Halfway There, Long Way to Go: The Role of People’s Agency in the Final Years of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

As we mark the anniversary of the publication of the 2030 Agenda mid-term report, the world’s nations stand at a crossroads. While off-track in achieving most Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), multiple crises have further exposed deep inequalities and vulnerabilities in the current dominant approach centred on economic growth and resource allocations. In this editorial paper, scholars of the human development and capabilities approach and editors of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, express our deep concern at the lack of progress towards the SDGs. We argue for prioritizing human development rather than economic growth and for putting human agency at the centre of development policy. This agency-centric approach includes the implementation of feedback systems for assessing human development progress through broader grassroots participation and relies critically on strengthening state capacities, safeguarding human rights, and promoting democracy.