Collection

COVID-19 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals – How the COVID-19 pandemic will influence the achievements of the SDGs

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly been affecting societies all over the world, at all levels. Apart from the significant disruptions to health systems, the high levels of infections and the death toll associated with them are paralleled by substantial damages to the world´s economy, also causing a wide range of social problems. These vary from income losses due to the closure of many businesses, to problems and conflicts triggered by social isolation. The impacts of the pandemic are also expected to be reflected in the ability of many nations in the world to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Based on the perceived need to foster a reflection on this aspect, the special issue "COVID-19 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals – How the COVID-19 pandemic will influence the achievements of the SDGs" is being proposed as part of the journal "Discover Sustainability".

The Topical Collection has two main focuses. Firstly, it welcomes submissions based on scholarly research, analyses and reflections on how the pandemic is affecting the implementation of the SDGs. Secondly, it also invites scholars to introduce and/or discuss approaches, methods, initiatives and projects which show how we can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, in a way that the achievement of the SDGs is not compromised. There is a wide awareness of the fact that through effective collaboration and communication, as well as the sharing of experiences and insights, the world may be better able to cope with the pandemic.

This Topical Collection of "Discover Sustainability" expects to provide a contribution to this process and support efforts to promote the implementation of the SDGs.

The Keywords are:

COVID-19; Pandemic; Sustainable Development; Social isolation; Case Studies; Communication; Projects;

Editors

  • Walter Leal Filho

    Professor Walter Leal Filho, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Professor Walter Leal Filho is the founding director of the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and of the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP), holding professorial posts at the Hamburg University of Applied Science (Germany) and Manchester Metropolitan University (UK).

Articles (7 in this collection)