Paper short abstract:

This paper explores an inherent contradiction in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the global health implications of this contradiction for indigenous communities.

Paper long abstract:

In a review of Jeffery Sachs' influential volume 'The Age of Sustainable Development', James H. Brown argues (as many have before him) that the concept of 'Sustainable Development', central to the UN SDG agenda (Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030), is a contradiction in terms. Although the seventeen goals in the SDGs were framed to interact with each other, the inherent tension between economic growth and sustainable development results in a number of awkward compromises. As is so often the case in 'global health' discussions, the needs of global indigenous communities are siloed, overlooked, ignored, compromised and/or threatened. This paper explores the implications for indigenous health of this foundational flaw in the logic of the SDGs, including issues of environmental damage, displacement, food supply and nutritional health, exploring insights offered by a One Health approach.