3 - Sustainable Development Goals: Targets and Indicators

Summary

Introduction

The 17 SDGs proposed by the United Nations and adopted as the UN Resolution A/RES/66/288 (UN General Assembly, 2015a) are:

Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. The SDGs are ‘universal goals and targets which involve the entire world, developed and developing countries alike’ (UN General Assembly, 2015a, 3). At the centre of the SDGs, there are the human rights, equality and sustainability issues; and together the SDGs are designed to achieve (United Nations, 2012):

■ Inclusive economic development by:

• – eradicating income poverty and hunger

• – reducing inequalities

• – ensuring decent work

• – productive employment.

■ Inclusive social development by enabling/ensuring:

• – adequate nutrition for all

• – quality education for all

• – reduced mortality and morbidity

• – gender equality

• – universal access to clean water and sanitation.

■ Environmental sustainability by:

• – protecting biodiversity

• – stable climate

• – resilience to natural hazards.

■ Peace and security by achieving:

• – freedom from violence, conflict and abuse

• – conflict-free access to natural resources. Descriptions, logos and other details of the 17 Goals are available on the UN website (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) and widely discussed across a range of UN and other websites and research literature. See for example:

■ Indicators – Sustainable development Indicators – Eurostat (europa.eu)

■ research papers (e.g. Duane et al., 2022; Farisyi et al., 2022; Filho et al., 2021; Helfaya and Bui, 2022; Kuc-Czarnecka, Markowicz and Sompolska- Rzechuła, 2023; Le Sourd et al., 2021; Popescu, 2022; Sondermann and Ulbert, 2021; Stauropoulou et al., 2023; Xiao et al., 2023)

■ reports (e.g. UN SDG Data Portal: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal; Regional Forum on Sustainable Development to Define a Road Map for Operationalizing Africa's Decade of Action (UN Economic Commission for Africa, 2020).

The 17 SDGs can be categorised under several themes. For example, A/RES/70/1 Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (un.org); (OECD, 2022) puts forward 5 Ps:

• 1 People, to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment: SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, SDG4 and SDG5

• 2 Planet, to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change: SDG6, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14, SDG15