SDG 9 was created mostly for the purpose of assisting what are often considered developing countries, but are still very applicable to developed countries. The SDG mostly focuses on advancing technologies in a sustainable way. Bosnia and Herzegovina has made good progress in achieving this goal. There are several ways an individual can become involved in achieving this SDG.
Sustainable Development Goal 9 was created to address many issues. In some overexploited countries, roads, water, electricity, and safe sanitation. Social, political, and economic goals are all definitively reliant on this infrastructure. For example, these issues lead to a lack of training for skills and jobs, and a lack of access to the jobs themselves. The Target of this SDG is to develop quality, reliable infrastructure. This can be broken down into several different main points. First, promote sustainable industrialization and environmentally efficient technologies, with all countries taking action to the best of their limits. Second, increase workers in research and development fields, subsequently enhancing scientific research. Third, support developing countries through financial, technological ,and technical support. Bosnia and Herzegovina has made large strides in improving upon SDG 9. Due to climate change, BiH is very susceptible to floods and landslides. In 2014, a series of floods and landslides hit BiH. With no warning system in place, over a million residents were thoroughly unprepared and therefore suffered extreme damages such as death, destroyed homes, and displacement. After seeing the severe effects of this issue, the flood management project in Vrbas River basin was created with the intention of establishing an advanced flood warning system. The system is efficient technologically, and covers a large portion of the country. Many families live without electricity in BiH. This is due to the costs of hooking up the electrical systems. It would cost roughly 17,500 euros per household, and because many of the families who do not have electricity are war returnees or displaced people, this can not be afforded. BiH hosted a sustainable energy system competition to help war returnee families be able to afford electricity on less than 5,000 euros. While the majority of the work must be done by larger organizations, Individuals can do several things to help achieve this SDG. First, encourage young girls to become scientists. There are currently, and always have been, more men in scientific research fields than women. These fields have been male dominated for a long time, and many young girls feel discouraged from pursuing such interests. By encouraging young girls to try out different fields, they may discover a passion they never had. Another thing that
individuals can do is make the transfer to sustainable energy sources and uses in the ways they can. Depending on where they live and how much money they have, they could install solar panels or even by more efficient appliances to use less electricity and water. Seeing as our current situation is not sustainable, subtle things like this can help. As individuals, the things we can do may not be extremely large scale or fast acting, but the small things add up. If someone was extremely passionate about this issue, they could pursue a career doing something like what was done in BiH, designing sustainable energy systems, and creating a flood warning system. While you may feel untouched by this issue, it affects all of us. The key word in Sustainable Development Goal is sustainable, and many of our current systems are not sustainable. Citations: Gjersoe, Nathalia. “Bridging the Gender Gap: Why Do so Few Girls Study Stem Subjects?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Mar. 2018 “Goal 9 .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.” United Nations, United Nations “Goal 9 Targets.” UNDP, United Nations Development Programme “Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.” UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Nations Development Programme, “Infrastructure, Industrialization and Innovation: Why SDG 9 Matters and How We Can Achieve It.” IISD, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 27 June 2018, “SDG 9: Build Resilient Infrastructure, Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization and Foster Innovation.” SDG Compass, GRI, UN Global Compact, and WBCSD “The Sustainable Development Agenda - United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations UNDP. “Flood Warning Systems in Bosnia & Herzegovina by United Nations Development Programme on Exposure.” Exposure, Exposure Labs 2018, 8 Sept. 2016 UNDP Eurasia, and UNDP. “Bosnia and Herzegovina & Croatia: Energizing Innovation.” Medium, Innovation in the Age of the SDGs, 3 Nov. 2015,