SDG Target #5.c

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.c:

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

Target 5.c has one indicator:

  • Indicator 5.c.1: Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment 

Are governments of countries putting their money where their mouth is by putting gender equality and women’s empowerment in law? Are they allocating public finances to put such laws into effect? Are the finance ministries of governments held accountable by the populace to instil equality? Is there an office or ministry, given a budget to spend on such policies in favour of women? If it isn't budgeted for, can a government claim women’s development to be a priority?

As of 2021, the global proportion of countries with systems to track public expenditure on gender equality stands at 26%.

SDG Target #5.b

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.b:

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

Target 5.b has one indicator:

  • Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex 

The definition for the purposes of measurement is access via a public switched telephone network.

As of 2022, 68% of women own a mobile phone in contrast to 77% of men. Among countries with data, all women in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE have mobiles, and only 11% of women in Burundi have access.

SDG Target #5.a

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.a:

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

Target 5.a has two indicators:

  • Indicator 5.a.1: (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

  • Indicator 5.a.2: Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

Indicator 5.a.1 stipulates to disaggregate the data for the indicator by type of tenure. These types include public, private, communal, indigenous, customary, and informal.

Among the countries with data as of 2022, most are developing countries. Cambodia leads with 88% of women having secure agricultural land rights and 54% of the share of agricultural landowners. Malawi has the largest share with 56%, with Pakistan the least among those with data at 6%.

Indicator 5.a.2 measures gender equality of land ownership rights enshrined in law. Among those countries with data, Ethiopia and Lithuania have the highest guarantees. The lowest guarantees in the legal frameworks for equal land ownership are in Lebanon and Mauritania.

SDG Target #5.6

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.6:

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences 

Target 5.6 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women aged 15–49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

  • Indicator 5.6.2: Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education 

This target introduces us to the topics of population as it relates to women. This issue, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, is overseen at the UN level by the UNFPA (UN Population Fund). From this arises the question for women worldwide on who’s making the decision about their own healthcare. Do women have the choice to use contraceptives, and can they refuse sex with a partner if they don’t want to? The fertility rates are highest in these countries, yet so are the child mortality rates. Some families choose to have more children to compensate. Many women in such regions have choice deprived of them around their reproductive decisions. But development allows women to delay childbirth and reduces the child mortality and fertility rates. It's also easier to meet the existing population’s basic needs when there’s less mouths to share it with.

Target #5.6 mentions to International Conference on Population and Development. This 1994 UNFPA conference addressed the pressures of population, fertility, and development. The ICPD also highlighted the issue of women’s rights to their own decision-making on matters relating to sex and reproduction. 

This extends to the laws in effect in respective countries upholding such rights. These include matters of:

  • Maternity care

  • Contraception and family planning, including the topic of the morning after pill

  • Sex education, including the teaching of consent

  • HIV and HPV

  • Abortion

  • Consideration of the age children and adolescents can consent to their own medical treatment

  • Child sexual exploitation

This target also mentions the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, mentioned already in this series in Target 5.1.

56% of women worldwide make their own informed decisions about sexual relations and contraceptive use. The lowest rates are in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 37% of women face such choices.

76% of countries have laws as of 2022 ensuring the right to access sexual and reproductive health care for both sexes.

SDG Target #5.5

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.5:

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

Target 5.5 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments 

  • Indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions 

Indicator 5.5.1 introduces us to the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The IPU is independent of the UN, but the two work together. Indicator 5.5.1 is split into two levels of governance: national parliaments and local governments. For the countries with data, UN Women reports 3 million elected to local government. 

As of 2023, the global share of women in parliamentary seats is 26%, with the most in Rwanda, with 61%. For the same in local government, the global figure is 35%, the largest share being in Antigua and Barbuda.

Let's turn from positions of leadership in government to the world of work and the labour force for the second indicator for Target 5.5. We now measure what share of women have a managerial occupation. Of the countries with data, Jordan has the largest share of women in senior and middle management positions with 57%. The worldwide share of organisations with the top manager being female is 18%, with the greatest share of countries with data in Thailand (64%).

SDG Target #5.4

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.4:

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate 

Target 5.4 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 5.4.1: Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

Unemployed individuals, or those performing unpaid work, are seldom recognised for their contribution. They’re underutilised in the use of their time from an economic and social perspective. This has relevance when considering gender across the globe.

