Analyzing Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 6: Tunica County, MS

This report examines the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically focusing on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) within Tunica County, Mississippi. It provides background information on the origins and significance of the SDGs, emphasizing their role in addressing global challenges. The report analyzes poverty levels in Tunica County, comparing statistics before and after the implementation of SDG initiatives, and discusses strategies for poverty reduction, including employment opportunities, education, and health insurance programs. It also addresses the challenges related to access to clean water and sanitation in the county, highlighting issues such as inadequate sewage systems and racial discrimination. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and accountability in achieving the SDGs and improving the lives of Tunica County residents. The report highlights the need for improved infrastructure and equal access to resources to achieve these goals by 2030.

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 1
Sustainable Development Goals
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The Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, all the member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for
sustainable development which provides blueprint shared by the planet and people for prosperity
and peace. The agendas for the sustainable developments were formed for the present and future
well-being of the countries. At the core of the 2030 agendas are the Sustainable development
Goals, which are 17 in number (UNDP, 2019). The goals purposely are an urgent call for all the
countries, both developing and developed to act towards the global partnership. They
acknowledge that ending deprivations and ending poverty is in line with the methodologies and
strategies that help enhance education and health, increases economic growth and inequality
reduction- at the same time dealing with climate change and working towards the preservation of
our forests and oceans. The 17 goals of sustainable development are significant in addressing the
challenges that are faced by people globally. The goals have relations with each other, and there
is a need to achieve them by the stipulated time, 2030. Moreover, the Sustainable Development
Goals are a framework for the NGOs and the governmental agencies to refine and design their
policy resolutions and decisions. They also are a direct appeal for global coordination and
collaboration within the ordinary individuals. This report will address poverty and water and
sanitation challenges in Tunica County, Mississippi state and evaluate the progress in the
achievement of SDG 1 and SDG 6.
Origins and Backgrounds of the Sustainable Development Goals
Knowledge about the background and origins of these Sustainable Development Goals
are essential in understanding and having a global awareness on ways to achieve a more and
better sustainable future for all the citizens. The SDGs originated and were born in 2012, at the
United Nations Conference held in Rio de Janeiro for Sustainable Development. The main aim

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for the goals was to generate a set of universal goals, and that met the urgent political, economic
and environmental challenges our world faces. The SDGs were a replacement of the Millennium
Development Goals, which began as a global effort to tackle poverty humiliation in the year
2000 (Assembly, 2015). The Millennium goals established universally-agreed and measurable
aims for dealing with extreme hunger, poverty, expanding children’s primary education, deadly
diseases prevention and giving priorities to development projects.
Within 15 years, the Millennium Development Goals were able to drive progress in
various essential areas such as providing water and sanitation access, significantly improving the
maternal health, income poverty reduction and reducing the child mortality rates (Turner, 2016).
The Goals additionally started a global movement which inspired countries for their future
investments and advocated for free primary education. The Millennium Goals made tremendous
efforts in the prevention of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The achievements and legacy
of the Millennium Goals provided the United States with significant experiences and lessons to
start working on the new goals (Kumar, Kumar & Vivekadhish, 2016). However, Sustainable
Goals too many people around the world remains unfinished. There is a need for us to go extra
miles to achieve better healthcare services, end poverty and hunger, gender equality achievement
and ensure education beyond the primary level is provided to our children.
The SDGs were formulated and are a bold commitment to what was started by the United
Organization States to deal with the challenges currently faced in the world. The 17 Goal is all
connected; thus, success or failure in one of them affects the others. Tackling climate change
threats affects how we manage our scares and fragile natural resources, how we achieve equality
in gender, how to eradicate poverty, attain better health services and foster peace among our

