Our Role in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Society continually faces significant increases in uncertainties in various areas. Therefore, the United Nations has established a set of sustainable development goals, to which the Netherlands has committed itself. The Netherlands aims to achieve these development goals in collaboration with partners in society and businesses, including BPRC. You can view the goals by clicking on the adjacent image.
In the field of health, we observe a significant increase in certain lifestyle-related diseases. People are living longer, but at the same time, they are encountering more challenges, increasing the risk of diseases. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has vividly demonstrated how the emergence of a new virus can disrupt the world.
BPRC is an important partner
The third sustainable development goal is good health and well-being. BPRC is a crucial partner for the Dutch government in achieving a couple of sub-goals, which we will elaborate on shortly. This was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, where we contributed to the development of one of the first COVID-19 vaccines, and previously, in the development of the hepatitis vaccine included in the national vaccination program. Learn more about our research results. Conducting animal experiments is crucial in this regard, as underscored by the CCD's research on the use of animals in COVID-19 research (Dutch).
BPRC works independently and collaborates in various contexts to address societal challenges that are larger and more diffuse than what a single organization can achieve. These challenges include:
- Making a substantial contribution to preventing or curing life-threatening and severely disabling diseases in humans.
- Actively contributing to the development and application of alternatives and non-animal testing techniques.
- Operating under the highest (inter)national standards for animal welfare and promoting scientific advancements in the field of medicine.
In doing so, we make every effort to have an impact on these tasks and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The third sustainable development goal
BPRC's scientific impact aligns fully with this goal: good health and well-being. We serve as an indispensable partner at both the national and global levels to achieve this goal. Within this framework, we explicitly address the aforementioned sub-goals:
- 3.3 Ending epidemics such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, as well as combating hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases by 2030.
- 3.8 Ensuring universal health coverage, including protection against financial risks, access to quality essential healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for everyone.
The twelfth sustainable development goal
In addition to the third goal, BPRC is also committed to the twelfth goal. The amount of waste generated by BPRC's work is substantial. Furthermore, we must dispose of this waste under special conditions to safeguard human health and the environment from any contamination or pollution risks.