welcome
MUN Impact Chennai is part of the larger MUN Impact organization spearheaded by the United Nations. As a club, we focus on each Sustainable Development Goal individually and take passionate initiatives to locally implement measures to progress in each goal. Our drive and passion raises awareness of some of the world’s most pressing issues, and with support from the official MUN Impact program, we have been able to extend the reach of our initiative far and wide
SDG1: No poverty
Images from United Nations India
-
Globally, there are 122 women aged 25 to 34 living in extreme poverty for every 100 men of the same age group
-
In 2016, almost 10 percent of the world’s workers live with their families on less than US $1.90 per person per day
-
783 million people live below the international poverty line of US $1.90 a day
-
Most people living below the poverty line belong to two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
-
One in four children under age five in the world has inadequate height for his or her age
-
As of 2016, only 45% of the world’s population was effectively covered by at least one social protection cash benefit
-
1 in 5 people live under poverty in Tamil Nadu
SDG2: zero hunger
-
Hunger is the first on the list of the world’s top 10 health risks, killing more people than do fatal diseases such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, each year.
-
Nearly 690 million people, which is approximately 8.9 percent of the world population suffer from hunger.
-
135 million suffer from acute hunger largely due to man-made conflicts, climate change, and economic downturns.
-
India accounts for the highest number of undernourished people in any single country: 194.6 million. In other words, one in every four undernourished people in the world is an Indian.
-
It is a complex issue that can be resolved through combatting other related environmental issues as our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests, and biodiversity are largely damaged.
SDG3: Good health and well-being
-
Approximately 6.2 million children under the age of 15 years died in 2018 from preventable diseases.
-
Over 40 percent of all countries lack medical doctors with 10 per 10,000 people.
-
94 percent of maternal deaths occur in Less Economically Developed Countries.
-
It is necessary to address this issue as good health and well-being not only benefits individual, but also it reduces burden for the family, public resources, and the society as a whole. In addition, it is the foundation for survival and provides opportunities for everyone, which enables them to strengthen economic growth and prosperity.
sdg4: quality education
Images from United Nations India
-
In Chennai, especially in government schools, there is shortage of teachers
-
Lack of teachers is the biggest reason for declining enrollment rate in higher classes in Chennai.
-
According to the Pearson Voice of Teacher survey, Tamil Nadu is lowest in terms of students' interest towards what they are learning in school
-
Teachers do not know how to use technology for teaching or the school cannot offer technology for educational purposes
-
Lack of parental support in child education
-
According to UNESCO and The Global monitoring report, "absenteeism of teachers varied from 15% in Maharashtra and 17% in Gujarat - two comparatively richer states - to 38 % in Bihar and 42% in Jharkhand, top of the poorest states”
sdg5:gender equality
-
Gender equality is the fundamental human right and the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.
-
Approximately 1 in every 3 women have experienced physical and sexual abuse.
-
Nearly 750 million women and girls are the victims of early marriage - before their 18th birthday.
-
Women in India are particularly susceptible to this issue despite India makes efforts to confront the
challenge of violence against women by identifying this issue as a key national priority. The prime minister’s initiative is targeted towards providing an equal opportunity and education for girls in India.
SDG6: Clean Water And Sanitation
Image from United Nations India
-
There are still significant inequalities in access to quality water and affordable health services
-
In India, 5% of diseases are caused by polluted water
-
Tap water in most cities contains disease-causing germs, toxic sediments, and feces
-
Potential waterborne diseases include diarrhea, urinary tract infection, cholecystitis, bacteremia, and cholangitis
-
-
Insufficient disease control in Chennai is mainly due to broken pipes, leaking sewer lines, and inadequate maintenance
-
Chennai’s department of disease control is planning to monitor the quality of drinking water
-
sdg7:affordable and clean energy
-
In rural areas of developing countries, 1 in 7 people do not have access to electricity.
-
Despite its benefits, energy is the major contributor to climate change, producing approximately 60 percent of greenhouse gases.
-
More than 40 percent of the world’s population is overly reliant on unhealthy fuels for cooking.
-
​India is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and of the rise in global energy demand, despite the fact that 207 million people in India still lack access to electricity.
sdg8:Decent work and economic growth
-
It is estimated that 172 million people were unemployed in 2018, worldwide.
