A Visionary Leader's Reflections: Reimagining the SDGs Through a Majority World Lens

Puleng LenkaBula

doi:10.69841/igee.2025.003

Articles

Page Path: HOME > IGEE Proc > Forthcoming articles > Article

Letter A Visionary Leader's Reflections: Reimagining the SDGs Through a Majority World Lens: Puleng LenkaBula; DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2025.003
Published online: January 20, 2025

Principal and Vice Chancellor, University of South Africa (UNISA)

• Received: November 18, 2024 • Revised: December 12, 2024 • Accepted: January 6, 2025

Submitted for possible open-access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

38 Views
4 Download

Full Article

Download PDF

At the Sixth Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum (GEEF), held at Yonsei University in South Korea from March 14th to 15th, 2024, Professor Puleng LenkaBula delivered an impactful speech addressing the pressing need for transformation in our approach to the subject on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Themed “Reboot the SDGs, Reset Our Future,” this forum provided a crucial platform for discussing the challenges of implementing these global aspirations. The following is a summarized transcript of Professor LenkaBula's speech:

I am truly appreciative to be here in Seoul, South Korea at Yonsei University to reflect together with yourselves on the notion of transformation and the critical evaluation from the perspective of the Majority World. My reflections will be informed by my perspective as a feminist ethicist and academic leader in the higher education space, committed to ensuring that our world is transformed through education.

Universities, by nature, are social institutions that lay the foundations for knowledge production and analysis. Higher education and university systems must thus become crucial in rethinking and reformulating the futures of our societies. Hence a critical marker/feature of a university is to never accept the agenda as it is presented. The first question to be asked should be: Whose agenda is being set? What are the underlying value systems? What knowledge systems and analytical frameworks are in place? Does the agenda enable or hinder progress for humanity and the ecosystem?

I am pleased that the University of South Africa (UNISA), the university that I represent, and Yonsei University are significant assets for the global society in addressing a subject on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is essential to assess whether these institutions offer meaningful engagements in reimagining or resetting the future. To contextualize this, we must address the grand questions that our societies face as they grapple with sustainable development.

Images play a crucial role as they reflect the questions that humanity is asking. One critical question concerns the images of poverty, which is a central aspect of the SDGs. It is also important to consider the distress, stress, and depression experienced by people due to among others, the competitive nature of life. The latter, often prevents people from realizing their full potential as human beings with human dignity. Issues such as ecological degradation, climate change, and the overall woundedness of creation or the earth as a foundational resource for our lives, are significant questions for analyzing the need for the SDGs and the solutions we should imagine. The same applies to the context of socio-economic inequities, war, violence, and the allocation of budgets in societies and nations. Disturbingly, these budgets are often invested in warfare, rather than in eradicating violence.

To be somewhat controversial, I invite you to consider the following: We have dealt with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and, having failed to achieve them, we then proposed the SDGs with their 17 goals. My colleagues and students suggest that the SDGs might reflect humanity’s failure to prioritize essential imperatives. We have accepted poverty, unsustainable development, and the hoarding of wealth by a small number of individuals while many people in the Majority World, live in indignity and inhumane conditions. The preceding perspective is crucial when we consider the majority, as they represent the youthful demographic of the world, particularly in the Global South (the African continent can be cited as a case in point here).

Another aspect of the majority includes those marginalized economically—those living in poverty, dependent on rental systems, or receiving state assistance. This also encompasses those people who have been severely affected by ecological degradation and climate change, and those societies that have lost hope due to these challenges. These include some islands in Africa, the Pacific, as well as those countries that face persistent ecological issues.

When thinking about the Majority World, it is essential to consider all those affected by these grand questions. For Africans, it is crucial that our analysis is not based on borrowed knowledge systems and/ or frameworks.

Africa, through one of its important documents, that is, Agenda 2063, has outlined its own developmental paths, which though aligned with the SDGs, are also tailored according to the contextual realities of the continent. Within the preceding trajectory, Africa not merely viewed as an object of study, but also as an active moral agent in shaping the world and co-constructing the global arena. The African Union Agenda 2063 encompasses Africa’s vision, which includes the attentive management of resources on the seas, the earth, and among people, and focuses on humanizing knowledge systems and relationships while promoting ecological centeredness. Agenda 2063 clearly spells out a programmatic schedule of taking the African continent out of the debilitating legacy of colonialism and apartheid through, among others, creating an enabling atmosphere for our people, particularly the youth, to flourish in areas such as education, diplomacy, the ICT, agriculture and many more.

Here in South Korea, the concept of “sing” that I have learned from local scholars, which centres on conviviality, reflects some of the critical value systems important for our reflection on the SDGs.

