002 - Closing the Development Gap

Geographic Knowledge and Understanding

UN Sustainable Development Goals criteria - empowering women and indigenous or minority groups.

Detailed illustrative examples of affirmative action to close the development gap.

Concepts

The process of affirmative people in different places can help to close the development gap.

Aims

  • To understand the multidimensional nature of the UN SDGs.

  • To have knowledge of how progress upon the SDGs measured / reported.

  • To have knowledge of detailed illustrative examples of affirmative action to close the development gap by focusing on the SDG .

                • Empowering women

                • Empowering indigenous groups

                • Empowering minority groups

Key Terminology

            • Indigenous Groups

            • Minority Groups

Use the 'useful links' below to define the key terms above.

Useful Links:

Activity One - Watch

It is all over the news about the importance of equality and how the fact that we are still living in environments that do not give all people equal access to employment, education, housing, health, etc. With the rise of the #metoo campaigns, equality is very much at the fore of peoples' minds but it is not just gender that needs to be considered. Race and minority groups also need greater consideration if we are to give everyone equal access to resources, services, and employment. Watch the youtube clip below and make notes on how we can make the world a better place.

Activity Two - Sustainable Development Goals

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals but they often have interrelated aims. This syllabus point specifically asks you to identify which goals focus on reducing inequality to be able to assess whether their mission is achievable. Answer the questions below by using the article in the 'Useful Resources' box.


      1. Identify the goals that relate specifically to reducing the inequality of women, ethnic minorities and indigenous groups.

      2. Describe how those goals hope to reduce the inequalities.

      3. How is progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals measured?

      4. Evaluate the success of the goals that aim to reduce inequalities.

Activity Three - Detailed Example - Empowering Women

We are going to look at three different sections of society that could/should be empowered and how the UN Sustainable Development Goals hope to help this process. As you have seen throughout the course if you do not allow all areas of society to have equal access to education and the workplace then a country is never going to develop to its full potential. We are going to focus on how women in Morocco are hoping to gain access to education.


      1. Watch the vimeo video on the 'Useful Resources' box and make notes on how women can be empowered.

      2. Read through the second article in the 'Useful Resources' box and answer the following questions:

                  • What is the issue?

                  • What is the organisation?

                  • Describe the history of the organisation.

                  • Describe how the scheme is working.

                  • What success has the scheme had?

Activity Four - Detailed Example - Indigenous Groups

Indigenous groups are often overlooked to focus on the 'bigger' issue of reducing inequality for women. You rarely switch on the news and hear about an indigenous groups fight for equality but that does not mean these groups of people are silent. Far from it! You only have to do a quick internet search to find a campaign for equality between indigenous groups and large TNCs. In fact, we have touched on this already during the Extreme Environments unit when we explored the impact of the extraction of raw materials.


      1. Watch the YouTube clip and read the article in the 'Useful Resources' box to create a detailed example of how indigenous populations are fighting for equality.

                  • What is the issue?

                  • What is the organisation?

                  • Describe the history of the organisation.

                  • Describe how the scheme is working.

                  • What success has the scheme had?

Activity Five - Detailed Example - Minority Groups

The final group of people that we will explore are minority groups. While you may automatically think we should be looking at minority religious or cultural groups within a specific country, we are going to focus on disabilities. No group of people - race, culture or religion - are free from people who have a disability. So why in the past have they been hidden, shunned from society or killed because they are different. Steven Hawking was one of the brightest minds on our planet but would he have survived in a region which only recognised physical strength as crucial for survival? Until recently people with a disability would be not be seen on TV, social media or be even championed as an athlete . In fact, it was only this year that the press celebrated the fact that Marks and Spencers (a very British institution) had designed a range of 'Easy Dressing' clothes for children who needed 'extra help'. The poverty rate is 70% higher for someone with a disability.


      1. Watch the YouTube clip and read the article in the 'Useful Resources' box to create a detailed example of how 'Action on Disability and Development', a British NGO, are fighting for equality those who have a disability.

                  • What is the issue?

                  • What is the organisation?

                  • Describe the history of the organisation.

                  • Describe how the scheme is working.

                  • What success has the scheme had?

Exam Style Question

Using examples, explain how affirmative action can help to close the development gap. [12 marks]

This lesson was development in collaboration with Richard Allaway from geographyalltheway. For more resources please visit www.geographyalltheway.com