On June 1st, 2021, SDSN USA launched the Working Group on Diversity, Equity, and Justice for Sustainable Development. The Working Group will be focused on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be used to advance diversity, equity, and justice within the United States. The event provided a brief overview of the Working Group purpose and goals, introduced the Working Group leadership, and initiated an ongoing discussion on the trajectory the Working Group will take in the coming months.

The Diversity, Equity and Justice for Sustainable Development Working Group agenda is largely informed by SDSN USA’s recent work on racial inequality, including In the Red: the US Failure to Deliver on a Promise of Racial Equality, a data index and report tracking delivery of the SDGs to each state by race, and the Never More Urgent report, a preliminary review of how the U.S. is Leaving Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities behind.

Dr. Helen Bond, Howard University Professor and Working Group Co-chair shared the goals of the Working Group at the launch, which are as follows:

1. Build awareness of the SDGs at the local government level;

2. Collect disaggregated data at the subgroup level to allow for a more in-depth analysis of intersecting forms of inequality. Where none exists, promote its collection;

3. Develop strategies on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Leave No One Behind commitment can inform policy making;

4. Increase awareness of the SDGs in poor communities and communities of color;

5. Localize SDGs within communities furthest behind; and

6. Utilize the SDGs as a prism to better understand and address intersecting forms of oppression.

The Working Group on Diversity, Equity, and Justice for Sustainable Development will join SDSN USA’s other working groups and priorities, including America’s Zero Carbon Action Plan, the Zero Hunger Pathways Project, and efforts to Track Progress on the SDGs, as well as find ways to collaborate across these initiatives.

A recording of the launch can be found on Youtube.

For more information, go to https://www.sdsnusa.org/initiatives/diversity-equity-justice.

To reach out with questions, comments, or suggestions about the working group or other SDSN USA initiatives, please contact usa@unsdsn.org.