In September 2015, 193 states collectively committed to achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. These Sustainable Development Goals are based on five major cross-cutting issues: planet, population, prosperity, peace, and partnerships.
They not only deal with environmental measures but also include many points on improving living conditions worldwide.
They take up the fundamental principles of sustainable development to cover all the issues such as climate, biodiversity, energy, water, poverty, gender equality, economic prosperity or peace, agriculture, education…
A universal agenda has been defined to meet these objectives: the 2030 Agenda.
What is the point of having defined 17 sustainable development goals?
After three years of reflection, the 193 countries of the UN have arrived at a list of 169 work targets for sustainable development. These specific targets were then grouped into 17 global goals, all linked: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 17 SDGs result from a work of centralizing testimonies, surveys, and research with more than 8 million actors of all types: NGOs, unions, public and private sector companies, individual testimonies, etc.
This information, collected over 3 years, has made it possible to obtain the most exhaustive and realistic assessment possible of the current state of the world.
The Sustainable Development Goals show that the success of more sustainable and inclusive development depends on many interrelated factors.
It is a vision of the world as a whole, shared by many countries. By agreeing on findings and objectives, it becomes easier to discuss with each other.
To measure whether things are progressing, the member countries of the UN have selected 230 indicators.
As several SDGs are interconnected, when one SDG progresses, it can have a positive impact on another SDG.
For example, by building sustainable cities (SDG11) and developing public transport, we limit the need to own a personal vehicle and promote a new, more sustainable mode of consumption (SDG12). Biodiversity is promoted by greening cities more (parks, gardens, etc.) (SDG15).
By looking at the world and its problems as a whole, we can find solutions for the harmonious development of life on Earth.
A program of action to achieve the objectives: the 2030 Agenda
The 2030 Agenda defines the steps to follow so that all countries can achieve these objectives. It is the fusion of the development agenda and the Earth Summit agenda.
A little history…
The development agenda
Appearing after the Second World War during decolonization, the concept of “development” corresponded to the catch-up of the countries of the South compared to the countries of the North.
In the 2000s, the United Nations adopted the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the countries of the South.
These objectives defined the significant humanitarian challenges for 2015: the fight against extreme poverty, access to education, gender equality, the empowerment of women, etc.
During these fifteen years, a group of international actors has worked to help the development of the countries of the South.
This international mobilization has enabled certain advances in universal education or against major pandemics, but these improvements remain uneven and insufficient.
These objectives already included a component on the preservation of the environment.
The Earth Summit agenda
Organized every 10 years since the Stockholm conference in 1972, the Earth Summits have defined the main principles of the preservation of the environment towards the search for sustainable development.
During the 1992 Rio Summit, the conventions on biodiversity, the United Nations framework on climate change, and the fight against desertification were adopted.
It was 20 years later, during the 2012 Rio Conference known as “Rio+20”, that States reflected on how to establish the Sustainable Development Goals. These objectives were then recorded in September 2015.
The 2030 Agenda brings together the notions of “development” and “sustainable development”.
The 2030 Agenda, a much more ambitious work program
The 2030 Agenda is transversal
The ambition of the 2030 Agenda is to be transversal by creating links between the different Sustainable Development Goals. By achieving one goal, other goals can also be achieved.
For example, other objectives are mobilized to respond to environmental issues such as agriculture, health, education, or growth.
The 2030 Agenda is universal
The 193 UN Member States that negotiated the 17 Sustainable Development Goals have agreed and committed to doing everything possible to achieve them.
Even if the development of the UN member countries is uneven, no country achieves all these goals: all countries are on the way to sustainable development.
Beyond governments, other actors participated in developing this Agenda, and civil society was called upon to participate in the negotiations through a participatory plan.
Companies from the private and financial sectors, trade unions, NGOs, and local authorities could also give their opinion.
North and South countries have integrated the Sustainable Development Goals into their policies and strategies. They must report to the United Nations at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) every year.
This forum aims to bring together Ministers (every year) and Heads of State (every 4 years) to take stock of the progress of the measures of the 2030 Agenda and the implementation of the SDGs.
