Founded after the end of the second World War, the  United Nations is an international organization made up of 193 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security. While the history of the United Nations is important, its future depends on what we do today. At a United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. These goals are referred to as The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This series will introduce you to each goal, deepen your familiarity with the history of the United Nations and ultimately make you an SDG champion to transform the world.

health

Good health and well-being

Sustainable consumption production

Responsible consumption and production

Energy

Affordable and clean energy

gender equality

Gender equality

Economic growth

Decent work and economic growth

Water and sanitation

Clean water and sanitation

hunger

Zero hunger

Oceans

Life below water

Global Partnerships

Partnerships for the goals

poverty

No poverty

education

Quality education

Biodiversity

Life on land

Peace justice

Peace, Justice and strong institutions

Infrastructure industrialization

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Inequality

Reduced inequalities

Cities

Sustainable cities and communities

Climate change

Climate action

analyse factors affecting the global distribution of major types of renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and assess some of the consequences of the distribution and availability of these resources

C3.1 Distribution and Use of Natural Resources

analyse the consumption of resources in countries at different levels of development (e.g., per capita consumption of oil and gas, steel, fresh water, grain, and fertilizer in selected developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries)

C3.2 Distribution and Use of Natural Resources

explain changes in the importance of a variety of resources over time (e.g., feather quills [once used as pens], kerosene [once used as lamp oil], coal [once used for heat and steam power, now used for electricity], lithium [now used in rechargeable batteries])

C3.3 Distribution and Use of Natural Resources

describe how population growth affects the availability and consumption of a variety of resources

C3.4 Distribution and Use of Natural Resources

analyse factors that might influence people to use alternatives to certain natural resources or find alternative sources of supply (e.g., scarcity of a resource, political uncertainty, environmental consequences, ethical concerns)

C3.5 Distribution and Use of Natural Resources

 Introduction to the SDGs

Understand the economic, environmental, and social impact of the Great Depression on American society (e.g., food lines, the Dust Bowl, and the western migration of farmers; how art, literature, and music were influenced by the Depression; extent and depth of business failures, unemployment, and poverty during the Depression; the human toll of the Depression, natural disasters, unwise agricultural practices, and their impacts on the depopulation of rural regions; political movements of the left and right).

SOC.11.16.11.39

Understand major contemporaneous social issues and the groups involved (e.g., the role of feminist movements; the persistence of poverty, welfare, crime and other social issues; the response of federal, state, and local governments toward such social issues; changing roles of women in society and changing family structures; impact of controversies associated with environmental conservation, the expansion of National Park system, and the development of environmental protection laws; the interaction between environmental protection agencies and property rights advocates).

SOC.11.18.11.08

Evaluate how attitudes toward a situation or problem (e.g., attitudes concerning environment, immigrants, poverty, parent-child relationships) change in different periods of history or in different cultures.

LA.8-10.2B.5

Describe how legacies of the past have affected past and present human characteristics of places (e.g., wealth and poverty, exploitation, colonialism and independence).

SOC.7-9.17D.1

Assess how economic growth is a factor in alleviating poverty and raising standards of living.

SOC.11-12.15D.5

the fundamental values and principles (e.g., liberty, justice, individual human dignity) of American representative democracy are expressed in historical documents (e.g., the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, including the Preamble and the Bill of Rights).

SOC.5.SS-5-GC-U-3

the fundamental values and principles (e.g., liberty, justice, individual human dignity, the rule of law) of American representative democracy as expressed in historical documents (e.g., the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States) are enduring and remain significant today.

SOC.8.SS-8-GC-U-3

Communicating effectively with customers and coworkers (e.g., understanding the role of nonverbal communication, avoiding the use of slang, being pleasant and helpful, and utilizing an appropriate medium for conveying messages with dignity and respect).

WORK.9-12.1.2.1.a

Overpopulation and widespread poverty threaten the political stability of some nations in the Eastern Hemisphere.

SOC.6.2.10

To value the principles, ideals, and core values of the American democratic system based upon the premises of human dignity, liberty, justice, and equality

SOC.7-8.6.III.4

Population pressures and poverty (China, India, Africa, and Latin America) One-child policy—China

SOC.9-12.8.A.2.a

Population pressures and poverty (China, India, Africa, and Latin America) Family planning—India

SOC.9-12.8.A.2.b

Population pressures and poverty (China, India, Africa, and Latin America) Mother Theresa

SOC.9-12.8.A.2.c

Population pressures and poverty (China, India, Africa, and Latin America) Cycles of poverty and disease

SOC.9-12.8.A.2.d

The birth of the American reform tradition (religious and secular roots; public schools; care for the physically disabled and the mentally ill; the problems of poverty and crime; antislavery; women’s rights movement)

SOC.9-12.2.II.B.2.d

Pressures for reform Increasing inequities between wealth and poverty

SOC.9-12.4.I.A.4

Social settlement movement and the problems of poverty (Jacob Riis, Jane Addams)

SOC.9-12.4.I.B.2.a

SOC.9-12.7.III.B.1.a

New approaches to old problems The problems of poverty in an affluent society - "the underclass"

SOC.9-12.7.V.D.2

Students will explore democratic principles, such as dignity for all, equality, fairness, and respect for authority and rules, and how those principles are applied to their community.

