[This text has been translated electronically] To enable a livable future for generations to come, the 193 members of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda – and with it 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals contain an urgent call for a radical change of direction, meaning that immoral, exorbitant lifestyles, must be abandoned in favour of generational justice.
The strategic framework of 17 goals, 169 sub-goals, and 230 indicators, not only takes into account economic, ecologic, and social dimensions but also facilitates global cooperation. Five core messages anchored in the goals are the five Ps – People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. Each one emphasizes the pursuit of a world with no hunger, no poverty, in which peace and human right are secured, offering prosperity while respecting the natural habitats of all.
The Transformation Agenda provides a set of values for all countries of the world. The dimensions of each goal alone underline the importance of working on the goals universally, regardless of the stage of development of each country. It also calls for the cooperation of all sectors of a country, i.e. business, politics, non-profit organizations, and society. It calls for a transformation towards sustainability, including, for example, the fight against poverty and inequality, responsible consumption, and the comprehensive protection of biodiversity. All of this requires a great deal of investment, not least in education, research and development. But more importantly, this transformation requires a shared process of learning and searching.
The path to sustainability – that is ultimately the path of us all. Amina J. Mohammed, the UN Vice-Secretary-General, also encouraged our artistic director Jochen Sandig in New York to follow this path with the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele as a cultural institution: »We created the roadmap and now we need music, dance and all the arts to set people in motion«. Therefore, we would also like to become a driving force that sets people in motion and together walk the path from attitude to action. In our opinion, there is much room for the arts to facilitate conversations, impulses, and changes in perspective that lead to formulating one’s answers to current questions and also to changing individual behaviour.
Therefore we ask three questions: »Where do you stand? What moves you? Where are we going?«.
Need more inspiration? Follow the link to the project »World Citizens Inside« and the people portrayed in it.