Many countries don’t have data for this indicator. Of the countries with data, the biggest disparity between the sexes in time spent on unpaid work is Mexico. In 2022, Mexican men spent 11% of their time each day on unpaid work, and women 27%. Indicator 5.4.1 asks of us to disaggregate the data by location. To separate Mexico’s 2019 data, 30% of the time of rural women was unpaid work compared to 26% for urban women. Rural men spent 10% of their time on unpaid work, and 11% for urban men in Mexico.

SDG Target #5.3

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.3:

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation 

Target 5.3 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20–24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

  • Indicator 5.3.2: Proportion of girls and women aged 15–49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation, by age

The worldwide proportion of women married before age 15 was 4% as of 2022. We don’t have worldwide data for women married under age 18. But among countries with data, the highest rates were in Niger, where 76% of women married before 18.

Unpleasant as it may to be to discuss, imagine how much worse it could be to experience female genital mutilation. 230 million females experience this practice, often when girls are not yet adults.

UN agencies have collaborated to present the statement entitled Eliminating female genital mutilation. The statement approaches the topic from many perspectives:

  • health

  • human rights

  • development

  • social and cultural practices

  • children’s rights

  • women’s rights

  • reproductive rights.

The countries with rates of female genital mutilation greater than 80% of the female population as of 2020 include:

  • Mali

  • Guinea

  • Sierra Leone

  • Egypt

  • Sudan

  • Eritrea

  • Somalia (99% rate)

SDG Target #5.2

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.2:

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

Target 5.2 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

  • Indicator 5.2.2: Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

This target focuses on violence against women and intimate partner violence. These are not only crimes in many countries, but violations of human rights agreed upon at the international level in the form of treaties. Looked at from a public health perspective, the threat it poses to the health of a population is of pandemic proportions. Let’s look at some of the forms countries enshrine and affirm this right. 

The most relevant to this topic is the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993. This violence can be physical, sexual, or psychological, whether or not committed by an intimate partner.

The same principles are also reflected in the following human rights agreements:

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration is international law for those who signed and ratified via two treaties adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966:

    • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. All but 20 countries are states parties. Those who’ve not acted include South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Bhutan, Malaysia, Myanmar, with China signing but not ratifying.

    • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In this instance the US is the main holdout from becoming a state party, having signed but not ratified. Saudi Arabia, the same Gulf states, Malaysia, and Myanmar again haven’t signed. Botswana, Mozambique and about 20 other smaller countries also haven't signed or ratified.

  • In the previous target, we already looked at the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

  • Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The General Assembly adopted this treaty in 1984. The largest country which isn't a state party is India, which has signed but not ratified. Other non-signatories are Bangladesh, Eswatini, Iran, Myanmar, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea and other smaller countries.

The advancement of women has been a focus of the UN since the UN Decade for Women from 1975-85. For 68 annual sessions, as of 2024, the UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women has met to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality.

How prevalent is the crime of violence against women worldwide, across regions and countries? How do we know? Much violence against women occurs out of sight, behind closed doors. For this information, we can look to three main international sources. Several UN agencies work together to collate this data for measurement. 10% of women over 15-years-old worldwide experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the past 12 months. The highest proportions were in Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan, both reporting above 30%.

SDG Target #5.1

SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”

Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.1:

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Target 5.1 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 5.1.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex 

This target will introduce us to UN Women, the UN body charged with the task of achieving gender equality, one of the pillars of development. Many developing countries need help to meet this target's aim. The high-income countries of the OECD can help developing countries to promote such standards. This is because of the intrinsic tie between gender inequality and sustainable development.

What do countries need to put such legal frameworks into effect? Countries need to promote the adoption of laws affecting the life of women, then enforce and track them. Such laws need to cover the topics of violence against women. They also need to address employment, to ensure women enjoy economic benefits, and also marriage and family. 

What is the primary guiding principle in considering legal frameworks to end discrimination? Let's look to Article 1 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It defines discrimination against women as:  

“...distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”

The States Parties to the CEDAW are all countries except the US, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Palau (which is in free association with the US) and Tonga.

Another landmark guidance for intergovernmental progress in advancing gender equality occurred in Beijing. It's known as Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 and affirmed five years later in Beijing in 2000.

Worldwide, as of 2022, 70% of countries have a legal framework addressing gender equality. 78% of countries have legal frameworks addressing violence against women as of 2022. 76% have legal frameworks addressing gender equality as it relates to employment and economic benefits. 79% of countries have legal frameworks addressing gender in relation to marriage and family. 