SOC.2.3a.1

Equality before the law and due process are two fundamental values that apply to all under the jurisdiction of the United States. While the United States legal system aims to uphold the values of equality before the law, due process, human dignity, freedom of conscience, inalienable rights, and civility, the extent to which the legal system upholds these values in practice is an issue of ongoing civic debate.

SOC.12.G2a

The freedom of the United States economy encourages entrepreneurialism. This is an important factor behind economic growth that can lead to intended consequences (e.g., growth, competition, innovation, improved standard of living, productivity, specialization, trade, outsourcing, class mobility, positive externalities) and unintended consequences (e.g., recession, depression, trade, unemployment, outsourcing, generational poverty, income inequality, the challenges of class mobility, negative externalities.).

SOC.12.E3c

The degree to which economic inequality reflects social, political, or economic injustices versus individual choices is hotly debated. The role that the government should play in decreasing this gap, including the variety of government programs designed to combat poverty, is debated as well.

SOC.12.E3e

value the principles, ideals, and core values of the American democratic system based upon the premises of human dignity, liberty, justice, and equality

SOC.7-8.5.2.5

analyzing how an historical development (e.g., cycle of poverty or prosperity, low educational attainment, “Independent Man”) has contributed to current social, economic, or political patterns

SOC.9-12.HP 3 (9-12)-2.b

Students make personal connections in an historical context (e.g., source-to-source, source-to-self, source-to-world) by analyzing how an historical development (e.g., cycle of poverty or prosperity, low educational attainment, “Independent Man”) has contributed to current social, economic, or political patterns

SOC.9-12.HP 3 (9-12) -2.b

define poverty and its components and analyze poverty's impact on the individual and society;

SOC.9-12.SOC.10.B

compare different standards of living in the United States, including poverty, minimum wage, living wage, and desired standards of living.

FIN.10-12.15.C

construct personal interpretations of the messages in their own and others’ dance pieces, including messages about issues relevant to their community and/or the world (e.g., dance pieces on topics such as urban sprawl, land claims, poverty, homophobia, homelessness), and communicate their responses in a variety of ways (e.g., through writing, class discussion, oral reports, song, drama, visual art)

Grade 7 A2.1

use dance as a language to communicate messages about themes of social justice and/or environmental health (e.g., possible solutions to bullying, poverty, racism, pollution, land claims, homelessness, war, deforestation, oppression, colonization)

Grade 8. A1.2

construct personal and/or group interpretations of the themes in their own and others’ dance pieces (e.g., the role of greed in deforestation, war, global warming, poverty) and communicate their responses in a variety of ways (e.g., through writing, discussion, oral report, song, drama, visual art, dance)

Grade 8. A2.1

use a variety of strategies (e.g., brainstorming, concept webs, mind maps, research using sources such as the Internet and/or oral sources) to generate ideas, individually and/or collaboratively, for solutions to creative challenges (e.g., creating a media art work based on a theme such as child poverty in Ontario)

Grade 10 The Creative Process  A1.1

apply elements and principles of design as well as art-making conventions to create art works that comment and/or communicate their personal perspective on issues related to social justice or the environment (e.g., use line and value in a drypoint etching that integrates satire or symbolism to comment on an issue such as poverty, child labour, or discrimination)

The Elements and Principles of Design A2.2

determine criteria (e.g., number of people affected, type of political leadership in region of need, degree and type of support required from Canada, ability to make a difference for the long term) that should be used to assess Canada’s responses to global population issues (e.g., food and water shortages, lack of health care, illiteracy, displacement, poverty, overcrowding)

D1.3 Population Issues

communicate their ideas, arguments, and conclusions using various formats and styles, as appropriate for the intended audiences and purpose (e.g., a blog on the results of environmental action in their school; a web page on a social justice issue such as child poverty and links to relevant
organizations; a discussion group on how best to
foster healthy schools; a poster that highlights
people’s civic responsibilities; a news report on a
plan to build a big box store in the local community;
a presentation on cultural celebrations of various
people within the local community; a protest song
to commemorate or raise awareness about a violation
of human rights; a petition calling for clean,
safe water on First Nations reserves; a debate
on alternative electoral processes; a work of art
on the value of volunteer work)

