Applied Research and Training Program on SDG 11- Livable

Urbanization Bangladesh context

Amzad Hossain
SDGs Coordinator Bangladesh Chapter
and
Dora Marinova
Director Curtin University Sustainability Policy
Institute (CUSP)

Funded by DFAT
Organized by MoPA and GIU, Bangladesh
September 10 to October 8, 2017
 Contents
 Goal 11
 Background
 Sustainable Development Goals
 Livability: Linking Other Goals to Goal 11
 Approaches to Achieving SDGs
 Research Approaches for Replication
 Implementation Approaches
 International Partnership (Goal 17)
 Concluding Remarks
 SDG 11 Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030
 Achieving SDG 11 = Improving Livability in the
urban areas of Bangladesh
 11.1 ensure access for all to adequate, safe and
affordable housing, basic services, and upgrade slums
 11.2 provide access to safe, affordable, accessible
and sustainable transport systems
 11.3 by enhance inclusive and sustainable
urbanization
 11.4 strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the
cultural and natural heritage
Making cities and human settlements inclusive,
safe, resilient and sustainable (contd.)
 11.5 by 2030 significantly reduce the number of deaths
 11.6 reduce the adverse per capita environmental
impact of cities, including by paying special attention to
air quality, municipal and other waste management
 11.7 provide access to safe, inclusive and accessible,
green and public spaces,
 11.a establish socioeconomic and environmental links
between urban, peri-urban and rural areas
 11.b increase by x% the number of cities and human
settlements
 11.c support least developed countries
Background
- In September 2015, the United Nations declared 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 Target
Areas to be achieved by 2030
- 193 UN Member countries including Bangladesh
have adopted the SDGs to be achieved
- This indicates that SD is missing from those countries or
being overshadowed by unsustainable development
- It also refers to a probability of unawareness about SD that
can prevail widely
- All these indicatives are likely to exist in Bangladesh
- The SDGs in Bangladesh can be achieved thru Applied
Education, Training, Research and Demo Model projects
Understanding Sustainable Development (SD) and SDGs Pre-
requisites
 SD is natural way of Resource and Cultural management
 SD is human’s inherent and age long culture of on-going development
activities that
“meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987)
 SD deals with development without destruction of resource-base
 Development using renewables, renewable energy, no light pollution
 Development that results in contentment, well-being, happiness, social
coherence, and pro-sustainability ecosystems health
 Development for achieving self-reliance
 The Prerequisites are:
- Ethical economics including consideration of goodness, and justice –
do not cause harm to others including future generations (Hartz-
Karp and Marinova, 2017)
- Modest lifestyle, positive mindset, sustainable technology, healthy
consumption habits, Scriptural values, and spirituality for eco-living
 The Crises in SD
 Resulting from development paradigm of ‘progress’
in lieu of ‘development’
 ‘Progress’ or ‘Growth’ of ‘unfettered capitalism,
with little regard for social, cultural and ecological
consequences
 At this point in SD crises we need to learn from
peoples’ traditional environmental knowledge,
wisdom and practices that have sustained them
thousands of years
- fundamental aspects of human interaction such as
spirituality, ethics, reciprocity and respect (Joy and
Laara, 2012)
 The Present Pro-SD Factors in Bangladesh

ological footprint:
0.8 ha/person (2.7 for the world) in 2010

O2 emissions from energy per year:

y 0.4 tonnes/person (4.6 for the world) in 2010

at consumption per year (estimated to be responsible for up to 51%

global GHG): only 4 kg/person (42 for the world) in 2009

e so-called developed countries are consuming 64% of the meat

gers et al (2008)

oubling of meat production happens every 50 years (Steinfeld et al.,

06

veryone consumes as much meat as New Zealanders, Australians or

ericans do, at least four additional planets are required (Environmental
reers Organisation (2004).
Unsustainable, Anti-sustainable Issues
 Social (adulteration, morality, sociality, safety and
security, education, health, happiness and
contentment)
 Environmental (pollution, destruction, water crisis,
desertification, climate chaos)
 Economic (unsustainable infrastructural
development including dams and unplanned roads,
accelerated economic growth, unplanned HRD,
foreign dependency, the Green Revolution, non-
applied education, unethical marketing)
Fundamental Moral requirement for SD

 Patriotism – a single value that can drive

people to practice sustainable development
with modest lifestyle, appropriate technology,
healthy dietary culture, and spirituality for eco-living
 What are the SDGs
- The SDGs are the components of Sustainable
Development (SD) as branded by the UN
 Sustainable development is human’s inherent culture
of on-going development process that
“meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs” (UN, 1987)

 The global goals of sustainable development are to

establish sustainability in terms of ‘Quality of life’ i.e.
‘Healthy Lives and Well-being’. For Bangladesh, ‘Self-
reliance’ in terms of ‘contentment and happiness’
Briefly, how the SDGs differ from the MDGs
 The SDGs are more applied
 Address additional challenges such as climate
change, growing inequality, and sustainable use of
the oceans
 The SDGs are remarkable:
- as a global consensus-building process
- as one of the most participatory processes in
human history
- as an integrated, future-oriented roadmap
leading to a better world
 A set of 17 universal goals for global dignity,
prosperity, cooperation, and justice covering the
period 2016-30.
Why Achieving Sustainable Development Goals?
 To culturize human survival with basic needs