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many societies. The Sustainable Development Goals provides us with the highest chance to
enhance and improve the future life of our generations.
The SDGs co-occur with another historic agreement which, was reached at the COP21
Paris Climate Conference in 2015. Along with the 2015 Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction
Framework in Japan, these agreements generate a set of achievable and common targets and
standards aimed at managing climate change risks, carbon emissions reduction, and preventing
the occurrence of a natural disaster. The SDGs are distinctive since they cover and deal with
issues that affect us globally. They restore our commitment internationally to end poverty
permanently. They ensure none is left behind in the attainment of these goals. Moreover, the
goals are crucial in involving all of us to build a safer, prosperous and more sustainable world for
all individuals.
Achievement of the No Poverty in Tunica County (SDG 1)
Poverty eradication is the first goal of Sustainable Development established by the
UNDP. The poverty level over the years is reported to have reduced significantly despite the
challenges (Fox, 2018). The goal makes efforts in creating and managing a sustainable
environment since it is a prerequisite in reducing poverty. However, exposure to natural disasters
and climate change tends to hinder the poverty eradication efforts. Most vulnerable and needy
people live in areas prone to disasters. With the increase in temperature levels, the severity of
disasters that are climate-related tend to increase thus affecting the lives of people in these
regions and reverses the developments aimed at poverty reduction. The number 1 goal;
nonetheless, these challenges have strived to reduce poverty and by 2015, the number of people
living in poverty had half reduced; it is a great achievement.

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The United Nations has put in place its agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) which has aided countries to develop and generate programs and strategies which are
evidence-based in efforts to achieve no poverty goal. FAO has increased the poor people access
to resources and land, structural transformation, income diversification, gender equality and
decent jobs for the poor mostly living in the rural areas (Pogge & Sengupta, 2015). Additionally,
this organization aims to strengthen the institutions found in the rural areas as well as offering
social protection to the poor. Poverty eradication remains one of the significant challenges facing
humanity in the whole world. The SDGs help in providing a multi-agency framework which
helps to reduce poverty levels and improve the living status of people in Tunica. Poverty levels
in Tunica County in 2014 compared to 2019 after the implementation of the SDG indicates a
positive outcome. According to the US Census Bureau (n.d), poverty levels in the rural Tunica
County in 2014 was 29.7% compared to 27.0% in 2019. Mississippi state poverty rate as of 2018
was 19.8% which is higher than the US average poverty rate at 11.8%.
Before establishment of the SDG, Tunica County had extremely worrying poverty rates.
Mississippi State, in general, has high unemployment rates and poverty rates. Therefore, the
implementation of SDG 1 of poverty eradication through proper planning and coordination can
improve the lives of the people due to its small size and low population. Targeting people living
in vulnerable situations and improving their living status in Tunica County has helped in
reduction of poverty levels compared to previous years. Eradication of poverty through enabling
access to services and resources have changed poverty rates, even though overall poverty rates in
Mississippi remain high. Poverty eradication would be one of the best achievements in the world
to ensure sustainability. Achievement of eradication of poverty rates has been through initiatives
that secure employment opportunities for Tunica County residents in order to ensure the

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improvement of their lives. Promotion of better business opportunities to the residents will help
in maintaining sustainability through promoting independence among the residents (Johnson,
Faught, & Long, 2017). Mississippi County has low educational levels, promotion of education
through building institutions and facilitating their operations will reduce poverty rates due to
increase in labor in the market. Relevant government agencies and non-governmental
organizations can organize for health insurance programs to low-income families in addition to
the existing policies. It will help in reducing health costs and improving the well-being of Tunica
residents and boost the labor market. There is a significant reduction in poverty rates in Tunica
County since the SGD tasks were rolled out in order to help human life improvement.
Comparisons between the current situations in Tunica County and previous before rolling out the
plan indicate the need for collaboration in order to help humanity. Stringent measures by the
government on public institutions’ accountability have helped in channeling of resources in the
projects they are intended for therefore fostering sustainable development.
Achievement of poverty eradication is progressive and can significantly change the lives
of people because at least every household will have a source of income. Poverty is one of the
global challenges that contribute to an increase in global morbidity and mortality rates. Poverty
eradication reduces socioeconomic inequality in Tunica County which will foster good social
relationships in the society. Proper plan and coordination of all the tasks relating to poverty
reduction more so in most rural parts of the USA like Tunica will help faster implementation and
eradicating poverty by the year 2030 (UNDP, 2019). Sustainability in the society through
eradication of poverty has changed the lives of many people and reduced the overall poverty
levels in the County. The program is considered a success because of the radical changes it has
shown in social and economic aspects of the Tunica County residents. Eradication of poverty