A1.7 Political Inquiry

communicate their own position on some issues of civic importance at the local, national, and/or global level (e.g., equitable availability of extracurricular activities in schools, a local land-use conflict, poverty or violence in the local community, electoral reform, the debate over Sharia law in Ontario, the level of Canada’s contribution to international development assistance, food security, Aboriginal land rights), explaining how their position is influenced by their beliefs/values

B1.4 Civic Issues, Democratic Values

assess the impact that economic fluctuations have had on different communities in Canada (e.g., Sydney, NS; Athabaska or Calgary, AB; Charlottetown, PEI; Leamington or Oshawa, ON; First Nations reserves across Canada) by analysing measures of poverty and affluence for those communities (e.g., number of people below the low-income cut-off, poverty indices, food bank use, social welfare rolls, housing prices, average income)

C4.4 Economic Inequality

explain how economic models and data are used to measure social need in Canada and to help frame responses to social issues (e.g., issues related to poverty, health, crime, education), and describe challenges associated with the use of these models and data (e.g., the Lorenz curve, the Gini coefficient, poverty indices, gross domestic product, measures of consumer confidence and spending)

C4.5 Economic Inequality

assess the significance of factors that influence fiscal policy decisions in Canada (e.g., political business cycle; economic cycle; demands from stakeholders; poverty; responsibilities for health care, education, programs in Aboriginal communities, and other services; resource development/management; infrastructure needs)

D2.1 Fiscal Policy

explain how various social movements and social justice organizations address global economic inequality, and assess their effectiveness (e.g., with reference to Make Poverty History, the International Labour Organization, the Third World Network; Occupy, antiglobalization, environmental, indigenous rights, seed-saving, fair-trade, feminist, anti–child labour movements)

E3.3 International Economic Power and Inequality

analyse how various factors contribute to poverty in Canada (e.g., gender, race, language, social background, wage rates, unemployment rates, lack of job opportunities in certain regions, outsourcing of jobs as a result of globalization, lack of affordable housing, inadequate education, increase in single-parent families)

E1.1 Economic Inequality

explain some ways in which producers can affect economic inequality in Canada (e.g., by providing well-paying jobs, by paying their taxes, by supporting food banks and other community programs to address the needs of those living in poverty, by closing factories and moving jobs outside Canada, by hiring temporary foreign workers)

E1.3 Economic Inequality

analyse various criteria that are used to measure quality of life, and assess quality of life in the region with reference to several of these criteria (e.g., literacy rates; access to education, medical care, clean water, sanitation, and adequate housing; GDP per capita; per capita income; life expectancy; infant and/or maternal mortality; gender inequality; unemployment and poverty rates; military spending; national debt)

B3.1 Quality of Life

analyse issues relating to the rights of women and children (e.g., child labour, birth control, access to education, economic independence of women), and assess the effectiveness of programs (e.g., programs that train women in the local community as teachers, programs that fund business opportunities for women, Child Soldiers Initiative, Make Poverty History) and organizations (e.g., World Vision, UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International, Free the Children, Grameen Bank) that address these issues

E3.3 Continuing Challenges

analyse policy responses to social and economic challenges in selected ecumenes (e.g., crime, poverty, loss of an economic base, land redistribution, urban renewal)

E2.1 Analysis of Solutions

describe and assess the positive and negative effects of the use of spatial technologies in international affairs (e.g., in monitoring and addressing environmental and human issues such as climate change, acid rain, population movements, politics, trade, consumerism, hunger and poverty, disease)

D2.3 International and Social Implications

identify factors that contribute to poverty, and assess various programs and approaches for alleviating poverty, locally, nationally, and internationally (e.g., government policies and programs such as minimum-wage laws, incomebased housing, relief programs, and debt forgiveness; aid programs of intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank; activities of non-governmental relief and development organizations such as Oxfam, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and local food banks)

E3.3 Human Rights and Quality of Life

describe the daily lives of different groups in the United States in this period (e.g., Native American nations, slaves, free Blacks, indentured servants, industrial workers, farmers, pioneers, new immigrants, economic/political elites), including how they responded to the challenges of everyday life (e.g., environmental challenges, isolation, poverty, displacement, prejudice and discriminatory policies, sickness)

