Within the field of sustainable development, there are numerous documents and initiatives which overlap in their purpose. These intersections create a framework that communities around the globe can use to address the Grand Challenges we collectively face. In order to develop sustainable solutions to Grand Challenges, all sectors of society and all types of people must actively participate. The first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recognized this in 1992, which led to the Major Groups framework. Now, nine groups including Women, Children and Youth, Indigenous Peoples, Non-Governmental Organizations, Local Authorities, Workers and Trade Unions, Business and Industry, Scientific and Technological Community and Farmers are encouraged to participate in discussions about development from which they were previously excluded. What is more, the role of multistakeholderism has gained notoriety because the Major Groups framework makes is possible for the many groups within society to all voice how Grand Challenges affect their specific communities. Therefore, the solutions that arise from a multistakeholder approach leads to more sustainable and inclusive solutions because this approach addresses the intersections within the development framework, and within the community that it seeks to impact.

One problem that I wish to point out is that the intersectionality of sustainable development and various stakeholder needs is not widely known among members of society that are not intellectually involved with development. Many people do not know what the SDGs are, much less how they address the needs of specific communities. What is more, the people who aren’t aware of these intersectionalites do not know that they are stakeholders. If an individual isn’t aware of the multistakeholder framework which exists to help achieve the SDGs, how would they be able to participate in the discussion or implementation of polities to do so? Local community leaders must be engaged in development and informed about intersectionality within the field in order to bring about policy changes that will have any impact.