What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Overview of SDGs
On September 25, 2015, 193 Heads of State and Government of Member States gathered at the Sustainable Development Summit at UN Headquarters in New York to unanimously adopt "Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". The Agenda was developed through a highly transparent process that included seven rounds of intergovernmental negotiations and three years of discussions involving NGOs, mayors, and the private sector. At the core of the Agenda are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are an action plan that sets out the global challenges to be met by 2030 and will guide the international community going forward. They consist of a total of 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets, including ending poverty in all its forms, combating inequality, and addressing climate change, with the aim of realizing a society in which "no one is left behind.
From MDGs to SDGs
The SDGs were formulated as the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDGs were developed in 2001 by integrating the UN Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000 and the international development goals adopted at major international conferences in the 1990s. The MDGs set eight development goals for developing countries by 2015: (1) poverty and hunger, (2) primary education, (3) women, (4) infants and young children, (5) maternal, (6) disease, (7) environment, and (8) solidarity. While the MDGs have achieved some of the goals, such as halving extreme poverty and combating HIV and malaria, they also leave unmet challenges, such as halving infant and maternal mortality.
The SDGs build on the achievements of the MDGs to address a broader set of challenges in an integrated manner, taking into account the interrelated elements of economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. The MDGs were primarily targeted at developing countries, while the SDGs are targeted at the international community as a whole, including developed countries. The SDGs also emphasize the role of all stakeholders, including private companies, NGOs, and experts, as well as countries and governments, and are relevant to each and every person around the world.
The 17 Goals (SDGs)
The 17 goals are listed below. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are as follows: "The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a set of goals that are designed to achieve the goals of the United Nations.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are not only our shared humanitarian vision, but also a social contract between world leaders and peoples.
"They are not only a list of things to do for people and planet, but also a blueprint for success."
| Goal 1 | End poverty in all its forms everywhere |
|---|---|
| Target 2 | End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture |
| Goal 3 | Ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of all people of all ages |
| Target 4 | Provide inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning opportunities |
| Goal 5 | Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls |
| Target6 | Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all people |
| Target 7 | Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all |
| Target8 | Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and full and productive employment and decent work for all |
| Target 9 | Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and expand innovation |
| Target 10 | Reduce inequalities within and among countries |
| Target 11 | Achieve inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements |
| Target 12 | Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns |
| Target 13 | Take urgent measures to mitigate climate change and its impacts
(Recognizing that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary international, intergovernmental dialogue forum for negotiating the global response to climate change) |
| Target 14 | Conserve and sustainably use marine resources for sustainable development |
| Target 15 | Promote the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable management of forests, and combating desertification, as well as halting and preventing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss |
| Target16 | Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels |
| Goal 17 | Strengthen the means of implementation for sustainable development and revitalize the global partnership |
SDG Achievement Indicators and Follow-up
It states that governments have primary responsibility for follow-up and review at the national, regional and global levels of progress in advancing goals and targets for the next 15 years. To support that accountability, a systematic follow-up and review mechanism has been established by the United Nations. The high-level political forum, convened under the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, plays a central role in overseeing follow-up and review at the global level, and the UN Secretary-General prepares an annual progress report on the SDGs ( an annual progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals" and "the Global Sustainable Development Report" are used for follow-up and review. The indicators required to facilitate this follow-up and review are as follows.
The 17 goals and 169 targets will be monitored and verified using a set of global indicators agreed by the UN Statistical Commission.