The Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a blueprint for peace and prosperity for the planet and for people presently and in the future.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals that are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and are an urgent call to action by all countries. “They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests”.
In addition to the 17 goals, there are also 169 targets that need to be met in order to achieve the goals. The SGDs are integrated and are indivisible, meaning that one cannot be achieved without others also being achieved. The goals are also supported by the three dimensions of sustainable development; economy, environment and society. The SDGs are now being worked on at all levels, through individual action, small grassroots organizations, large corporations and government agendas.
In 2018, I have the privilege going to the United Nations in New York to attend the High-Level Political Forum with a youth delegation from Canada. That year the HLFP focused reviewing the progress of 6 of the SGDs (goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17) with the theme of transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies. Each year leaders from countries across the world from various sectors gather to review a subset of goals, and highlight success and challenges they are each facing to share learnings and help educate and support on another.
Before the SDGs, there were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were 8 goals that aimed to end poverty, provide universal education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve mental health, combat HIV/Aids and other diseases, and ensure environmental sustainability.
While the MDGs were a solid foundation from which the SDGs evolved, there were a few gaps. The MDGs were created by a small group of men from a few countries in a very top-down approach, instead of through a bottom-up collaborative. Additionally, the MDGs were too difficult for low- and middle-income countries, while being not challenging enough for other wealthier countries. Lastly, there were limitations with implementing and enforcing the MDGs based on the lack reliable data.
Taking the lessons learned from the MDGs, the SDGs were created using a more collaborative approach with countries across the world, with more specific Goals and Targets that encompass the urgent needs of humanity in a more equitable and equal way.
Today many organizations are using the goals as a foundation for their strategy and missions, focusing on one of a few goals that directly resonate with their purpose. While the SDGs are very ambitious based on the aggressive timeline to meet them (now less than 10 years), simply having the framework and a collection effort to achieve them will result in great progress.
I would highly encourage you to read more about the individual goals and see which ones most resonate with you and/or your organization.
You can also learn more about why each of the SDGs matter here: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/why-the-sdgs-matter/