C1.2 Social, Economic, and Political Context

describe issues of concern to African Americans during this period (e.g., systemic oppression and segregation, discrimination, lynching and other forms of violence, poverty and unemployment, housing, voting rights), and analyse contributions of African Americans to American society (e.g., the establishment of the NAACP and/or the Tuskegee Institute; cultural developments such as the birth of blues and jazz or the Harlem Renaissance; the Negro Baseball League; the contributions of individuals such as Mary McLeod Bethune, W. E. B. Du Bois, Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Jack Johnson, Elijah McCoy, Garrett Morgan, Booker T. Washington)

D2.4 Communities, Conflict, and Cooperation

analyse the historical development of key social structures and trends in this ethnic group’s country or region of origin (e.g., with reference to social class or caste, inherited wealth and privilege or poverty and low status, the status of women and/or children, attitudes and behaviours towards differently abled people, treatment and care of the elderly, formal and informal education systems, marriage practices, level of urbanization)

B1.1 Social, Economic, and Political Context

describe some ways in which economic factors in their countries of origin influenced people’s decisions to emigrate (e.g., with reference to unemployment, poverty, child labour, lack of opportunities for people from certain groups, indentured labour, rural decline, loss of traditional work), and analyse the experience of the selected ethnic group to determine the extent to which it was influenced by these factors

C1.3 Social, Economic, and Political Factors

analyse some of the challenges facing various communities in Canada during this period and how different communities responded to them (e.g., with reference to disease, including cholera among recent immigrants, malaria among canal workers, and/or small pox among First Nations; isolation facing pioneers and homesteaders; decreasing availability of land in some regions; the impact of absentee landowners in Prince Edward Island or of the Clergy Reserves; increasing displacement of First Nations; racism and discrimination; challenges associated with transportation; entrenched political elites; poverty; pollution from industry)

C2.1 Interactions and Interdependence

analyse some of the causes and consequences of migration during this period (e.g., causes: natural disasters, political persecution, poverty, famine, war, slavery or other forms of forced migration; consequences: loss of traditional language, culture, and/or identity of migrating groups; new opportunities; cross-cultural influence)

B1.2 Society and Community

analyse from a legal perspective the influence of diverse psychological, socio-economic, and sociological factors on the administration of law (e.g., factors such as: limited access to legal services, poverty, mental illness, the quality of police-community relations, media publicity, advances in technology)

B3.2 Law and Diversity

analyse the impact of some issues of political importance, with a particular emphasis on issues related to equity, human rights, and/or the environment (e.g., homelessness, child poverty, growing economic inequality, foreign aid, free speech, accessibility issues, refugee crises, discrimination against girls and women in many countries, urban sprawl, carbon emissions, climate change, protection of water)

B3.2 Causes, Impact, and Solutions

analyse how various economic factors (e.g., GDP per capita, trade balances, poverty rates, currency exchange rates, employment rates, inflation rates, recessions, depressions) influence politics in and relations between various countries, including Canada

B3.1 Influences on Canadian and International Politics

assess the effectiveness of actions taken by one or more levels of government, including Indigenous governments, to address an issue of national, provincial/territorial, and/or local significance (e.g., with reference to the Far North Act in addressing concerns of Inuit and First Nations about development in northern Ontario; municipal, provincial, and/or federal programs/ policies aimed at reducing child poverty; policies related to the management of the Great Lakes; actions to support nation-to-nation relationships between federal/provincial governments and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governments; youth advisory councils within the federal and provincial governments; policies/actions intended to address issues related to drinking water in First Nations communities; policies/actions on housing in Inuit communities; the actions taken as a result of the Métis Nation of Ontario Secretariat Act [2015] from the perspective of the Métis and the federal and provincial governments)

Grade 5 Application: Governments and
Citizens Working Together B1.1

create a plan of action to address a social issue of local, provincial/territorial, and/or national significance (e.g., homelessness, child poverty, bullying in schools, availability of physicians in remote communities, lack of employment opportunities within some regions, overcrowded and poorly constructed housing and/or lack of mental
health and social services in First Nations and/or
Inuit communities, funding for education in First
Nations communities, preservation of Indigenous
languages, missing and murdered Indigenous women
and girls), specifying the actions to be taken by
the appropriate government or governments,
including Indigenous governments, as well as
by citizens

Grade 5 Application: Governments and
Citizens Working Together B1.2

formulate questions to guide investigations into social and/or environmental issues in Canada from various perspectives, including the perspective of Indigenous peoples and of the level (or levels) of government responsible for addressing the issues (e.g., the perspectives of different levels of government, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], professionals in the field, and people directly affected by an issue such as child poverty on and off reserves, preservation of traditional languages, homelessness, bullying in schools, access to health care, climate change in the Arctic, waste disposal, or deforestation)

