Raisa Blommenstein

Mr Dr Law & Philosophy

Raisa Blommestijn (1994) is a legal philosopher, publicist and political commentator. She studied both Law and Philosophy at the University of Leiden. In April 2022, she successfully defended her PhD thesis on the Weimar Republic, the downfall of democracy and its decay towards totalitarianism (“The ghost of Weimar. A democracy in crisis”). She has published on several topics, i.e. freedom of speech, democratic theory, totalitarianism, the European Union and political correctness. During the corona crisis, she contributed to various lawsuits that were filed against to uphold fundamental rights.

Title: Social Development Goals: Agenda 2030 or Hidden Agenda?

Summary

In 2015, the United Nations introduced its Sustainable Development Goals or its so-called Agenda 2030. These seventeen aims for a better world include “no poverty”, “gender equality”, “climate action” and have to be realized through “partnerships for the goals”. Although these goals may sound very noble on the surface – who would be in favor of poverty? – the question arises if this is

truly the case or if there is, so to speak, a ‘hidden agenda’. For instance, who was involved in the process of creating them? What institutions and persons are responsible for making sure they are reached by 2030? What does something like “no poverty” really mean? These and other questions will be answered during this speech.