Sustainable Development Goals – Post 2015 Development Agenda

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) marked a historic method of global mobilisation by setting worldwide social priorities about human capital, infrastructure and human rights in the form of 8 goals and 21 targets. These were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000 for the year 2015 and have played a significant role in securing progress and from the year 2000-201. MDGs remained a focus of global as well as national policy. Though not all targets were achieved, these expired in 2015 and were replaced by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to stimulate action over the next 15 years.

The SDGs i.e. post-2015 development agenda is culminated in the form of The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets integrating the five dimensions of sustainable development: people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnership.

17 Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

The idea of SDGs has quickly gained ground as these are far more ambitious and apply to all countries. Further, the Sustainable Development Goals are intricately integrated and understanding of their interdependence is of crucial importance in ensuring the realization of these goals. This calls for mobilized action from Governments, international institutions, Businesses, academia, and civil society towards the critical pathways to success.