What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

are presented as the UN development program for the next 15 years (2015-2030) and follows on from the successful Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agenda. These goals were adopted in September 2015 at the UN summit within the so-called Agenda 2030 "Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" was agreed during a three-year process that began at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro.

Goal 1: Eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere in the world

The fight against poverty is part of the development goals because of its relatively easy measurement, the obvious connection with the economy and socio-economic policy, and because of the wide range of impacts that poverty has both on individual families and on entire communities. Eliminating extreme poverty (defined by the threshold of $1.25 per person per day) was already a key part of the Millennium Development Goals.

Goal 2: eliminate hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture

The number of malnourished people in developing countries has decreased by almost half since 1990, but still every ninth person in the world suffers from malnutrition. At the same time, the vast majority of starving people live in developing countries (especially in Asia and Africa), where at the same time there is the largest increase in population. Children and adolescents are most at risk, poor nutrition is responsible for the death of almost half of children under the age of five, tens of millions of children in the world routinely go to school hungry. Agriculture is still the largest source of income and employment for poor rural households. Most of the food consumed in the developed world comes from small farms. Investments in small-scale agriculture are thus beneficial for developing countries, not only in terms of supporting jobs, but also in the area of improving the nutrition of the population and averting famine. Despite significant progress achieved in the past thanks to the contributions of the international community, the current situation is very serious.

Goal 3: Ensure a healthy life and increase its quality for everyone at any age

The first principle of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development declares that: “Human beings are at the center of concern for sustainable development. They have the right to a healthy and productive life that is in harmony with nature." This is also the basic premise that is reflected in other important documents adopted by the international community such as Agenda 21, the Implementation Plan from the World Summit on Sustainable Development and The Future We Want. Three of the eight Millennium Development Goals also focused on improving the health of the population on a global scale (specifically, they were the following: Reduction of child mortality to a third of current values; Substantial improvement in the health of mothers; Prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other epidemic diseases) . Health issues are also a central topic in the prepared concept of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Development Agenda after 2015. Therefore, the Thematic Group Health for All was established within the Network of Solutions for Sustainable Development, which published the report Health in the framework of sustainable development in February 2014. This report focuses on the analysis of population health on a global scale and priorities for the post-2015 Development Agenda. In line with previous documents, it states that health is fundamental to sustainable development. He argues that health is a good indicator of the progress of individual states in the field of sustainable development. And this is due to the fact that it contributes to development both through productive employment and due to the fact that it reduces expenses for the treatment of diseases and thus simultaneously promotes greater social cohesion.

Goal 4: Ensure equal access to inclusive and quality education and promote lifelong learning for all.

“The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) proposed making primary education accessible to all – that is, ensuring that all children (boys and girls) complete a full primary education. During the 15 years of the MDGs, we have witnessed a dramatic improvement in girls' access to education. In developing countries, 91 percent of children attended primary school in 2015. In 2000, it was 83 percent of children. Among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, the literacy rate worldwide increased from 83 percent to 91 percent between 1990 and 2015.”[19]

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The world community is calling for an end to all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere in the world. Equality between men and women should be visible not only in rights and obligations, but also in opportunities for the adequate development of the personal potential of each person.[20]

Goal 6: Ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation facilities for all

Achieving equal access to affordable drinking water for all people by 2030 is a global goal that concerns the most basic condition of human life.

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for all

Roughly every fifth person on Earth does not have access to electricity. Three billion people use wood, coal, charcoal and animal waste for cooking and heating. This is related to excessive pollution of their environment, not only external but also internal (living spaces), in which there are often open fireplaces. Pollution of both environments has negative effects on the health of the inhabitants and causes many diseases (respiratory problems, cancer, etc.) and accidents in the form of fires. Excessive use of inappropriate energy sources also contributes to the degradation of the surrounding area (exploitation of non-renewable resources) and over time leads to energy dependence and economic decline. On a planetary scale, misaligned energy patterns can contribute to climate change. Energy from renewable sources, on the other hand, does not contribute to pollution, its resources are widely available and inexhaustible. It does not contribute to global climate change and does not cause other environmental problems. Currently, renewable sources make up only fifteen percent of the total energy consumption, the rest is represented by non-renewable sources.

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Economic growth has long been considered the only indicator of the development of countries. Recently, both the form of this growth and the growth itself have been questioned. There is a prevailing consensus saying that growth is necessary, but at the same time it is necessary to pay attention to its form. Economic growth in itself may not be an indicator of a flourishing economy, but also one that postpones problems for later, for the purpose of immediate profit, which, however, becomes more expensive in the long term.

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation

The ninth goal of sustainable development mentions the need to build resilient infrastructure, as well as promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation. In its development (targets), the need to expand the Internet connection is mentioned. The availability of an Internet connection is important, given that access to the network (to information) and mediating the exchange of information and knowledge will be a necessary prerequisite not only for the successful achievement of this goal, but also for all others (given the speed of knowledge dissemination, low transaction costs for distribution and the possibilities of involving the general public in their creation and use).

Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and between countries

According to the tenth goal, by 2030, the income growth of the poorest 40 % inhabitants in each country should be ensured faster than the average growth of the entire country. At the same time, these poorer people should be better integrated into society through social, economic and political inclusion and protected by sensitive fiscal and social policies. Finally, equality of opportunity and the limitation of all discriminatory practices and laws should be ensured.

Goal 11: Create inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and towns

The share of urban population in the world is constantly growing. The goal of providing all people on the planet with access to safe and affordable housing and services by 2030 is not an easy one. Many cities still haven't tackled slums, home to 828 million people.

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production

People's production and consumption behavior needs to be reformed towards a more sustainable model. This applies not only to industry, but also to services, food and waste.

Goal 13: Take immediate action to combat climate change and manage its impact

The climate is affected by human activity, specifically the pollution of the environment, especially the air.

Goal 14: Protect and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources to ensure sustainable development

Pollution and overexploitation of the oceans threatens both the organisms that live in them and the coastal countries. The fourteenth goal therefore deals with the regulation of their damage.

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and subsequently reverse land degradation and halt the loss of biodiversity

On our planet, huge areas of forests are disappearing, deserts are growing, animal species are dying out. Improving this situation is difficult without coordinated global cooperation.

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, ensure access to justice for all and create effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

The Sustainable Development website reports that “According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number under international protection rose to 13 million in mid-2014. Because the dynamics of migration accelerated in 2014, mainly due to the Syrian crisis, we should primarily deal with mitigation measures, i.e. preventing situations that force people to leave their homes."

Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development and strengthen the means to implement it

The final goal summarizes what the Sustainable Development Goals agenda will mean at the global level and how the global partnership should evolve over the next 15 years.