Development is at times a long, slow process whereby a community reaches a certain level of material well-being, in addition to social justice, equity, security, respect for the environment, etc. It involves an individual’s or a group’s capacity to make their own decisions and participate in citizen dialogue. Development is not possible without the participation of the people, meaning democracy. We can make it happen, however, by working together to reach the goal of eradicating poverty by 2030, and “leaving no one behind.” We and 193 other countries agreed to this in September 2015, when the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted.
