Explained: The Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals adopted by all United Nations Member States. They are designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all".

Set up in 2015, and anticipated to be achieved by 2030, these goals – to name a few – seek to realise human rights of all, achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere and end world hunger.

The Sustainable Development Goals are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership.

“They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.” United Nations

The 17 Sustainable Goals are as follows:

• GOAL 1: No Poverty
• GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
• GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
• GOAL 4: Quality Education
• GOAL 5: Gender Equality
• GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
• GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• GOAL 13: Climate Action
• GOAL 14: Life Below Water
• GOAL 15: Life on Land
• GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
• GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Concern predominantly works towards achieving SDG1 and SDG2: No Poverty, and Zero Hunger. SDG2 is particularly critical as it underpins many of the other goals. There won’t be much improvement in people’s health or school performance without ensuring they have enough nutritious food to eat.

SDG1 aims to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, as well as build the resilience of vulnerable people and reduce their exposure to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters. This is very much in line with our goals as an organisation which is to end extreme poverty, whatever it takes.

We also do lots of work in health and nutrition as our goal of ending extreme poverty can only be achieved by tackling poverty’s root causes – and top among them are poor public health and nutritional deficiencies.

SDG2 aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition, and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.

Despite big improvements in food security in many countries over the last decades, globally we are off track to meet this goal. In fact, for the first time in a generation, the fight to end poverty has suffered its worst setback. For a quarter of a decade, extreme poverty levels were slowly declining. However, earlier this year the World Bank forecast a rise in the number of people affected by Covid-19-induced poverty to between 119 and 124 million.

We must continue to strengthen resilience among communities in developing countries and it is imperative that poverty eradication remains the purpose of UK aid, and we need the UK to remain a nutrition champion. Concern continues to respond to this global threat and is well-equipped to support those who are most vulnerable. Find out more about our response here.