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would mean an increase in life expectancy, employment rates and economic development. It is
important to note that poverty should not be a subject of discussion in the 21st century due to
recent technological developments and humanitarian efforts.
Achievement of Access to Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)
Before the establishment of this SDG, the US Government has an environmental agency
which ensures there is no violation of the Clean Water Act. There are inadequate sewage systems
in Tunica. The inadequacy in such sewerage system in the Sugar Ditch neighborhood has
resulted in similar challenges, common in contemporary society. A large number of the black
residents living in Tunica are reported to occasionally make national headlines as the society
organizers unveiled that these individuals use to dump wastes from the bathroom directly into the
outside ditches. Additionally, the organizers reported that some homes belonging to these natives
never had any indoor plumbing ultimately. Unfortunately, the received millions of the dollars
from the federal government that are supposed to aid in sewer improvements are found out to be
only directed in the part of the city with white subdivisions. It brought to light the racial
discriminatory that are prevalent in this county. Coleman and Winkler (2019) explain that the
City officials and councils in attempts to solve this problem passed an ordinance with the
requirement of landlords hooking up sewer lines of which if they fail, a 300 dollar fine was to be
imposed on them. However, the landlords failed in their compliance. As a result of the
unfavorable home conditions, and inappropriate needed infrastructure, tenants were forced to
vacate their homes and get relocated in the city’s outskirts in new apartments which had toilets
and hot running water. The residents showed uncertainty about the relocation to a new place at
the time. The primary living conditions of these individuals greatly improved. However, the lack
of political power and employment opportunities never changed.

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The main objective of Sustainable Development 6 is to enhance access to clean water and
sanitation to everyone. Tunica County has numerous challenges in accessing clean water and
sanitation due to slow socioeconomic growth. Clean water is essential for the prevention of
water-borne infections and safe for domestic use. Sanitation ensures that every household has
access to clean toilet and use them properly to contain the spread of parasitic, bacterial and viral
infections. Water scarcity still faces about 40% of the world’s population, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO). Provision of safe drinking water and proper supply of sanitation
facilities should be the priority in Tunica County to prevent disease outbreaks and reduce the
prevalence of infections.
Government agencies and their partners have a framework for infrastructural
development to ensure adequate water supply and sanitation development in Tunica.
Development of awareness programs that help people to know water and sanitation have helped
in changing the situation. Pollution rate in Tunica has significantly reduced to the SDG task
initiative which is very significant in humanity. The federal government have designed policies
that guide the provision for safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. The US government
have a structured evaluation plan and accountability model which will help in the improvement
of the health of Tunica County residents (Kaufman, 2017). Promotion of programs that create
awareness about living healthy among the Tunica County residents has helped in the
improvement of general feeling about having access to clean water and proper sanitation
facilities (Coleman & Winkler, 2019). Government parts have designed proper plans for
addressing various climate change impacts which affect the water towers and cause exposure of
untreated sewage in this locality. A healthy lifestyle is essential for the achievement of the SDG
in Tunica County and promoting developing. Improvements in Tunica in terms of access to

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water and sanitation is essential for the achievement of the 2030 United Nation’s objective of
having zero cases of water scarcity and sanitation services. The implementation of the SDG have
led to increased levels of hygiene and sanitation in Tunica County had has improved the lives of
many people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, humanitarian challenges in the world have led to the development of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs established in the year 2015 by United
Nations have led to various global programs projected at changing the lives of people and
enhancing sustainable. Tunica County in Mississippi State is one of the less privileged Counties
in the US because of slow development and high poverty levels in the locality. High poverty
levels have led to numerous social and health challenges. SDGs 1 and 6 which have been
discussed indicate the various plans and initiatives that aim at poverty eradication and accessible
clean water and sanitation to everyone. Tunica County developmental changes have shown the
impact of SDGs implementation which improve the lives of the people of Tunica County and
Mississippi County at all. It is essential to note collaboration and cooperation in the
implementation of SDGs tasks that enhance sustainability in Tunica County and the world at
large will increase life expectancy.

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References
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U.S. Census Bureau, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level in Tunica County, MS
[S1701ACS028143], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis;
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/S1701ACS028143.
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