Interconnectedness of the Goals: Goal 3 & Goal 5
Updated: Nov 4, 2018
Image credit: Vanity Studios
One of the most exciting aspects of the Global Goals is their interconnectedness. Previously, the multiple areas of development have been treated rather separately within their own categories. Now, however, we have a way to explore how social, environmental and economic development are all related to one another. This year, we are exploring how each goal and their associated targets need to see the achievement of each other in order to be fulfilled as a whole.
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being and Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and Goal 5 aims to achieve gender equality.
Achieving good health and well-being for women is incredibly important for the sustainability of society.
A number of targets in Goal 3 relate specifically to women and reproductive, maternal, natal, child and adolescent health. These targets include the following:
Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births.
Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.
In fact, Target 3.7 is almost identical to Target 5.6, which aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.
Targets such as Target 3.3, which relates to communicable diseases, and Target 3.5, which relates to substance abuse are incredibly important targets for women as the child-bearers of our society.
The importance of strengthening prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and the harmful use of alcohol also has significant relevance to the achievement of Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. This is due to the fact that research has demonstrated a correlation between drug and alcohol use and forms of violence against women including intimate partner violence and family violence.
Domestic and family violence then relates back to Target 3.4 also, which touches on the topic of mental health and well-being.
Target 5.3 relates to harmful practices on women and girls, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Physically, there can be severe consequences on the body from early child-bearing and FGM practices. Psychologically, there can be long-lasting detrimental effects from all of these practices.
To find out more about these two goals and their interrelatedness, you can read more by visiting #Goal3: #GoodHealth and #WellBeing and #Goal5: #GenderEquality.
This article was originally published on the Global Goals Australia Campaign website.