic task has become even more complicated amid the triple “C” crises; Covid-19, conflict (especially, the Ukraine crisis) and climate change (predictably unpredictable extreme weather patterns).

Take Covid-19 first; the world economy shrank by around 4.3 percent in 2020, a setback matched only by the Great Depression and the two world wars (according to the World Bank). The cost of Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021 was about $10.3 trillion in the forgone output – goods and services the world could have produced had it remained unafflicted.

Having said that, there is a silver lining about the Covid-19 situation. The world has learned, especially the developing countries, (albeit, the hard way) that ignoring social sector development and not investing in human development, in other words, in SDGs, is no more an option. To avoid devastation from Covid-19, the developing countries had to increase their spending on improving health infrastructure, strengthen their social safety networks and diversify their livelihood options.

The rich countries initially tried to insulate themselves by closing their borders and not sharing personal protection equipment, ventilators, vaccines, etc. However, gradually they realised that no one is safe from Covid-19 in the world until everyone is. This realisation then made them share their vaccines with the developing countries.

In Pakistan, a well- coordinated response to Covid-19 helped limit the loss of lives and livelihoods. Covid-19 will result in a delay in achieving the SDGs. However, there are many lessons in it which, if heeded, can help us avoid losing track of our objectives (SDGs) while braving one of the worst manifestations of global warming (the current floods).

Pakistan’s journey to SDGs, which got lengthier after Covid-19, has become even more challenging after the devastating floods. Million of acres of farmland with standing crops inundated by floods will not only cause food insecurity but also fuel poverty. Stagnating water on a third of Pakistan’s land mass, waterborne diseases and lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in flood-affected areas will drastically affect the health of millions. The flood water has not only swept away the energy infrastructure, buildings, bridges and roads but also the dreams and hopes of millions for a dignified life in a sustainable society.

Pandemics and heavy rains are natural catastrophes. However, they can be stopped from turning into human disasters through good sets of policies and practices. The critical requirement is to be “prepared” for such calamities by investing (both financially and in terms of policy priorities) in the first six goals of the SDGs. Reaching our destination (first six goals) through the potential game changers (the next six goals) will build resilience in societies and communities.

The global community must think that if today Pakistan is suffering on account of a combination of a warming planet and a lack of preparedness, tomorrow it could be others. Problems resulting from rising temperatures in the Indian Ocean will not be limited to Pakistan, India or Bangladesh; neither will the heatwaves in western Europe stop at any of the national boundaries.

Developed countries that can dole out trillions of dollars as a financial stimulus to protect their citizens from Covid-19, have to meet their obligations (which are peanuts compared to those stimuli) towards climate financing and loss and damage mechanism as well.

At the national level, we have to bring our house in order; learn how not to govern a disaster; and respond to such calamities as one nation. “Leaving no one behind” does not only mean taking everyone along on this path to sustainable development; it also means no one should live in a false sense of having achieved sustainable development until everyone has attained the same level of development. No one is safe unless everyone is safe.

The writer is the executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. He tweets @abidsuleri