United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Halfway to the 2030 deadline, development progress is under threat due to the combined impacts of climate change, conflict, overlapping energy, food and economic shocks, and lingering COVID-19 effects. Along with shrinking fiscal space for many countries, progress on the SDGs has been severely disrupted. With our common future hanging in the balance, the stakes could not be higher.  Now, more than ever, we must work together towards a more promising future, built on shared goals and a common vision.

United Nations Headquarters in New York from 25-27 September 2015

This is a global initiative adopted by United Nations member states in September 2015. The 2030 Agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 associated targets. Each goal addresses a specific global challenge, from poverty and inequality to climate change and environmental protection. The aim is to achieve these goals by 2030 through international cooperation and efforts by individual countries.

Preamble

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.

The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet:

People

We are determined to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment.

Planet

We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.

Prosperity

We are determined to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature.

Peace

We are determined to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence. There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development.

Partnership

We are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda through a revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focussed in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders and all people.

The interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals are of crucial importance in ensuring that the purpose of the new Agenda is realised. If we realise our ambitions across the full extent of the Agenda, the lives of all will be profoundly improved and our world will be transformed for the better.

At the midpoint for implementation of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, 2023 also marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which provide the foundation for the work of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) around the world. 2023 also marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Principles by the United Nations General Assembly, setting out the standards for independent and effective NHRIs.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are:

1. No Poverty

2. Zero Hunger

3. Good Health and Well-being

4. Quality Education

5. Gender Equality

6. Clean Water and Sanitation

7. Affordable and Clean Energy

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

10. Reduced Inequality

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

12. Responsible Consumption and Production

13. Climate Action

14. Life Below Water

15. Life on Land

16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

17. Partnerships for the Goals

Agenda 2030 represents a commitment by countries around the world to work together to address these pressing global challenges. Progress towards the SDGs is tracked through a system of indicators and reporting mechanisms.

"The SDG Summit, to be held at UN Headquarters September at the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda deadline, “must mark significant progress”, the Secretary-General said. He urged Member States to bring a clear commitment to rescue the SDGs by setting out their national vision for transformation, grounded in concrete plans, benchmarks, and commitments".