 To co-exist with nature

 To keep provisions for sustainability of future

generation

 এ পথৃ িবী যেমন থিল যেমনই ঠিক রবব

সুন্দর এ পথৃ িবী যিবে সবার চবল যেবে হবব।
 এ পথৃ িবী যেমন থিল যেমনই ঠিক রবব
সুন্দর এ পথৃ িবী যিবে সবার চবল যেবে হবব।
(বাউল থবজয় সরকার)
17 SDGs
 Social Goals
 1-6
◦ Poverty
◦ Hunger and food security
◦ Health
◦ Education
◦ Gender equality and women’s empowerment
◦ Water and Sanitation
 Economic Goals
 7-12
◦ Energy
◦ Economic Growth
◦ Infrastructure, industrialization
◦ Inequality
◦ Cities
◦ Sustainable consumption and production
 Ecological Goals
 13-15
◦ Climate Change
◦ Oceans
◦ Biodiversity, forests, desertification
Goal of the Goals
◦ Goal 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
International Partnership
◦ Goal 17 Partnerships
 Pathway to achieving the SDGs
 Bottom up approach – the fundamental key

 The SDGs can be achieved engaging the concept

“Putting Citizens First” thru the formation of Ward
SD group

 Topography specific demo model projects can facilitate

higher education and research (at Curtin University) on
the SDGs

 Safeguarding sustainable means of living of the present

and future generations in view of cultural heritage, and
socio-economic and environmental realities
 Livability: Linking Other Goals to Goal 11
 1-6 Linking Social Development Goals
◦ Poverty
◦ Hunger and food security
◦ Health
◦ Education
◦ Gender equality and women’s empowerment
◦ Water and Sanitation
 Economic links to Livability
 7-12 Linking Economic Development Goals
◦ Energy
◦ Economic Growth
◦ Infrastructure, industrialization
◦ Inequality
◦ Cities
◦ Sustainable consumption and production
 Ecological and other links to Livability
 13-15 Linking Ecological Development Goals
◦ Climate Change
◦ Oceans
◦ Biodiversity, forests, desertification
Goal of the Goals
◦ Goal 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
International Partnership
◦ Goal 17 Partnerships
 Goal 11 is central to ‘Livability’
 Livability means:
 Expectations for better quality of life in terms of higher wages, better
sanitary and utility services, affluence of consumer goods and
services, and increased educational and cultural opportunities
(Moavenzadeh et al., 2002).

 Whatever be the reasons, it is obvious that cities, in general, are

losing the basic livability criteria in terms of availability of healthy
food, livable housing, clean water, fresh air, waste management
facilities, education and health services, transport facilities, social
harmony, and spiritual underpinning for peace and happiness.

 Quality of life covers both the material satisfaction of vital needs as

well as aspects of life such as family, work, social life, personal
development, self-realization and a balanced eco-system. In other
word, it is the harmonious satisfaction of one’s desires and goals
(Diener and Rahtz, 2000).
Sustainable Development (SD) and Liveability
 Liveability is a subset of SD related to humans in
the community and their wellbeing

 Improving the quality of human life while living

within the SD framework

 Thus, SD and liveability are interwoven together

and cannot exist in isolation
Featuring a Model Demo Project (MDP)
 What? It shows how to achieve SDGs
 Why? For observation, training, research and
replication
 Where? In different topographies and districts
 How to implement? Through high level research for
higher degrees on local and global knowledge and
practices, training, and comprehensive guidelines from
the elders as well as from the research outcomes
 Who can implement? The Ward SD Groups in
cooperation with the assigned researchers and relevant
Govt. officials
Global Significance of the Replicable MDP
 Curtin University can establish knowledge platform of good
practices and inform international stakeholders to visit
Bangladesh for practical experience in achieving SDGs

 Bangladesh can be the regional hub for SDGs pilot projects

for development researchers and tourists

 A Central Data-base and Research Cell on the SDGs can be

created in conjunction with CUSP (in light of the MoU)

- Periodical reports on the performance of the projects are

published in the appropriate print or electronic media, and

- International Conferences and Symposiums are organized in

different topographical headquarters
 Concluding Remarks
 In order to transform the increasing unsustainability
and anti-sustainability into long-term pro-sustainability,
we must take U-turn with respect to our development
mindset, policy and practices

 This transformation must resemble the adaptation of

the people with diabetes and high blood pressure who
take U-turn overnight with respect to their lifestyle,
spirituality and food habits in order to live longer

 A nationwide drive by our leadership to transform our

society thru U-turn is unavoidable for practicing simple
living, patriotic mindset, sustainability values and healthy
consumption habits
 Concluding Remarks
 The current development appears infected with anti-
sustainability impacts
 Widening gaps between the rich and the poor
 Anti-sustainable production both in agricultural and
industrial sectors has caused severe injury to soil, water,
biodiversity and environment
 Many consumer goods including food and drink,
consumption habits, anti-social practices, modernity, alien
entertainment, education and lifestyle etc. have
synergistically resulted in increasing sickness to most
peoples’ physical, mental, moral and spiritual health
Concluding remarks
 Restoration of our lost sustainable development
icons in terms of social and ecological heritage thru
Demo Model Projects is the most simple and
sustainable way forward towards achieving the
SDG 11

Thanking you
Email: A.Hossain@curtin.edu.au
Cell: 01727 796 557
 Demo Model Projects
 Urbanization with rural face
 Regional Development with urban face
 2 Sites (near Dhaka city, Pabna
 2 Committees
 Coordinator or Chair of each committee
 Ecological Rural Heritage
 “Nadi vora jol Water in river,
 math vora fasal field full of crops,
 pukur vora maas pond full of fish,
 gohal vora garu cow in the cowshed,
 bari vora gaas homestead
with trees,
 pakhir kolotan melodious
tune of the birds,
 shisur koahol uproar of
children,
 bauler o majheer gaan songs of Bauls and
boatmen,
 Rathe banya jantu O vuther voy.” fear of wild
animals and
ghosts at night
Urban Heritage
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