This is it for now! We want to thank all readers for being so engaged with our blog posts and for commenting so enthusiastically on our SDGS – ON TRACK OR SIDE-TRACKED? blog entries.
When we first started our blog with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ICT4D, Aid work, and communication development, we didn’t know how far the journey would take us. We created our blog as a platform to share our ideas, thoughts, knowledge and experiences and attempted to curate a space where we could connect with like-minded people to understand if the SDG’s are on track or side-tracked. As there are many SDGs and a lot of topics to cover we decided to narrow it down and focus on SDGs of our interest. These included SDGs 4,5, 9, 12, and 16.
Our blogging journey: education in Afghanistan and activism in Italy
The journey has taken us to the Internet Governance forum in Kyoto, to schools in Afghanistan, International Day of the Girl Child and to the “Wall of dolls” in Italy. We have explored how NGOs campaign for gender equality and how multinational companies campaign for sustainability. While the blog covers a wide range of different areas, they all connect to the theme of ICT, communications and its implications for development.
To grasp the attention of individuals who work in the world of international development and our students we amplified our posts using the social media channels Twitter and Instagram. We also attempted to stay engaged with the latest news in the field and create relevant blog posts by actively taking part in relevant events and discussions, and by portraying ourselves as informed voices in the field.
A rescue plan for the planet
We started this blog during the SDG Summit, where world leaders came together to take stock of achievements so far, and accelerate actions to reach the goals by 2030. During the summit, they adopted a political declaration, a “to-do-list” that UN Secretary General Antoino Gueterres, famous for giving powerful speeches, called a “rescue plan” for the planet.
We have yet to see if this to-do-list is enough to reach the SDGs by 2030, and what role ICT4D will play. For our part, we will follow this with great curiosity, and we hope that our blog has spurred some of the same curiosity among our readers.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog posts as much as we have enjoyed writing them. Please add any additional reflections and thoughts – we have very much enjoyed reading your comments.
This is a group post by IB, RLC, CPH, WW and AC