South Africa currently ranks 73 out of 149 countries in the Global 2019 Social Progress Index released last month by the Social Progress Imperative.
The Social Progress Index Framework asks universally important questions, which influence the overall scoring and ranking: Do people have enough food to eat and are they receiving basic medical care? Do people feel safe? Is the society using its resources so they will be available for future generations? Are people’s rights upheld and do they feel included in society?
Based on these questions, the Index captures outcomes related to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and is a comprehensive snapshot of a country’s overall progress towards the achievement of the goals.
Commenting on the results, CEO of Social Progress Imperative Michael Green says: “The results of the 2019 Social Progress Index shows that social progress is not advancing quickly or widely enough. Our current projection is that the world will not successfully fulfil the UN SDGs until 2073.”
However, things are improving. Since 2014, the world average SPI score increased from 61.80 to 64.47, and there has been a noticeable improvement on eight of the 12 social progress components.
IQbusiness has partnered with the Social Progress Imperative to develop a Social Progress Index (SPI) to showcase the social and environmental outcomes of the nine South African provinces.
“The provincial SPI was launched to challenge the country to rethink the way it gauges its progress and the way we do business and operate,” says IQbusiness CEO Adam Craker. “It allows us to measure the progress that will enable better decision-making, especially when determining priorities and budgets which can help advance the lives of South Africans.”
The SPI offers a practical measurement of the impact that government policies, such as the National Development Plan (NDP), have on the ground. The objective of the Index is to deepen the analysis and transparency of national performance, replacing a traditional economics-centred approach with one that looks at the social and environmental health of the country.
Craker adds: “The provincial breakdown recognises the different factors influencing the outcome of each province and provides learnings to enhance progress in all provinces.”
Social Progress Imperative board member, Sharon Thorne explains: “By using the Index, the business community and civil society can help change the current trajectory of the SDGs by working together to find solutions to halt and reverse the impact of climate change and resource scarcity, address diversity and inclusion inequalities, open up access to education, and positively impact society in the process.”