What are the SDGs?
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals lay out objectives to end poverty, improve health and education, reduce inequalities, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The SDGss were developed for nations, but multi-level cooperation and collaboration of many different sectors is essential for these ambitious goals to be achieved.
SDG evolution
2000 - 2015
The United Nations (UN) develops eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), intended to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women. World leaders are urged to commit to achieving these global goals by 2015.
2015 - Present
UN gathers 150 world leaders to collaborate on the development of new goals that would improve the quality of life for all people – an update of the MDGs in an effort to call all countries to action. These new Goals, to promote prosperity while protecting the planet, are dubbed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a global agenda for transforming our world.