-
While 75 percent of the labor force were men, only 48 percent were women in 2018.
-
2 billion workers were in informal employment, referring to “the non-agricultural population engaging in self-employment or waged employment who are inadequately covered by employment protection and social security” by the ILO’s definition.
-
It is crucial to motivate the population to be productive as it is difficult to promote gainful employment in the agricultural sector where almost half the labor force of India is committed to, with low productivity.
-
In addition, increasing the participation of women into the labor force is considered a powerful solution to empower women and to steer economic growth.
sdg9: industry, innovation and infrastructure
-
2.3 billion people of the world population lack access to basic sanitation.
-
2.6 billion people in LEDCs lack access to constant electricity.
-
While more than 4 billion people do not have access to the Internet, 90 percent of them are in developing countries.
-
The importance of a strong physical network of industry and communication has long been recognized that it is the basics of enhanced productivity, incomes, and improved health, wellbeing, and education. Today, the advancement of technologies similarly enhances the wellbeing of countries with efficient distribution of energy and resources.
SDG10: reduced inequalities
-
Women spend twice as much time on unpaid housework as men on average.
-
Economic inequality began to intensify around 1980 when large numbers of public wealth transferred to private wealth in mostly all countries.
-
In 2016, the bottom 50 percent earned 10 percent of the global income, while the top 1 percent received 22 percent.
-
It is necessary to eradicate inequality because it prevents people from having an opportunity to improve their standard of living.
SDG11: sustainable cities and communities
-
55 percent of the world population - that is, 4.2 billion people - lived in cities in 2018, while the number is expected to continuously rise.
-
Cities occupy 3 percent of the Earth’s land; however, they consume 60 to 80 percent of the energy and emit 70 percent of carbon.
-
The economic role of cities is significant as 80 percent of the global GDP is produced.
-
It is expected that 90 percent of the urban expansion will be in the developing areas in the future.
-
While India is urbanizing rapidly, 68 percent of the population live in rural areas and 17 percent of the urban population live in slums. Recognizing such problems, the Indian government aims to achieve housing for all by 2022 with projects named ‘Smart Cities Mission’, ‘Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission’, and ‘Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)’.
-
1/3 of all food produced (1.3 tonnes / $1 trillion) go to waste annually
-
According to the UN, 15% of India’s waste is processed
-
6.9% of global CO2 emissions originate from India
-
Only 15% of urban India's waste is processed
-
Of the total installed power generation capacity, 58% is fuelled by coal
-
Chennai is the city that emits the most CO2 in India annually
-
Causes include:
-
Poor public transport
-
Heavy demand for thermal power
-
Poor waste managemen
-
Poor architectural efficiency
-
-
Areas to target:
-
Food wastage
-
Energy efficiency
-
Water consumption/supply rate
-
Efficiency of the local architecture
-
-
SDG13: climate action
-
Since 1880, sea levels have risen by about 20 cm and is expected to rise 30 - 122 cm more by 2100.
-
The energy sector will create around 18 million more jobs by 2030, specifically on sustainable energy.
-
Greenhouse gas emissions are at their highest levels in history and are still continuing to rise, mainly driven by human activities.
-
India is largely responsible for 6.9 percent of global carbon emissions and is the third-highest emitter of carbon dioxide. Hence, the Indian government promised to reduce its emissions by 20 - 25 percent by 2020 by adopting a National Action Plan on Climate Change.
-
Climate change and related issues exacerbate disasters, which affect the poorest and most vulnerable people the most, and the wellbeing of future generations.
SDG 14 - life below water
-
We have identified approximately 200,000 species that the ocean contains; however, it is only about one-third of the total, and the actual numbers are estimated to lie in the millions.
-
Nearly 40 percent of the ocean is heavily affected by pollution, depleted fisheries, loss of coastal habitats, and other human activities.
-
More than 3 billion people are dependent on marine and coastal biodiversity for a living.
-
Not only that sea and ocean are important for their economic role, but also the rainwater, weather, drinking water, food, and even the oxygen in the air are ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. In addition, throughout history, the ocean and sea became necessary for trade and transportation. Hence, careful control of the condition of this essential global resource is necessary and is a key to sustainability.