The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals: A Comprehensive Overview
Caveat: This article follows on from a previous piece, The 3 Key Challenges to Sustainable Development, that explores the three main challenges that organisations face when developing sustainable norms and values.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
Whether that lofty ambition can be achieved or not is another article in itself, but for now, let’s just say that all UN member states adopted these 17 interconnected goals in 2015 as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.¹ So they’re making an effort, at least.
In this article I’ll give you an overview of each goal, drawing from information found on the official SDGs website and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022.² It should give us all a good idea of how things are going and whether the initiative is on track for its 2030 ambitions.
1. No Poverty
The first goal aims to eradicate extreme poverty for all people, with a focus on ensuring social protection, equal access to economic resources, and resilience against natural disasters. According to the 2022 report, 9.2% of the global population lived in extreme poverty in 2021, indicating the need for continued efforts to address this issue.²
2. Zero Hunger
Zero Hunger seeks to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The number of undernourished people increased from 690 million in 2019 to nearly 768 million in 2021.² Ensuring access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for all is crucial to achieving this goal.
3. Good Health and Well-being
The third goal focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages. This includes reducing maternal and child mortality, combating diseases, promoting mental health, and strengthening the capacity of countries to reduce health risks.¹ According to the 2022 report, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on health systems, causing setbacks in progress towards this goal.²
4. Quality Education
Goal four aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities. Access to education has improved over the years, but disparities remain. The 2022 report highlights that girls, children with disabilities, and those living in conflict-affected areas are particularly vulnerable to being left behind.²
5. Gender Equality
Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is the fifth goal. This involves ending discrimination and violence against women, promoting equal opportunities, and ensuring women’s full participation in decision-making processes. Progress has been made, but challenges remain, particularly regarding gender-based violence and equal representation in political and economic spheres.²
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
This goal aims to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all. According to the 2022 report, 2.3 billion people still lacked basic sanitation services, and 785 million lacked access to basic drinking water services in 2021.² Improving water resource management and investing in infrastructure is key to achieving this goal.
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal eight focuses on providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Progress has been made in recent years, with 90% of the global population having access to electricity in 2021. However, 759 million people still lack access, and more effort is needed to increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.²
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
The eighth goal aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. According to the 2022 report, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global economic contraction and increased unemployment, highlighting the importance of promoting economic recovery and supporting vulnerable workers.²
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
This goal seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation. Investments in infrastructure, such as transportation, energy, and information and communication technology, are crucial for achieving sustainable development.²
10. Reduced Inequalities
Goal 10 aims to reduce inequality within and among countries. This involves promoting inclusive economic growth, reducing income inequality, and ensuring equal opportunities for all, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, or other factors. The 2022 report emphasises the need to address disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for vulnerable populations.²
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
This goal focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Key targets include ensuring access to affordable housing, basic services, and sustainable transport, as well as improving urban planning and resource management. The 2022 report highlights the growing importance of addressing climate change impacts on urban areas.²
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 12 aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. This includes reducing waste generation, promoting sustainable management of natural resources, and encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices. The 2022 report underscores the importance of shifting towards a circular economy and reducing our ecological footprint.²
13. Climate Action
The 13th goal seeks to combat climate change and its impacts by strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity, integrating climate change measures into policies, and mobilising financial resources for climate action. The 2022 report highlights the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.²
14. Life Below Water
This goal aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. Key targets include reducing marine pollution, protecting and restoring ecosystems, and regulating the harvesting of fish stocks. The 2022 report highlights the importance of international cooperation to address challenges such as ocean acidification and overfishing.²
15. Life on Land
Goal 15 focuses on protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, halting biodiversity loss, and combating desertification and land degradation. The 2022 report emphasises the need for urgent action to reverse habitat loss, protect endangered species, and promote sustainable land management practices.²
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
The 16th goal seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. This involves reducing violence, combating corruption, and ensuring participatory decision-making at all levels. The 2022 report notes that progress has been made, but challenges remain, particularly in areas affected by conflict and political instability.²
17. Partnerships for the Goals
The final goal is to strengthen global sustainable development partnerships, mobilise financial resources, and enhance capacity-building in developing countries. This includes promoting trade, increasing investments in sustainable development, and leveraging the benefits of technology and innovation. The 2022 report highlights the importance of international cooperation to achieve the SDGs.²
The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide a comprehensive framework to address global challenges and achieve a better, more sustainable future for all. While progress has been made in some areas, much work remains. Collective action, partnerships, and the commitment of governments, the private sector, and individuals are crucial to achieving these goals by 2030.
Sources:
¹ United Nations. (2015). The 17 Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
² United Nations. (2022). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022.pdf
