By Polina Bishenden, GCDC Doctoral Candidate, School of Politics and International Relations
I have been reflecting on our newsletter theme, thinking about the impact that armed conflict has on sustainable development. I keep returning to a statement that is made in the preamble to the 2030 Agenda, that ‘‘there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development’. I can’t think of a single SDG that isn’t affected, in some way, by conflict. This is all the more true for Ukraine.
In Ukraine, astounding efforts have been made towards fostering sustainable development. In 2020, the state was a part of the Voluntary National Review of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The review highlighted an impressive series of reforms which were integrated into state policy, leading Ukraine to achieve progress in 15 of the SDGs. The United Nations in Ukraine provide an interactive map which marks the UN’s support across the country, tracing over 370 key activities. Progress on each of the goals was made possible through the grassroots efforts of Ukraine’s vibrant civil society.
At the end of February 2022, the world watched in horror as the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine escalated. Since, the state continues to commit abominable acts of cruelty. At the time of writing, the invasion has claimed 2685 civilian lives and displaced over 4.1 million people. I don’t believe I can fully convey or even comprehend the levels of terror and destruction caused by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. And what can be said of green city plans or sustainable transport initiatives, in the face of extreme destruction?
Though armed conflict is an immense challenge to sustainable development, people sustain their efforts towards improving the lives of others in very context-specific ways. Human action is always embedded in a particular constellation of environmental factors. The things that matter to us, the causes that we choose to take on, and the strategies that we take towards the goals that we map out are all dependent on this situatedness. Throughout my time at the GCDC, I have investigated such moments in women’s activism in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where activists effectively navigate a challenging political and social environment in their work towards advancing women’s rights. In Ukraine, activists now work under conditions of war.
The Ukrainian Women’s Fund have written on their homepage, that, “the war in Ukraine may be changing the women’s/feminist movement, but it’s not stopping it”. The significance of this statement is felt when observing the bravery and versatility of Ukrainian activism in wartime. Tech innovators (SDG 9) have redirected their skills into developing apps for wartime, sharing vital information, and participating in Ukraine’s IT Army. A women’s shelter in Chernivtsi (SDG 5) contributes to volunteering with support for people on the frontline, and, alongside its usual capacities, accommodates those internally displaced due to the war. Others have turned to online activism, raising awareness and funds for those affected by the war, whilst challenging dangerous misinformation.
Returning to the statement with which I started this blog post; there can be ‘no peace without sustainable development’. As somebody who working within the SDG framework, I have a deep hope in the claim that sustainable development brings about conditions for peace. Significantly, I believe that the implementation of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) is particularly vital. I draw from a regional report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia on achieving the SDGs in conflict-affected countries. The piece highlights that “increasing investments in peace, dialogue and reconciliation” is critical to the realisation of the wider 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Let us turn to the definition of sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Beyond brutally altering lives in the present, it is well reported that the trauma of war can have intergenerational effects. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine is proof that authoritarianism, left to run rife, is the antithesis of sustainable development. Thus, without the proper implementation of SDG 16 (meaning the attainment of institutional transparency, representative decision-making, and public access to information and fundamental freedoms), peace will remain at threat.