SDG Target #4.c

SDG #5 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.c:

By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Target 4.c has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.c.1: Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level

As of 2019, the proportion of pre-primary teachers with the minimum required qualifications in the least developed countries (LDCs) was 63% and 72% in the small island developing countries (SIDS). For primary school teachers, the 2020 proportion was 79% for SIDS and 72% for LDCs and 86% worldwide. For each, the increase since 2015 was a couple percentage points. For lower secondary school in 2020, worldwide 83% of teachers had the minimum qualifications, 63% for LDCs and 75% for SIDS. For upper secondary in 2020, 89% of teachers in the SIDS had minimum qualifications, 85% worldwide, and 58% in LDCs.

SDG Target #4.b

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.b:

By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

Target 4.b has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.b.1: Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study

This indicator reintroduces us to the concept of official development assistance (ODA). Otherwise known as foreign aid, the high-income OECD countries bear the responsibility to donate ODA. These donor countries form the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to offer aid flows to the list of ODA recipients. This target focuses on ODA for scholarships to finance the development of education systems.

To track the progress for this target and indicator, let’s look at the development flows to the respective regions mentioned in the body of target 4.b. For African countries, as of 2021, ODA intended for scholarships was $US297 million, an increase from $US225 million from 2015. For developing countries, aid for scholarships in 2021 was $1.35 billion, down from $1.49 billion in 2015. For the least developed countries, 2021 scholarship aid was $221 million, down from $225 million in 2015. For the Small Islands Developing States, scholarship aid was $43 million in 2021, down from $104 million in 2015.

SDG Target #4.a

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.a:

Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

Target 4.a has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.a.1: Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service

Key to achieving this in the modern-day is access to information and communication technologies. ICTs allow even the remotest schools and children to access education systems. It even allows the possibility to access some of the best education institutions in the world. Schools need electricity to power the information and communication technologies. They also need an internet connection and computers for teaching and learning. Still, solutions to achieve this are available at low-cost.

The infrastructure of the learning environment also needs to adapt to be suitable for those with a disability. The learning materials need to factor in disabled students also.

School facilities also need basic facilities for drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing. 

Let's look at the worldwide progress toward this target and indicator. The proportion of schools offering the basic service of access to electricity as of 2020 was 90% in upper secondary, and 75% in primary. 80% of secondary schools offered access to handwashing facilities, and 76% of primary schools. 84% of secondary schools offered access to drinking water, and 75% of primary schools. 76% of upper secondary schools offered access to computers, and 46% of primary schools. The proportion of primary schools offering internet access for the purposes of teaching worldwide in 2022 was 39%. 89% of secondary schools offered single-sex toilets worldwide in 2020, and 76% of primary schools. 56% of secondary schools offered learning materials and infrastructure adapted to disabled students. This proportion was 47% for primary schools. 

SDG Target #4.7

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.7:

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

Target 4.7 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment 

For us to have peace and sustainable development, we first need to educate ourselves on what sustainable development is. How we achieve it is the foundation for peace. The issues the SDGs place before are urgent. But we can take actions to foster sustainable development to keep at bay the most sudden and striking outcomes on our planet. Our world is interdependent, and whether we choose to be or not, we’re global citizens. 

But what does it mean to be a good global citizen? Like anything in life, to light the way, we need an education in global citizenship. In this way, we can go on to contribute, whatever our age, and this opportunity ought to inspire us all. Education to foster understanding across countries, as well as being a human right, opens a world of freedom for the learner.

The responsibility to put in place this right of citizens in each country lies with the relevant ministries of education. But we have an opportunity at the international level for member states to cooperate via UNESCO’s efforts. 

UNESCO has issued a recommendation document outlining how governments should foster such education. Recommendations are part of the legal jargon of UNESCO to set standards for member states to put into practice or law.

The results for this indicator are encouraging among the countries with data. We're measuring the extent of mainstreaming global citizenship and sustainable development education. The unit of measure is an index, where 0 is the worst and 1 the best. Most reporting countries record indexes greater than 0.8 for mainstreaming in national education. The results are similar for mainstreaming in curricula, teacher education and student assessment.

SDG Target #4.6

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.6:

By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy 

Target 4.6 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.6.1: Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex

This indicator introduces us to the concept of fixed level of proficiency. This is a standard of knowledge in a field of learning - in this instance, literacy and numeracy.

