Blog by: Haseeb Saleem & Wareesha Shakeel.
BS-4 GOVERNANCE & PUBLIC POLICY (MORNING)
INTRODUCTION TO NUML SDG SCOUTS
IDEA OF SUSTAINABILITY & SDGs:
The idea of sustainability revolves around the concept of Equity. It means providing and managing
resources according to the need.
FULFILLING THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT GENERATION WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE NEEDS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.
Sustainable development refers to planning city growth and economic development to avoid the
depletion of natural resources.
The following are the stakeholders for SDGs:
• Governments
• Businesses
• Media
• Higher Educational Institutions
• Local NGOs
WHO ARE WE?
We are from the Governance and Public Policy department, currently studying in the fourth semester of
our undergraduate program. We are a total of 10 members in our group who are determined to spread
awareness regarding Sustainable Development Goals. We are a part of Numl SDGs Scouts. We are
working to promote the 2030 Agenda among our youth and to attain sustainability in social, economic,
and environmental aspects by 2030.
PURPOSE:
Numl SDGs Scouts are a part of the Social Action Project supervised by Dr. Athar Rashid, Assistant
professor GPP, NUML. We aim to:
• Educate
• Aware
• Train youth regarding Sustainable Development Goals.
MAKE ALL AWARE OF SUSTAINABILITY, SDGs, and LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.
NEED FOR SDGs SCOUTS:
As the world is progressing so rapidly, so are our harmful activities. Human beings are contributing a
prime part to the destruction of the environment. So, it is a requirement for a third-world country like
ours to make a considerable effort regarding sustainable development goals.
Recent floods in Pakistan are a significant example for us. If we don't start working on achieving
sustainability so far, it will become impossible for us to survive environmentally, socially, and
economically. Pakistan is the 5th most populated country in the world, lacks planning and statistics
because, as a nation, we are never concerned about sustainability. So, it is necessary to initiate
campaigns like SDGs Scouts.
WHY ARE NUML SDGs SCOUTS FOCUSING YOUTH?
Nature has given us many things like fossil fuels, water, and greenery. They should be used, not abused.
64% of the total population of Pakistan consists of youth. We believe,
The power of youth is the commonwealth of the entire world. The faces of young people are the faces
of our past, present, and future. No segment in the society can match the power, idealism, enthusiasm,
and courage of young people.
Involving youth is crucial for the success of the 2030 Agenda. The National University of Modern
Languages have, without exception, been so active in engaging youth for the better development of
society.
The SDGs are universal goals for all people and are inherently global. Learning about these initiatives
helps young students develop insights into critical issues, such as how to end poverty and hunger, lack of access to clean water, electricity and gender equality, etc.
OUR FOCUS:
The focus of NUML SDGs SCOUTS GROUP 1 is concerned with SDG 1 TO SDG 5.
These include:
1. NO POVERTY.
2. ZERO HUNGER.
3. GOOD HEALTH & WELL-BEING.
4. PROMOTE QUALITY EDUCATION.
5. GENDER EQUALITY & WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT.
In this regard, we visited numerous institutes on the premises of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Characteristics of these visits and activities have been mentioned in the upcoming blogs by our group
members.
NUML CAMPUS DRIVE BY SDGs SCOUTS GROUP 1 (M):
We started working on this project on September 19'2022 and ended the campaign on October 05'2022.
We concluded this drive by initiating two phases.
PHASE-I:
In the first phase of our campus drive inside NUML, we visited various language departments and
interviewed the faculty members out there about the situation of SDGs in their respective countries and
regions. We visited the following five departments and surveyed there:
1. Japanese Department.
2. German Department.
3. English Department.
4. Korean Department.
5. French Department.
Following are the questions which we asked:
Q1. Do they know about SDGs? What is the status of SDGs in their respective countries?
Q2. When did they start implementing Sustainable Development Goals in their regions?
Q3. How much awareness do they have of the 2030 Agenda and its indicators?
Q4. What is their progress on SDG #01,02,03,04 and 05?
The information which we get from various professors is as under:
Japan started adopting and implementing the 2030 Agenda in the post-war period, right after World
War II. According to the professor, they emphasize building the nation first. Japan had set some
standards and goals to achieve sustainability in the region.
• They worked free of cost for the nation. They promoted Quality Education. Their literacy rate is
100%. They also promoted industrialization. Industrialization by promoting family businesses is a
significant achievement. Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are all examples of the success story.
• They are also working tremendously on Sustainable Development Goal #03, whereas Pakistan
recently introduced health card services, Japan is way ahead of us in getting stability. They
introduced a Health card facility about 30-35 years ago.
• While talking about SDG #05, Gender Equality, there was much discrimination earlier. Japan
was purely a male-dominated society. Eventually, the situation is now getting better for women
also.
• Also, the fact is that they are achieving rapid growth and sustainability in digitalization and
technology. This was all that we got to know about sustainable planning in Japan. No doubt they
have little to no flaws in their system of sustainability.
Next, we visited English Department. We met Dr. Rabia Amir from Columbia University. She is doing her research and working on the 2030 Agenda of Pakistan.
• According to Dr. Rabia, the SDGs exist only on paper in European countries, and they are making
little to no effort to achieve sustainability. European countries are creating hurdles for
themselves and for other regions of the world also.
• She recommended we watch a documentary, Algor, and suggested us a book also, An
Inconvenient Truth to get an insight into the situation of SDGs in Europe.
At last, visited the German Department where we met Dr. Sehran Mushtaq Chaudhry. It was a treat
meeting him. He emphasized educating the youth of Pakistan about SDGs.
• Talking with him we got to know that the Germans are the most aware people regarding SDGs
on a domestic level.
• If we talk about the climate protection of the region, then they have a system of recycling
garbage separately. They filter garbage. For example, they have installed different categories of
bins like separate bins for plastic trash, glass, paper, and other materials.
• But we cannot deny the fact that they are causing trouble for neighboring countries with their
activities. For example, they send their used old pieces of machinery and vehicles to other
countries which pollute the environment.
PHASE-II:
In the second phase of our Campus Drive inside NUML, we visited overall departments, sitting areas,
students, and teachers and educated them regarding Sustainable Development Goals. We initiated an
awareness campaign through Campus Drive on our relevant SDGs. It is unfortunate that most of the
students didn't know about the 2030 Agenda, but we have carried out an effective campaign so far with
better outcomes.
OUTCOMES & CONCLUSION:
During this Awareness Campaign, we interacted with senior faculty members and students from
various departments. This activity allowed us to embellish our communication skills. Through the
interactive sessions with the professors, we get to know more about Sustainable Development Goals. If
we talk about the students, they have little to no knowledge about SDGs. We educated them well and
the outcomes were positive.
NUML SDGs scouts are determined to do more exceptional work for this cause further. We are
specifically very thankful to our project supervisor Dr. Athar Rashid who provided us with the
opportunity to establish this platform.
Thank You.
Contact us:
Gmail: numlsdgscouts5@gmail.com
Instagram: sdgs_numl_gpp
