Sustainable Development Goals on pillars

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals comprise a global agenda to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals—or SDGs or Global Goals as they are sometimes called—have 169 targets that countries are attempting to reach by 2030 at the latest. This is why the Goals are also referred to as the 2030 Agenda, which countries resolved to undertake with "bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind."

The goals and targets are universal, meaning they apply to all countries around the world, not just developing countries. Reaching the goals requires action on all fronts—governments, businesses, civil society, and people everywhere have a role to play.

To learn more about efforts to implement the SDGs around the world, visit IISD’s SDG Knowledge Hub.

2023: Five Areas to Target Through Resolve, Determination, and Hope

As the UN and other actors pursue global peace efforts and COVID-19 transitions from pandemic to endemic, environmental negotiations are moving on with renewed determination.

Accelerating the SDGs Through the 2024 Summit of the Future

UN Secretary-General António Guterres conceives of the Pact for the Future – the expected outcome of the Summit of the Future – as “a booster shot for the SDGs.”

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Rapid development in Asia and the Pacific has propelled the region to become a key engine of growth for the global economy, yet this prosperity has not reached everyone.

Governments and Experts Exchange Proposals for Improving HLPF

Experts are reviewing the format of the annual United Nations forum where countries report on their progress and challenges with the SDGs.

Experts

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Livia Bizikova

Lead II, Monitoring and Governance, Tracking Progress

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Eleonora Bonaccorsi

Program Officer, Geneva 2030 Ecosystem

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Stefan Jungcurt

Lead II, SDG Indicators and Data, Tracking Progress

Elena Kosolapova

Elena Kosolapova

Senior Policy Advisor, Tracking Progress

Hillary Rosentreter

Hillary Rosentreter

Policy Advisor, Tracking Progress

Trine Schmidt

Trine Schmidt

Strategic Advisor for Global Strategies

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Lynn Wagner

Senior Director, Tracking Progress

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Latest

Burning Billions: Record public money for fossil fuels impeding climate action

This briefing provides the latest evidence on how the world is aligning public financial flows with the need to reduce GHG emissions.

Report

November 21, 2023

IISD Annual Report 2022–2023

At IISD, we’ve been working for more than three decades to create a world where people and the planet thrive. As the climate crisis unfolds on our doorsteps and irreversible tipping points loom, our team has been focused more than ever on impact.

Annual Report

October 31, 2023

Revisiting Tax Incentives as an Investment Promotion Tool: Q&A for investment policy-makers

Are tax incentives effective at attracting investment in developing countries?

Brief

October 20, 2023

Policy Coherence and Food Systems Transformation

To develop national pathways toward sustainable food systems, we need to align a diverse range of policy areas. How can countries overcome contradictions, inconsistencies, and trade-offs?

Policy Analysis

October 16, 2023

India's Potential in the Midstream of Battery Production

This report summarizes consultations with over 25 companies and actors to determine what factors are crucial in the considerations of companies on where to invest in and expand battery cell manufacturing.

Report

September 25, 2023

Lithium-Sourcing Roadmap for India

This report aims to provide a strategy to guide policy-makers in sourcing lithium responsibly to promote clean energy manufacturing in India, with the broader aim of supporting low-carbon economic growth, creating equitable jobs, and helping to mitigate climate change impacts.

Report

September 25, 2023

How the G20 Declaration Sets the Pace for Enhanced Climate Action at COP28 in December

The G20 summit in New Delhi has set the pace for enhanced climate action at COP28, as it refreshed its resolve to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as per the Paris Agreement. The high-profile event ended with a soft commitment from the world's largest emitters to triple their renewable energy capacity by 2030.

IISD in the news

News18

September 13, 2023

New Report Finds Carbon Capture And Storage Far Too Expensive

A new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development found carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to be very expensive in Canada. According to the report, which focuses on carbon capture in the context of Canada's oil and gas industry, the climate solution’s persistently high costs are rooted in the "high design complexity and the need for customization."

IISD in the news

Carbon Herald

September 11, 2023