Will Canada meet its Sustainable Development Goals?

In 2015, 193 member countries of the United Nations agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are meant to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth – all while tackling climate change and preserving our environment. Now that it’s 2023, the clock is ticking, and the road to 2030 is at its halfway point. That raises the question: are these goals still within reach? Or is this an impossible dream?

Guest:

Joe Noss works as a consultant for Deloitte’s Public Sector Transformation practice, focusing on Human Services and Digital ID technology. With a background in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), and a Master's degree in Analytics from the Ivey Business School, Joe engages with complex transformations of Canadian government systems. A former Model United Nations delegate, he's deeply committed to the United Nations SDGs and is particularly interested in Canada's role in creating sustainable energy systems. In addition, Joe collaborates with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, developing tools to support youth transitioning from care into adulthood.

Topaza Yu (she/her/hers/elle), originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Treaty 6 territory and Métis homeland), is a first-year doctoral student in counseling psychology. She's dedicated to anti-racism and anti-oppression (ARAO), mental health, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). A trusted consultant and advocate, Topaza serves on Action Canada's Sexual Health and Rights Board of Directors. She aims to promote SRHR accessibility for youth and plans to further these efforts through her future work in counseling psychology, advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

Nico Han is a research analyst at a DC-based think-tank. An aspiring policy maker and a scholar, Nico is passionate about the role of the global south in international affairs from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Nico has interned with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Wilson Center for International Scholars, the U.S.-Asia Institute as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. Nico holds a Masters of Philosophy in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where she was also President of her MCR (Middle Common Room) and a co-founder of the Oxford Diplomatic Society. Nico is an incoming Yenching Fellow at Peking University in China.

Producers:

Kimberly Watada