Health and sustainable development: a call for papers
Authors: Richard Horton, Zoë Mullan
Journal: The Lancet Global Health (2015)

In just under 5 months' time, the aspiration for the next 15 years of development efforts will be signed off at the UN General Assembly in New York, USA. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are already at an advanced stage of drafting—17 ambitious goals and 169 targets (panel), which have been criticised even by the UN General Secretary for being too voluminous.1Moon B-K The road to dignity by 2030: ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting the planet. Synthesis report of the Secretary-General on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/69/700&Lang=EGoogle Scholar Amid this multitude of outcomes, those pertaining to health are reduced from three Millennium Development Goals to one SDG. What does this mean for global health research?PanelProposed Sustainable Development GoalsGoal 1End poverty in all its forms everywhereGoal 2End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agricultureGoal 3Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all agesGoal 4Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allGoal 5Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsGoal 6Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for allGoal 7Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for allGoal 8Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for allGoal 9Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovationGoal 10Reduce inequality within and among countriesGoal 11Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainableGoal 12Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsGoal 13Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impactsGoal 14Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable developmentGoal 15Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity lossGoal 16Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levelsGoal 17Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development Goal 15 Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development It means an opportunity. As we concern ourselves with the prominence of health in the new agenda, it's easy to forget that (human) development is by definition people-centred, and that living a long, healthy, and creative life is its cornerstone.2UNDPAbout human development: what is human development?.http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandevGoogle Scholar The expansion of the new goals to encompass many (if not all3Horton R Offline: Why the Sustainable Development Goals will fail.Lancet. 2014; 383: 2196Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (35) Google Scholar) of the enablers of an enriched life, for our generation and for those that follow, represents an opportunity to lift ourselves out of the silos we so decry and to embrace other disciplines that underlie the purpose of our own. As the SDGs, in whatever final form they take, are unveiled in September, 2015, The Lancet and The Lancet Global Health will begin to curate a special issue on sustainable development, to be published in April, 2016. As part of this special issue, we seek original research articles that cross two or more of the key disciplines of the SDGs: poverty, nutrition, health, education, economics, gender equality, water and sanitation, energy, urban planning, conservation, and climate change. Multidisciplinary authorship is a must. The deadline is Sept 15, 2015, and submissions should be made online. To submit to The Lancet go to http://ees.elsevier.com/thelancetTo submit to The Lancet Global Health go to http://ees.elsevier.com/langlh/