The President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, attended this Thursday the presentation and signing of the strategic framework of the Canary Islands Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, held in Los Jameos del Agua. What will go down in history as the 'Pact of Los Jameos' is endorsed by the signing of a very broad representation of Canarian society, which is conjured in search of "that better future".
The event was attended by the main unions, business associations, Canarian public universities, Third Sector agents, environmental groups, youth groups, elderly groups, children's groups, health groups, cultural groups, sports groups, public administrations and other entities.
All the signatories are committed to the Archipelago taking "a quantitative and qualitative leap in social, economic and environmental sustainability in this decade, accelerating as much as possible the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 169 goals of the UN's Agenda 2030, after adaptation to the reality and singularities of the Canary Islands.
This institutional act and the symbolic signing take place after the days of "participation, analysis and debate" that took place last week at the headquarters of the Presidency of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The signing this Thursday puts an end to an "arduous two-year work promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands and from the Presidency of the Government and marked by broad social and corporate participation", although it is now that the great challenge of obtaining the ambitious objectives set begins, after the definition of the action plans by the different agents, including the autonomous Executive.
According to the Government of the Canary Islands, these are goals specified in the Canary Islands in 316 milestones agreed upon during that time of study, adapted to the singularities of each island and that aim to achieve as soon as possible a much more balanced Archipelago, fair in economic and social terms, and that faces with measurable and effective results the great global challenge of the fight against climate change.
As Torres highlighted in his speech, the document signed "will, therefore, serve as a guide for that commitment of Canarian society as a whole, beyond acronyms and partisanship, for comprehensive sustainability, with well-defined objectives and in clear consonance with the SDGs of the UN". Moreover, given the delay suffered by the Canary Islands in some areas, according to the Government, "such as clean energy, this Canary Islands Agenda 2030 and the Canary Islands Climate Change Law already approved by the Governing Council try to accelerate as much as possible the achievement of these goals with respect to other latitudes with well-studied initiatives and constant and demanding internal and external control in everything related to climate change, alternative energies, economic inequality, gender equality, innovation, science, culture as a pillar of local development, sustainable consumption and industry, peace or justice".
Although it is one of the backbones of the policies of the current autonomous Government, as Torres stressed, this strategic framework transcends the scope of action of the Canarian Executive and is conceived as an instrument of all the economic, social, educational and cultural agents that support it. "We have a clear roadmap for our future. For the first time in decades, we know the Canary Islands we want to be," he said.
"This day is a milestone that will mark our course"
During his speech, the President of the Canary Islands assured that the signing of this strategic framework "is a very important milestone to mark our course. Our countdown begins, the definitive start so that, in 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals are met. We have 2,952 days ahead of us and in each of them we must move forward so that we have another Canary Islands, an Archipelago focused on the planet, on the more than two million people who inhabit these eight islands, on their prosperity and on the well-being of other regions and peoples of the world," he explained.
For Torres, this is a "historic opportunity because, for the first time, we are not talking about a utopia, but that all these purposes are truly achievable", among other reasons because of the funds that the Canary Islands will receive from the EU for its green, digital, social and economic transformation through various programs, such as the Next Generation until 2026, with some 4.8 billion euros. A change that, he stressed, will also be achieved by the regulatory changes promoted in these two years, but mainly, if there is a real "collective commitment" in its search, "which is the real engine" of that leap.
The President considers it key that the Canary Islands properly detect their weaknesses and strengths to make the Canary Islands Agenda 2030 a reality in all its challenges: "The fight against poverty, against climate change and the loss of biodiversity, the digital divide, economic stagnation, the promotion of real equality, quality education with opportunities for all, a green economy at the service of people, and to be more resilient and prepared for future crises, new diseases, natural disasters or global phenomena such as migration," he explained.
Lower the population in social exclusion by 20% and bet on gender equality
Thus, the Canary Islands Agenda 2030 sets a reduction of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE rate) to less than 20% of the population in 2030, when in 2020 it was 36.3%. Likewise, in 2025 the percentage of women participating in the public, professional and social sphere should range between 40 and 60%, while the gender pay gap and the differential in income per hour worked must be below 5% in 2025 and 3% in 2030 (in 2018 it was 14.7%).
In education, the objective is to reach a school dropout rate of less than 15% in 2025 and in 2030, equal to or less than 13%, which would mean more than five percentage points of reduction compared to 2020 (18.2%). In turn, it is intended that at least 80% of the population aged 1 to 15 years follow a healthy diet in 2025 and 83% in 2030, apart from the fact that the proportion of educational centers adhering to the Ecocomedores program will be 30% in 2025 and 38% in 2030 (now it barely reaches 10%).
Regarding the environment, a carbon footprint of level 0 is aspired to in 2040, 10 years before the target of Spain and the EU, although in 2025 the emission of greenhouse gases must be reduced to five tons of CO2 per inhabitant per year and, in 2030, to 2.5 or less. At the moment, that figure stands at 6.2. For its part, renewable energy must increase to 15% in 2025 and 29% five years later. Sustainable treatment of 100% of wastewater and sludge produced in the Islands is also aspired to, integrating them into the circular economy, with a step through 80% in 2025 and taking a great leap compared to the current 20%.
