SDG18 Communication for All, Volume 1

The 2030 agenda for development or what is known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is perhaps the most ambitious agenda collectively agreed by 193 countries in human history. In 2015, the UN Member States adopted the 17 SDGs as a framework that would help address the challenges being faced by humanity. From eradicating poverty, ending hunger, providing universal access to healthcare and education, addressing climate change; to the partnering of individuals, philanthropists and nation states to achieve the global goals.Yet, the framers of the 2030 agenda for development comprising key stakeholders from all sectors of life forgot to dedicate one goal on the role of communication in achieving the SDGs. Such an oversight has attracted the attention of media and communication scholars alike, journalists and policy makers who understand that it is nearly impossible to achieve the SDGs without the articulation and embrace of the role of communication in development. In today's post-pandemic society, development has become a communication issue and communication is a development issue. How could such a vital pillar of life be missing in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals? Volume 1 provides an overview of what the contributors have termed as the 'missing link' between existing SDGs: Communication for All.