It was on September 27, 2015 at the 70th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, that 193 Member States adopted and officially declared Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global development agenda for 15 years (2016 – 2030). In some way SDGs is a continuation of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015), however, SDGs are more in terms of number (17 Goals) and concerns and has a different approach. If MDGs employed state-based approach excluding civil society both in the process and in its implementation, SDGs is a shared responsibility and common project of Member States and Civil Society under the umbrella of human rights. Therefore, not only Member States but also the participation of civil society without exception are taken into account for the success of SDGs implementation in each country.
Each goal has its targets and indicators. It is the way to ensure that each goal can be put into action. Three pillars of SDGs are people, planet and prosperity and its guiding principles are participation, partnership and “leave no one behind” (inclusivity).
Following are the seventeen development goals:
- End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Reduce income inequality within and among countries
- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy
- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
- Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development