Do the SDGs challenge our current thinking about economics?

Achim Steiner is currently the Executive Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Before that, he was Director of the Oxford Martin school, a research organisation based at Oxford University that brings different disciplines together to improve the standard of living of future generations. Before that, he was Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) between 2006 and 2016. He played a key role in moving climate change up the international agenda, and was also one of the architects of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this video, Achim talks about the Sustainable Development Goals, and what they mean for us at this moment in time. He talks about the SDGs as the second half of a globalisation vision that was primarily based on economics.

What do you think he means by this? With the election of Donald Trump cited as a key example of the backlash against globalisation in recent years, why is the second half of a globalisation vision necessary?

He also mentions how the SDGs are a vision for development that are not based on nations competing with each other. Do you think that with the right approach, we could create a world where everyone flourishes?