To survey the skills of adults, the OECD runs the PIAAC. This stands for Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. This program can assess adults in literacy and numeracy.

What are the worldwide literacy rates of people between 15-24 years old? As of 2020, disaggregated by sex as defined by the indicator, it's 93% for men and 90% for women, with only a fractional increase since 2015. 

The worldwide literacy rate for males over 15 was 90% in 2020, and 83% for females. But as of 2017, UNESCO has insufficient data across the countries to form a global numeracy rate disaggregated by sex.

SDG Target #4.5

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.5:

By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

Target 4.5 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated

Whilst for this indicator, there isn’t one global parity index for gender equality, disability, and indigenous people. We do have some data for individual countries.

Those with a 2021 gender parity for primary completion lower than 0.8, meaning less 8 girls for every 10 boys, were Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan. The latter two had parities closer to 7 girls for every boy.

What about secondary completion? A half-dozen other countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 2021 data had parity rates across the sexes below 7 girls for every 10 boys. The lowest secondary completion gender parities were in Chad and Somalia, where 0.35 girls completed secondary per boy.




SDG Target #4.4

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.4:

By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

Target 4.4 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill 

The mention of ICT’s introduces us to the UN agency specialising in this field, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

To measure these skills at the international level, in 2020, the ITU has issued a manual to measure access of individuals and households. This gives us 50 indicators for a variety of ICT skills, grouped into several categories. 

An example is being able to receive and send SMS. Another is using VoIP technologies to make voice calls and send messages over broadband internet.

It’s imperative across countries for individuals and households to have access to and use ICT’s. The world must progress toward greater connection. This is a reflection of the value of digital knowledge and the information societies we’ve become. In this way, telecommunication is key to development. The importance of ICT extends beyond the individual and household to education. It also offers opportunities for governments and enterprises, and the infrastructure for this needs to be there to begin with. 

SDG Target #4.3

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.3:

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

Target 4.3 has one indicator:

  • Indicator 4.3.1: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex

The more training and education undertaken by a population, the greater the participation in the labour force, and for individuals to find employment and avoid unemployment and underemployment in working the number of hours one wishes to.

Worldwide, the enrolment rate for tertiary education as of 2022 was 41%, up from 36% in 2015, at the adoption of the SDGs.

SDG Target #4.2

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.2:

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

Target 4.2 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 4.2.1: Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex

  • Indicator 4.2.2: Participation rate in organised learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex

The UN agency responsible for monitoring the first indicator for this target is UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), focused upon children. The indicator is served by UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Index 2030, a tool to measure this indicator’s progress. The science underlying early childhood development has revealed it as a crucial intervention in the effective nurturing and care in a child’s overall development, and the SDGs present an opportunity to expand and implement such findings to the greatest possible scale.

Worldwide, as of 2022, only 69% of children aged 3 to 5 are on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being. 

The second indicator for this target looks at pre-school, defined according to UNESCO’s International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). The ISCED exists to provide uniformity across the different education structures and curricula across countries.

As of 2020, 74% of children at the age of one year before primary entry were enrolled in organised learning, about the same as 2015, at the adoption of the Global Goals. Disaggregated by sex, per the definition of the indicator, the enrolment of both sexes was at parity as of 2022.

SDG Target #4.1

SDG #4 is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Within SDG #4 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 4.1:

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to a relevant and effective learning outcome.

Target 4.1 has two indicators:

  • Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grade 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) Mathematics, by sex

  • Indicator 4.1.2: Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)

Indicator 4.1.1 looks at minimum proficiency levels. This is the benchmark of basic knowledge, as measured by assessments, in this instance, for reading and mathematics. This indicator looks at reading and maths skills at three points: grade 2 and 3, end of primary schooling, and end of lower secondary. Performance level descriptors describe the knowledge and skills demonstrated by students at each. Performance level descriptors help us to assess students across countries.

Let's look at the respective descriptors for each grade.

Reading, grade 2: Being able to read and comprehend familiar written words and extract explicit information from sentences.

Reading, grade 3: Read written words aloud, understanding the meaning of sentences and short texts and identifying the topic.

Maths, grades 2/3: To make sense of, calculate numbers, and recognise shapes.

Reading, end of primary: Interpreting and giving explanations about the main and secondary ideas in different texts and establishing connections between main ideas and their own experiences.

