Nursing and Sustainable Development: Furthering the Global Agenda in Uncertain Times

Abstract

These are fragile and uncertain times for the health and survival of both humanity and the planet at large. The outlook may appear bleak, but there is hope. The rapidly evolving field of global health calls for wisdom and advocacy firmly rooted in a nursing perspective and integrative lens. Global nurses have long been leaders and agents of measurable change in the advancement of physiologic, social, environmental, and economic health determinants. It has been noted that nurses have the potential to make vital contributions toward achieving the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across settings. The purpose of this article is to make explicit the multifaceted links between nursing and the SDGs. The article first discusses the background and significance of current challenges and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The authors explain the importance of good health and partnerships, and note the legacy of Nightingale and the Agenda. Finally, they review both opportunities and challenges and ethical considerations related to the SDGs and offer implications for nurses to take action. In its highest form, the UN 2030 Agenda is a holistic framework to eradicate inequity, preserve the well-being of all species, and engage health from whole-system and whole-planet perspectives – work so desperately needed in this era of future uncertainties.