Towards Caring Societies – A Call to Action

The world is not on course to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Of 36 targets reviewed in the 2023 UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), “only 2 are on track to be achieved, while progress on eight is deteriorating”. Since the setting of the goals in 2015 by the international community, “implementation was too slow, and even regressing in some areas like climate action, biodiversity loss and inequality before the pandemic and has now suffered significant setbacks including in poverty eradication, gender equality, education and eliminating hunger”.

Solving the current polycrisis requires building a more caring society in which care for human and non-human life is celebrated as the basis of well-being, care shared fairly, valued, and given status and care activities are supported with time and resources.

Moving to such a society requires a paradigm shift away from economic growth, profit seeking and capital accumulation as well as purposed-led innovation towards material sufficiency, repairability and share-ability.

A caring society, based on an economy which provides for human basic needs and promotes well-being for all, also means ensuring fair access to natural resources regardless of gender, race, class or wealth, while respecting planetary boundaries and allowing nature to regenerate and thrive.

Moving to caring societies does not require ascetism: it is about building a more fulfilling society which can sustainably satisfy essential needs for all, such as nutrition, housing, mobility and leisure, as well as cater for more immaterial, but equally vital, needs such as social relations, for family time or access to nature.

We are calling for decision-makers and other duty-bearers (such as companies or employers) to change policy and practice frameworks at the local, national and global level.