Maths, end of primary: Basic measurement and reading and creating graphs.

Reading, end of lower secondary schooling: Establishing connections of the author’s intentions and reflecting and drawing conclusions based on the text.

Maths, end of lower secondary school: Solving maths problems, using tables and graphs, as well as algebra.

The data for assessing trends in students draws from a half-dozen surveys, some run by UNICEF and UNESCO. UNESCO the UN’s agency focused on education. The purpose of these assessments is to survey the effectiveness of learning outcomes. In some countries, it’s possible for a student to pass through grades without meeting the minimum proficiency levels.

International large-scale assessments test educational outcomes. An example is PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) for reading literacy in grade 4 students.

There are also several large-scale learning assessments at the national and regional level. UNESCO’s office in Santiago houses the bureau focused on education in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This includes the LLECE, the Spanish acronym for the Latin American Laboratory for Evaluation of the Quality of Education. The LLECE runs the ERCE, the Spanish acronym for the Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study, a major large-scale learning assessment for the region.

Other examples of large-scale learning assessments at the regional level include: 

The benefit of these surveys is they serve as tools to provide the evidence which then goes toward making decisions to improve education. This then serves those children not attaining the expected learning outcomes for their grade level.

As of 2019, the proportion of students worldwide at the end of primary education meeting minimum proficiency levels in reading was 58%. This was down 1% since the start of the SDG period in 2015. For maths at the same level, the worldwide share of minimum proficiency was 44%, and 50% for lower secondary in mathematics.

To coincide with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the UN released a report, titled Education 2030. The Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action accompanied the report. This declaration's name came from the South Korean city hosting UNESCO’s World Education Forum 2015 conference. Education 2030 is an effort of several UN agencies besides UNESCO, including the UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, the World Bank Group and ILO. The purposes of the report, as well as the Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, reinforces the purpose of SDG #2.

The aim is to end Learning Poverty, which the World Bank defines as 10-year-olds being unable to read and understand a simple story.

The second indicator for this target looks at school completion of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary.

The completion rate for primary education worldwide was 87% as if 2021, up only 2% since 2015. Lower secondary completion rates were 77% in 2020, again up only 2% since 2015. Global upper secondary completion was 58% as of 2021, up 5% since 2015.

SDG Target #3.d

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SDG #3 is to “To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”

Within SDG #3 are 13 targets, of which we here focus on Target 3.d:

Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

Target 3.d has two indicators:

  • Indicator 3.d.1: International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness

  • Indicator 3.d.2: Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial resistant organisms.

This target and indicators look at the security aspects of health, inclusive of emergency management, aiming to increase the ability of all World Health Organisation member states to prepare for public health emergencies, such as the world has experienced with COVID-19.

Much of how World Health Organisation states-parties are to behave in relation to one another to prevent global pandemics is guided by the WHO’s International Health Regulations, as mentioned in this target’s first indicator. The respective WHO states-parties are obliged to self-report each year on their adherence and capacities for the International Health Regulations.

The self-assessment tool has 15 indications for WHO members, ranging from legislation; financing; zoonotic diseases of human-animal crossover, which account for 75% of emerging pathogens; coordination between countries to notify the WHO of events which pose a global health risk; food safety, and preventing and controlling infections, among others. Further, each country is to post their self-assessment in fulfilling the International Health Regulations online via the public e-SPAR platform.

The second indicator of this target looks at bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms. These organisms include a variety of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus which is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin, a type of penicillin. Also, the bacterium E. coli. produces an enzyme which is resistant to a type of antibiotics called cephalosporins.

One of the methods clinical laboratories can use to test whether a microorganism may be susceptible to antibiotics is known as a broth microdilution. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites change in the ways by which drugs once used to treat against them either have less efficacy or no longer work. The greater difficulty caused by treating infections of such microorganisms in turn can be the cause of greater infectivity and spread of disease, as well as the possibility of such diseases being more fatal.

One of the initiatives the World Health Organization exercises against this threat is the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) to help countries surveil for such developments of drug resistance in known microorganisms.

For the second indicator of this target, the global share of Staphylococcus aureus infections resistant to methicillin stood at 31% as of 2021, up from 20% in 2016. E. coli infections resistant to cephalosporins stands at a global total of 39% in 2021, up from 35% in 2016, and experiencing an almost doubling in 2018, before coming back down.