Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Chair of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission, Co-Chair of the UN Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Development at Sunway University. Sachs has been Special Advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres. Sachs was twice named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders, and has received 38 honorary doctorates. He received the Legion of Honor from France in 2021 and the Order of the Cross from Estonia in 2019.
Jeffrey Sachs hosts “The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs” podcast featuring renowned authors of scintillating, inspiring and remarkably important books about history, social justice, and the challenges of building a decent world. Previous conversations feature Mariana Mazzucato, author of “Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism,” and Robert Lustig, author of “Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine” among others.
SDG Academy

JEFFREY SACHS

So I'm helping to spearhead an initiative for the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, working together with UNESCO, the UN Education Science and Cultural Organization with the Ban Ki-moon Center, Pope Francis, and the Vatican on an initiative.

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I was very lucky. Twenty-one years ago that Kofi Annan, who was then the Secretary General of the UN, asked me to be his advisor and to advise him specifically on what were called the Millennium Development Goals. These were the objectives that the UN Nations adopted in September 2000 to fight poverty and improve health and education. The Sustainable Development Goals are the successor goals to the Millennium Development Goals. SDGs were adopted in 2015. I like the goals, not only because of what they stand for but because the whole world agreed on them. I like the idea that the world has agreed on something. We don't agree on very much. If I had to choose one, it is SDG4. SDG4 is that all kids should be in school and that everybody should get an education. If we’re badly educated, we’re not going to make it on this planet. If I had to put my finger on one Sustainable Development Goal above all else, it is let’s empower young people so that they know the future. They know the world that they’re going to be leading soon. They can do something about it…Specifically, target 4.7 which says that everybody should learn about sustainable development. Everybody should learn about global citizenship.

If you’re in elementary school up to university, you should be learning–What is climate change? What is biodiversity? What can we do about it? And this kind of learning is not only book learning but is also experiential learning.

Everybody should learn sustainable development - students in every city, in the country, in every village - to work on how their own city can be sustainable. Or in their village, and go meet with the mayor. This is what should be done. Because the truth of the matter is so many adults are completely irresponsible or they went to school without learning these things, and so the young people will know better. We need young people who are well-trained, who are well-educated, and ready to take on leadership so that we can actually solve 21st-century problems and not use 20th century mindsets. Everybody should learn tolerance for other people's cultures.

Photo: EFA 2019

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk & Eveline Mol with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Eveline Mol. Digital Media Coordinator is Phoebe Brous.

Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process & One Planet Podcast (Conversations about Climate Change & Environmental Solutions).