SDG18 Communication for All, Volume 1

“The Sustainable Development Goals have given the nations and peoples of the world non-authoritarian guidelines and signposts that each can apply in their own context. This can only be done by widely sharing knowledge and communication. This book is an exemplary knowledge commons.  I would recommend this approach for every single domain of development.”—Michel Bauwens, Founder and Director of the P2P Foundation. The 2030 agenda for development, or what is known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is the most ambitious agenda collectively agreed upon by 193 countries in human history. In 2015, the UN Member States adopted the 17 SDGs as a framework that would help address the challenges being faced by humanity. From eradicating poverty, ending hunger, providing universal access to healthcare and education, and addressing climate change; to the partnering of individuals, communities, and nation-states to achieve global goals. Yet, the framers of the 2030 agenda forgot to dedicate one goal focused on the role of communication in achieving the SDGs. It is nearly impossible to achieve the SDGs without the articulation and embrace of the role of communication in development. Today, development has become a communication issue, and communication is a development issue. How could such a vital pillar of life be missing in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals? Volume 1 provides an overview of what the contributors have termed as the 'missing link' between existing SDGs: Communication for All. Jan Servaes (PhD) is the former UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change. He is the Editor of the Lexington Book Series Communication, Globalization and Cultural Identity and Springer book series Communication, Culture and Change in Asia.  Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u is the Editor-in-Chief of Africa Policy Journal at Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of Regional Parallelism and Corruption Scandals in Nigeria and co-editor of the Palgrave Handbook of International Communication and Sustainable Development.