Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Mission statement	"A shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future"
Location	Global
Founder	United Nations
Established	2015
Website	sdgs.un.org

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were created with the aim of "peace and prosperity for people and the planet..."^[1][2][3] – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs.^[4][5]

A research published in 2024 predicted SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) scores of global regions until 2040 using machine learning models.^[6] The forecast results for 2030 show that “OECD countries” (80) (with a 2.8% change) and “Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (74) (with a 2.37% change) are expected to achieve the highest SDG scores. “Latin America and the Caribbean” (73) (with a 4.17% change), “East and South Asia” (69) (with a 2.64% change), “Middle East and North Africa” (68) (with a 2.32% change), and “Sub-Saharan Africa” (56) (with a 7.2% change) will display lower levels of SDG achievement, respectively.^[6]

The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

These goals are ambitious, and the reports and outcomes to date indicate a challenging path. Most, if not all, of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. Rising inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss are topics of concerns threatening progress. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse. The pandemic impacted all 17 goals and emphasized the interconnectedness of global health, economic, social, and environmental challenges.^[7] Some regions, such as Asia, have experienced significant setbacks during that time. The global effort for the SDGs calls for prioritizing environmental sustainability, understanding the indivisible nature of the goals, and seeking synergies across sectors.

With regards to the political impact of the SDGs, it has been observed that they have mainly influenced global and national debates. By doing so, they have led to discursive effects for global and national debates. However, they have struggled to achieve transformative changes in policy and institutional structures.^[7] The uneven prioritization of goals reflects longstanding national development policies. This complicates the global endeavor towards sustainable development. For example, there has long been a tendency to favor socio-economic objectives over environmental ones.^[7]

Funding remains a critical issue for achieving the SDGs. Significant financial resources would be required worldwide. The UN, other international organizations, and national governments are trying to assist with funding efforts. Furthermore, the role of private investment and a shift towards sustainable financing are also essential for realizing the SDGs. Examples of progress from some countries demonstrate that achieving sustainable development through concerted global action is possible.

The 17 Sustainable Development goals

Structure of goals, targets and indicators

The lists of targets and indicators for each of the 17 SDGs was published in a UN resolution in July 2017.^[8] Each goal typically has 8–12 targets, and each target has between one and four indicators used to measure progress toward reaching the targets, with the average of 1.5 indicators per target.^[9] The targets are either outcome targets (circumstances to be attained) or means of implementation targets.^[10] The latter targets were introduced late in the process of negotiating the SDGs to address the concern of some Member States about how the SDGs were to be achieved. Goal 17 is wholly about how the SDGs will be achieved.^[10]

The numbering system of targets is as follows: Outcome targets use numbers, whereas means of implementation targets use lower case letters.^[10] For example, SDG 6 has a total of 8 targets. The first six are outcome targets and are labeled Targets 6.1 to 6.6. The final two targets are means of implementation targets and are labeled as Targets 6.a and 6.b.

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) website provides a current official indicator list which includes all updates until the 51st session Statistical Commission in March 2020.^[11]

The indicators for the targets have varying levels of methodological development and availability of data at the global level.^[12] Initially, some indicators (called Tier 3 indicators) had no internationally established methodology or standards. Later, the global indicator framework was adjusted so that Tier 3 indicators were either abandoned, replaced or refined.^[12] As of 17 July 2020, there were 231 unique indicators.^[12]

Data or information must address all vulnerable groups such as children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, refugees, indigenous peoples, migrants, and internally-displaced persons.^[13]

Reviews of indicators

The indicator framework was comprehensively reviewed at the 51st session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2020. It will be reviewed again in 2025.^[14] At the 51st session of the Statistical Commission (held in New York City from 3–6 March 2020) a total of 36 changes to the global indicator framework were proposed for the commission's consideration. Some indicators were replaced, revised or deleted.^[14] Between 15 October 2018 and 17 April 2020, other changes were made to the indicators.^[15] Yet their measurement continues to be fraught with difficulties.^[16]

Goal 1: No Poverty

SDG 1 is to: "End poverty in all its forms everywhere."^[17] Achieving SDG 1 would end extreme poverty globally by 2030. One of its indicators is the proportion of population living below the poverty line.^[17] The data gets analyzed by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location (urban/rural).

