Scholars of Kathmandu University (KU) and various academic institutions have welcomed the recent adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the ongoing General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA).

The UNGA adopted SDG on September 25-27, as new development agendas and cooperation across the globe. The SDGs, slated to come into effect from 2016, succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which concludes this year.

In a bid to laud the effort of the world to bring into discourse the need for sustainable development — an agenda that calls for a balanced broad-based progress on economic, social and environmental wellbeing of communities living all over the world — the scholars of Kathmandu University's Masters programme on Sustainable Development (MSD), organised a rally from Maitighar Mandala to Basantapur Durbar Square, on Tuesday.

The rally, which was taken through overhead bridges, footpath and zebra crossing, so as to symbolise sustainable practices in traffic maintenance, converged into an event in Basantapur where 13 cleaners/ sweepers of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) were honoured.

Expressing his ecstasy on being honoured, head of the KMC's cleaning staff at Basantapur Ram Pode said, "I have swept the floors of this place for past 30 years and this is the first time anyone has honoured anyone of us. Even the KMC fails to acknowledge our efforts in its annual events."

According to Assistant Professor at the KU Parbat Dhungana, the MDG was largely focused on the aid system of developed world, where the load of development was heavy on the developing nations. "However, the world slowly and gradually realized that even the development of developed world was flawed as it did not take into account the serious questions of environment and society," he said, adding that SDGs elaborate the new development agenda as equal contribution of all nations on alleviating poverty and combating climate change, among other issues.

"The adoption of SDGs is going to put sustainable practices on the driving seat of the development of the world," said Bijay Mahato Tharu, a sustainable development scholar of the KU. "The need of the hour therefore is to widely disseminate the information and aware public at the local level about how the new development agenda has put them at the center."

Various academic institutions and development organizations including Laligurans College, Schemes College, Appolo International School, Sustainable Development Initiatives (SDI), Global Peace Foundation (GPF), among others, participated in the event.