When considering a transformative agenda for the SDGs, it is crucial to focus on ideation and decolonization as analytical lenses, engaging critically with resources, and thus contextualize the SDGs. Currently, the SDGs are often decontextualized and monolithic, thus becoming ineffective in providing the requisite solutions to the challenges that stare humanity in the eye. critically examined. From a scholarly perspective, for the SDGs to be effective, they must address not just broad aspirations but also the specific questions that societies face in their geopolitical, geospatial, and demographic contexts.

In Africa, for example, we are experiencing a youthful population, deepening inequalities, and global monopolies of power that concentrate on our continent for extractive purposes. Economic gains are valued over ecological, developmental and sustainability issues, thus leading to unequal opportunities as well as the social divisions of power.

Colonizers have historically exploited our knowledge systems and resources, disrupting African epistemologies. To address the project of sustainable development effectively, we need to determine whether we are using Western lenses for analysis or African contextualized analytics and knowledge systems. Are we engaging with global knowledge systems while prioritizing African knowledge, or are we merely following established norms?

Rebooting the SDGs requires acknowledging the multiplicity of approaches and prioritizing those who are most affected by ecological degradation and climatic changes. It is essential to question why poverty is discussed more than wealth and to consider the role of greed in sustaining socio-economic inequities. There is a need for the provision of guidelines to ensure that the SDGs are achieved despite the concentration of wealth among a few haves. Although the current SDGs provide invaluable frameworks towards development, a reboot is necessary. As Southern American scholar Paulo Freire emphasized, critical consciousness allows us to question the status quo and reimagine the future. Our reimagination the SDGs will enable us to explore alternative approaches rather than merely adhering to prescriptions.

For Africa, the challenge is to view the continent not solely through the lens of its resources but through its own aspirations and decisions. Hence, the stereotypical images that diminish Africa’s intellectual contributions must be challenged. Africa is often depicted as a place of conflict and disease, while the beneficiaries of such portrayals are rarely held accountable. These are critical issues that I invite both the youth and the young adults to consider as they analyze the SDGs and the allocation of human resources. It is vital to address clear mechanisms for implementation, reliable funding, and timelines affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent conflicts.

Investing in the financing of the SDGs is crucial. Countries and societies need to commit to these mechanisms, thus transforming and harnessing the relationship between the 17 SDGs. Pursuing one goal may inadvertently hinder progress in another due to the one-size-fits-all approach and the lack of focus on systemic inequalities.

The recalibration of the SDGs should prioritize inclusive approaches that consider diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and historical contexts. Global disparities may be unintentionally prolonged by the claimed SDGs’ universality, the latter approach overlooks diverse social and geopolitical contexts. In order to succeed, we need to address systemic issues such as corruption, political instability, and conflicts that impede progress toward the realization of the SDGs. Resolving these structural impediments is necessary for impactful sustainable development.

In conclusion, as we transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the SDGs, and look towards 2063, rebooting the SDGs would requires stronger collaboration among universities, societies, global governance systems, and overcoming economic disparities. Transformation involves more than superficial changes. It requires a fundamental shift that is radiant, beautiful, life-affirming, as well as enabling of ecological and economic justice and respect for humanity. Transformation requires that we commit to working together so that we may break the chains of the development dysfunction and distress and begin to realise the true sustainable development of our people, and the whole cosmos.

Our late president, President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a prominent freedom fighter, advocated that achieving the SDGs and development goals should involve prioritizing education, valuing the youthful dividend, as well as respecting diverse knowledge systems. Africa should not be seen merely as impoverished, but must also be recognized for its resources and potential in global partnerships.

Thank you.

Professor Puleng LenkaBula

On January 1, 2021, Professor Puleng LenkaBula assumed her role as Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa (UNISA), marking a herstoric/historic moment for the institution and the nation. As the first female, and only the third black leader in the university's long history, her appointment was a milestone in UNISA’s 147-years existence. Professor LenkaBula holds a Doctorate in Ethics from UNISA. Her research focused on the ethical dimensions of bioprospecting and intellectual property rights. Her career spans significant roles, including her previous position as Vice-Rector at the University of the Free State (RSA) and her contributions to global conversations on ethics and social justice through various international organizations. At UNISA, she is foregrounding the need to reclaim Africa’s intellectual futures and inclusive educational theory and praxises she aims at ensuring that the university not only excels academically but also serves as a beacon of transformative teaching, learning, innovative research and engaged scholarship.

Figure & Data

References

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

PubReader
ePub Link
Cite

CITE

export Copy Format

Close

XML Download