End poverty in all its forms everywhere, by 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less that $2.15 a day. Reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimension according to national definition. By 2030, all men and women in particular the poor and the vulnerable have equal right to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resource, appropriate new technology and financial services including microfinance. High fertility rates can trap countries in poverty large family size and poverty often go hand in hand. People living in deprived areas are usually not empowered to choose the number of children they have and in some cases feel the need to have many so they can be provided for in their old age, when people are poor and have many children which leads to kids not being able to attend school and girls getting married off as child bride.

Poverty eradication is addressed in chapter II of the Johannesburg plan of implementation (2002), which stressed that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenges facing the world today and indispensable requirement for sustainable development, particular for developing countries. Priority actions on poverty eradication include:^[19]

• Improving access to sustainable live hoods entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources
• Providing universal access to basic social services
• progressively developing social protection systems to support those who cannot support themselves.
• Empowering people living in poverty and their organization
• Addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on women
• Working with interested donors and recipients to allocate increased shares of ODA to poverty eradication and
• intensifying international cooperation for poverty eradication

The General Assembly, in its 1997 programme for further implementation of agenda 21( paragraphy27) decided that poverty eradication should be an overriding theme of sustainable development for the coming years

Goal 2: Zero hunger (No hunger)

SDG 2 is to: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture."^[20] Indicators for this goal are for example the prevalence of diet, prevalence of severe food insecurity, and prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age.

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

SDG 3 is to: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."^[24] Important indicators here are life expectancy as well as child and maternal mortality. Further indicators are for example deaths from road traffic injuries, prevalence of current tobacco use, and suicide mortality rate.^[24]

Goal 4: Quality education

SDG 4 is to: "Ensure inclusive^[1] and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."^[26] The indicators for this goal are, for example, attendance rates at primary schools, completion rates of primary school education, participation in tertiary education, and so forth. In each case, parity indices are looked at to ensure that disadvantaged students do not miss out (data is collected on "female/male, rural/urban, bottom/towealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples") . There is also an indicator around the facilities that the school buildings have (access to electricity, the internet, computers, drinking water, toilets etc.).^[26]

Goal 5: Gender equality

SDG 5 is to: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."^[28] Indicators include, for example, having suitable legal frameworks and the representation by women in national parliament or in local deliberative bodies.^[29] Numbers on forced marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are also included in another indicator.^[30][29]

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation

SDG 6 is to: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all."^[33] The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of WHO and UNICEF is responsible for monitoring progress to achieve the first two targets of this goal. Important indicators for this goal are the percentages of the population that uses safely managed drinking water, and has access to safely managed sanitation. The JMP reported in 2017 that 4.5 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation.^[34] Another indicator looks at the proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater that is safely treated.

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

^[35]SDG 7 is to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all."^[36] One of the indicators for this goal is the percentage of population with access to electricity (progress in expanding access to electricity has been made in several countries, notably India, Bangladesh, and Kenya^[37]). Other indicators look at the renewable energy share and energy efficiency.^[38]

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

SDG 8 is to: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all."^[41] Important indicators for this goal include economic growth in least developed countries and the rate of real GDP per capita. Further examples are rates of youth unemployment and occupational injuries or the number of women engaged in the labor force compared to men.^[41]

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 9 is to: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation."^[43] Indicators in this goal include for example, the proportion of people who are employed in manufacturing activities, are living in areas covered by a mobile network, or who have access to the internet.^[29] An indicator that is connected to climate change is "CO₂ emissions per unit of value added."

Goal 10: Reduced inequality

SDG 10 is to: "Reduce inequality within and among countries."^[45] Important indicators for this SDG are: income disparities, aspects of gender and disability, as well as policies for migration and mobility of people.^[46]