It is not possible that we are going through experiences like the pandemic and, more recently, a war, without learning lessons. How long will we persist in not learning from our lived experiences?
War, regardless of electing heroes and villains, is insanity and evidences our inability to dialogue and build minimal consensus. minimums Rethinking negotiation processes and the role of leaders, who need to work to reduce the risks of conflicts, should be one of the biggest goals.
The pandemic is a tragedy and, according to the prestigious magazine The Lancet, it has killed 18 million people in the world, directly and indirectly, three times more than the official number. The world says it is prepared for wars, but it is unprepared to fight a virus. And not because of the incapacity of science, but because of the processes that govern our relations, guided by the privilege of the richest countries and by disputes over power and protagonism that prevent the structuring solution of problems.
Everything leads us to believe that we are more a case of group therapy than anything else. We are capable of acting, but we have great difficulty understanding the impacts of our actions. This behavior is leading us to crossroads that put us at risk.
Cities are important agents of transformation in the reality we live in.
To reduce the impact of crises – health, climate and social – cities must anticipate, investing now where they are most vulnerable. The 2030 Agenda is an opportunity for cities to advance. When it was launched in 2015, the advent of the pandemic or war was not imagined, but it remains a roadmap for improving the quality of life.
This past weekend, the City of São Paulo launched the Agenda 2030 Action Plan. It includes 665 actions related to the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The Plan promotes the integration between the 2030 Agenda at the municipal level, the Pluriannual Plan and the Goals Program.
As a result of the work of the Municipal SDGs Commission, it had the cooperation between public management and civil society. It foresees an investment of R$ 13 billion by the year 2024. One way for the Agenda to make sense for everyone is to ensure that these resources are directed to the most vulnerable districts of the city, reducing the enormous inequality that still exists in the richest city in the country.
There is still a challenge: a close look at SDG 17, which deals with partnerships. The same dialogue that is lacking to avoid wars is also absent in the fight against violence in cities. One way forward is to bring politics and society closer together, encouraging social participation in decision-making.
There are institutional spaces that should be valued, such as the Municipal Participatory Councils, existing in the 32 boroughs, and that can, if taken seriously, reduce in a structured way the distance that separates the city hall from society.
During the launch event of the Plan, Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) committed to promoting the election of Councils within ninety days, which will be very important for the city. The combination of the Action Plan and participatory mechanisms is powerful for advancing sustainable development agendas.
We live in the decade of action of the UN 2030 Agenda. There are ten years left to make goals such as the eradication of poverty, health and quality education for all, neutralization of emissions, reduction of inequalities and progress towards making cities sustainable, among others happen.
With the launch of the Action Plan, São Paulo shows that cities can take on agendas, independently of the federal government. Cities that advance in this direction will be expanding partnerships, participating in networks, gaining visibility and increasing the chances of obtaining investments, which today are conditioned to participation in global agendas.
São Paulo takes the lead in launching the Action Plan and can, in addition to being inspiring for other cities, become a global reference in the 2030 Agenda. It remains to be put into practice and direct investments to the most vulnerable districts, guaranteeing and strengthening the spaces of participation.
