Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) follow and build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are set to expire at the end of 2015.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the global community’s collective commitment to building a just, inclusive, and environmentally responsible future.

Adopted in 2015 at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out 17 Goals and 169 Targets to address the world’s most pressing challenges, ranging from poverty and hunger to climate change and peace.

Unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were limited to developing countries, SDGs are universal and apply to all nations, rich and poor alike.

Understanding the SDGs

The SDGs are a holistic framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development.

• Economic Goals: Decent work, industry & infrastructure, responsible production & consumption.
• Social Goals: Poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality, health, peace & justice.
• Environmental Goals: Climate action, clean water, life below water, life on land, sustainable cities.
• Partnership Goal: SDG 17 emphasises global partnerships, financing, technology transfer, and capacity-building.

Together, they envision “leaving no one behind”, a commitment to inclusive and equitable growth.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are officially known as Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals, associated with 169 targets and 304 indicators. This included the following goals:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) vs Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)

As the MDG deadline approaches, about 100 crore people still live on less than $1.25 a day – the World Bank measure on poverty. More than 80 crore people do not have enough food to eat. Now let’s have a quick look on why we need SDGs.

• MDGs were too narrow.
• MDGs failed to consider the root causes of poverty.
• The millennium development goals made no mention of human rights.
• In reality MDGs  were considered targets for poor countries to achieve from the finance of wealthy countries.
• Every country will be expected to work towards achieving the SDGs.
• Goal 16 has a target to promote the rule of law and equal access to justice.
• MDGs were drawn up by a group of men in the basement of UN headquarters.
• Establishing post-2015 goals was an outcome of the Rio+20 summit in 2012, which mandated the creation of an open working group to come up with a draft agenda. Alongside the open working group discussions, the UN conducted a series of “global conversations”.

Read more about Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Criticisms of SDGS

• Some countries feel that an agenda consisting of 17 goals is too unwieldy to implement or sell to the public, and would prefer a narrower brief.
• Some feel that 15 years is a long duration to end global poverty and hunger.

Read: 

• SDG India Index 2023-34
• SDG 3: What is the status of India’s progress?