This is an editorial from our first-year student Sören, 14 years old.
Reducing alcohol is saving the future!
My name is Sören and I am 14 years old and I have an internship at the IOGT-NTO movement, mainly with Johanna Davén who is the General Secretary. I chose this place because I think the IOGT-NTO movement does a very good and important job. They help many people and give hope to families who are having a hard time, and I think that is great. I also find it interesting to learn more about alcohol and how it affects people's lives, both in Sweden and in other parts of the world.
What are the global goals for?
The global goals, also known as 2030 Agenda is a plan that is made of FN to create sustainable development in the world and it should be completed by 2030. There are a total of 17 different types of goals that should be achievable. The 5 most important, in my opinion, are poverty, hunger, good health, climate change and right to education.
These goals are important for the whole world because they affect everyone, including Sweden. Sweden has poverty, hunger and other problems. The most important goal in my opinion is poverty because of what a difficult economy means; not being able to buy food which leads to hunger which is also a goal in Agenda 2030.
How does alcohol relate to the global goals?
Alcohol affects several of the global goals. It can damage health and lead to diseases as in Goal 3. Contribute to violence and injustice as in Goal 5. Make people unable to work which is in Goal 8 and ultimately create more violence and insecurity in society and it is in Goal 16. Therefore, it is important to reduce the impact of alcohol if the world is to achieve the goals of Agenda 2030.
My thoughts
What I have learned from this is that alcohol has a terrible impact and that people who drink too much can do almost anything without knowing it. Another thing I have learned is that alcohol is very important in the 2030 Agenda, and that many of the global goals can be prevented from being achieved by alcohol.
If I were to change anything regarding alcohol, I would raise the price of buying alcohol, reduce the import of alcohol, try to teach young people what alcohol really means, and finally, I would raise the alcohol tax significantly and if there is no tax, I would put one in place.
