Sustainable Development Goals

What are the SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched by the United Nations in 2015, to replace the Millennium Development Goals. They consist of 17 Goals that promote peace and prosperity for all people, protect the planet, and foster partnerships to achieve these aims. These 17 Goals consist of a total of 169 targets, all of which are designed to be achieved across the globe by 2030.

One of the main barriers to achieving the Goals and targets is that they are all interlinked and can affect each other. To enable efficient achievement of the 2030 Agenda as a whole, it is important to consider these interactions between the targets and the factors that determine these. To this end, the International Council for Science & the Stockholm Environment Institute suggested a method using network analysis to map out the targets and their interactions, and find the most efficient route to achieving them all in an integrated manner.

SDGs for Galapagos

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SDGs for Galapagos

In 2021, FUNCAVID, in alliance with Galapagos Conservation Trust and King's College, decided to launch the Co-Galapagos initiative to facilitate progress towards the SDGs. The objectives of the initiative are to: a) support community projects and young people seeking experience in sustainability; b) facilitate connections between those wishing to contribute financially to Galapagos; c) enable collaboration between project leaders and decision-makers; and d) build a web platform to collect information on research and community projects related to policy proposals in Galapagos.

In April 2021, in collaboration with the Governing Council of the Galapagos Special Regime, a workshop was held with stakeholders, decision-makers, and NGOs on the islands to prioritise, contextualise, and identify the 40 most urgent targets. This process involved two stages of ranking the targets, with participants divided into groups, alongside discussions to refine the wording of the targets for the local context of Galapagos.

This process is very important for the islands, as it will allow the implementation of the SDGs and their indicators to be grounded in the local reality. The fact that this prioritization was developed in a participatory manner, involving different actors and local sectors, enhances its acceptance and ownership.

A network of objetives

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A network of objectives

In May 2021, a participatory process was developed to evaluate the interactions of the SDG goals with each other.

From the results, a matrix of interactions was produced between the 40 objectives identified as the most important for Galapagos. This tool was accepted and implemented as a methodology for the validation and verification of provincial efforts to promote the sustainable development of the islands, mapping each investment project of the Governing Council of the Special Regime with its respective link to the fulfillment of the SDG goals.

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Impacts generated

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Impacts generated

The Co-Galapagos Project has had a profound and meaningful impact in the province, successfully fulfilling its mission of promoting collaboration to achieve the SDG Agenda 2030. The project has made tangible progress toward the 40 priority goals of the SDGs through the active participation of various stakeholders, including researchers, local community leaders, and young Galapagos residents.

As of today, through this initiative, we have supported 18 community project leaders and 23 interns who have benefited from the new skills they acquired through paid work experience aimed at advancing the SDG goals. An additional 11 potential community project leaders received training and guidance.

Ongoing projects

These achievements demonstrate FUNCAVID’s commitment to improving social well-being sustainably and in harmony with the conservation of Galapagos biodiversity, using an approach focused on empowering local communities.

Executed projects

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With thanks to the Governing Council of the Galapagos Special Regime, the Galapagos National Park Directorate and Galapagos Conservation Trust for their support with this project, and the following organisations, groups and individuals for their participation and assistance.