International Journal Writing Group

Encouraging local writing dedicated to the founding principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Hand writing on a notepad with pen, laptop in foreground
We live in a world with ever increasing inequity. It manifests within all communities; it destroys communal harmony from within. It perpetuates conflict and strife on a global scale. It slowly, but surely, reels in humanity towards an abyss.
In response, the United Nations committed itself to a longitudinal programme dedicated to bringing “peace and prosperity to all people in the planet, now and into the future”. That programme was based on two founding principles:
  1. Leave no one behind.
  2. Reach the furthest behind first.
The programme, packaged as Resolution 70/1, was adopted by all 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly on the 25 September 2015. It was called ‘Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. It soon became widely known as the Sustainable Development Goals.
Today, we seem to have forgotten the two founding principles of the Sustainable Development Goals. Communities continue to be left behind; the furthest behind barely receive a mention within the wider deliberations. This is not fair. We simply cannot create a world with peace and prosperity for all people, unless we honour them. The International Journal Writing Group was launched on 23 April 2024 to highlight the importance of those founding principles.
 

Our plan for this project

Support

The University of Plymouth will support this research by providing expert guidance through each stage – from the creation of matched writing teams, identification of topics, writing proposals and ethics submissions, engagement in data collection, analysis, and writing submissions, all the way through to submission.
We will also be supported to publish in reputed, peer-reviewed, indexed journals through Gold and Green Open Access agreements sponsored by the University.
 

Join us

We invite all potential authors, from any background, anywhere in the world to join us. Please contact us by emailing ijwg@plymouth.ac.uk, and providing a brief summary of yourself and your area of interest, in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
We insist that (1) all writing groups will focus on the founding principles in relation to local issues, (2) be interdisciplinary in composition, and (3) involve at least one co-author from the community.
Therefore, if you have a specific local issue in mind, it will certainly help. This is an ongoing longitudinal project, with no specified end date.
We look forward to hearing from you.
International Journal Writing Group event

Global Plymouth

This project is an outreach activity of Global Plymouth – dedicated to celebrating our diverse population within an inclusive, welcoming community.