Grade 5 Inquiry: Differing Perspectives on
Social and Environmental Issues B2.1

analyse and construct maps in various formats, including digital formats, as part of their investigations into social and/or environmental issues (e.g., a thematic map showing the extent of the areas affected by climate change or how air pollution generated in one jurisdiction affects another; a demographic map showing levels of poverty or homelessness in different provinces; a thematic map showing the location of potential resource-extractions sites in relation to treaty territories, historic Métis settlements, and sacred sites)

Grade 5 Inquiry: Differing Perspectives on
Social and Environmental Issues B2.3

identify the main reasons why different peoples migrated to Canada (e.g., political or religious freedom; political allegiances; perceptions about the availability of land; economic opportunity; family ties; poverty, famine, colonization of or political unrest in their country of origin; forced migration of slaves and “Home Children”)

Grade 6 . Understanding Context: The
Development of Communities
in Canada A3.2

describe the responses of the Canadian government and some NGOs to different disasters and emergencies around the world (e.g., the 2010 earthquake in Haiti; the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean; the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa or another health crisis; poverty and drought in the Horn of Africa)

Grade 6 . Understanding Context: Canada’s
Global Interactions B3.4

No Poverty

analyse how various factors affect quality of life indicators in the region (e.g., public expenditures on education, health, infrastructure, social services; war; drought or other natural or human-made disasters; pandemics; government corruption; misappropriation of aid; labour and environmental standards/regulations; discrimination against women or minorities; inequitable access to resources; food security)

B3.2 Quality of Life

analyse issues relating to human rights, food security, health care, and other challenges to the quality of life of the world’s population

E3.Continuing Challenges

analyse challenges relating to food security and safety, and assess ways of responding to these challenges

E3.4 Continuing Challenges

identify and describe the significance of several indicators that are commonly used to measure quality of life on a global scale (e.g., infant mortality, fertility rate, life expectancy, birth rate, death rate, doubling time, access to medical care, access to clean water, literacy rate and access to education, poverty rate, per capita income, GDP, GDP per capita, unemployment rates, national debt)

Grade 8 . Understanding Geographic
Context: Global Economic
Development and Quality of Life B3.1

describe the spatial distribution of wealth, both globally and within selected countries/ regions (e.g., the concentration of global wealth in North America, Europe, and parts of the Middle East; changing patterns of global wealth as a result of emerging economies such as Russia, China, and India; the concentration of the world’s poorest nations in Africa; patterns of rural poverty and urban wealth)

Grade 8 . Understanding Geographic
Context: Global Economic
Development and Quality of Life B3.9

analyse a range of social and political issues relating to gender equity in both Canadian and global contexts (e.g., issues related to employment, poverty, health care, sports, violence; the use of rape as a tool of war; infanticide and fetal sex selection; access to education and training; political representation)

Grade 11 Local and Global Challenges  C2.1

use terms relating to food and nutrition correctly (e.g., nutrients, nutrient-dense foods, snacking, body image, food security)

Grades 9 & 10 Communicating and Reflecting A4.2

identify the components of food security (e.g., availability, accessibility, adequacy, acceptability, sustainability)

Grades 9 & 10 Food Security D3.1

explain why some people in Canada cannot achieve food security (e.g., lack of access to safe drinking water in smaller communities or communities with deteriorating infrastructure; low income; lack of knowledge about nutrition or food preparation; lack of resources or lack of access to resources; poor growing conditions or low crop yields as a result of soil depletion or natural disasters)

Grades 9 & 10 Food Security D3.2

identify local programs to increase food security (e.g., education programs, food banks, community kitchens, community gardens), and assess their effectiveness

Grades 9 & 10 Food Security D3.4

explain the importance of each of the key components of food security (e.g., availability, accessibility, adequacy, acceptability, sustainability)

Food Security D1.1

explain the relationships among poverty, food insecurity, poor nutrition, and poor health

Food Security D1.3

evaluate various food-distribution systems in terms of their impact on local and global food security (e.g., systems that improve the availability of fair-trade products and local foods versus imported foods)

Food Security D1.4

Grade 12 Food Security D1.1

describe the relationships between poverty, food insecurity, poor nutrition, and poor health

Grade 12 Food Security D1.3

explain how various food distribution systems affect food security, locally and globally (e.g., farmers’ markets supply local foods from identifiable sources; large supermarkets provide increased access to foods year-round but may contribute to lack of access to foods in other countries; fair-trade networks guarantee the working conditions of the food producers but may lead 

to choices to grow cash crops rather than food for

local consumption)