The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of global targets, set by the United Nations, which aim to transform the world, progressing towards sustainable human development and eliminating poverty by 2030.

Note: the Sustainable Development Goals follow the Millennium Development Goals, which ended in 2015; many old HHD notes and exams will refer to these, but don’t learn them.  The videos in this page are also out of date.

There are 17 SDGs, but you only have to learn about the eight goals explained below.

SDG 1: No poverty

End poverty everywhere, in all its forms

Description and aims

• Eradicate extreme poverty (less than $1.25/day)
• Ensure that everyone has equal rights to all resources
• Build resilience of poor to reduce their vulnerability to economic, social and environmental disasters
• Build social security systems

Reasons and importance

• Those in poverty lack access to basic human needs
• Less healthcare, nutrition and sanitation increases spread of disease and mortality
• Less education means people are less likely to be able to achieve HD as they’re less likely to develop to their full potential and live productive and creative lives

SDG 2: Zero hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Description and aims

• End hunger, ensuring all have safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
• End malnutrition, especially among children under 5, girls, pregnant women, and older people
• Double agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers
• Develop sustainable agricultural practices that increase productivity, improve soil quality, and help adapt to climate change and natural disasters

Reasons and importance

• Poor nutrition causes nearly half the deaths in children under 5
• Malnutrition weakens the immune system, increasing spread of disease
• Productivity and food security can be significantly increased through improved agricultural practices
• Malnourished people are less able to go to school, develop to their full potential and lead productive/creative lives

SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages

Description

• Reduce maternal mortality rate
• End preventable deaths of infants and children under 5
• End epidemics of AIDS, TB, malaria, and tropical disease
• Combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
• Reduce premature mortality from NCDs
• Reduce BOD from air/water/soil pollution
• Halve deaths/injuries from road traffic accidents
• Promote mental wellbeing
• Achieve universal health coverage (give all access to quality, affordable essential healthcare services, medications and vaccines)
• Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services
• Reduce substance abuse
• Strengthen implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
• Develop the health workforce and increase health financing

Reasons and importance

• Child and maternal mortality rates and mortality from communicable and non-communicable diseases are very high, especially in developing countries, which lowers their LE
• Mortality is often easily preventable (through nutrition, safe water, hygiene and sanitation, immunisation, skilled birth attendants, lifestyle changes, etc.)
• Sickness or caring for the sick decreases family income and economic growth
• Sick skilled personnel (teachers, doctors) can’t contribute to the community’s H&HD

SDG 4: Quality education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Description

• Ensure that all males and females complete free, equitable and quality pre-primary, primary and secondary education, and can equally access affordable and quality technical/vocational/tertiary education
• Increase number of people with relevant skills for decent employment and entrepreneurship
• Eliminate gender disparities in education
• Increase literacy and numeracy rates
• Teach knowledge/skills that promote sustainable development, like sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality and non-violence
• Improve education facilities to provide inclusive and effective learning environments for all (including children, disabled and females)
• Make more higher education scholarships available to developing countries
• Increase supply of qualified teachers

Reasons and importance

• Many people in developing countries, especially girls, can’t access primary, secondary and/or tertiary education and training
• Illiteracy and lack of access to knowledge and skills decreases employment options and economic growth, reducing the money the government can spend on healthcare, education and social security systems
• Uneducated people have a lower standard of living (less access to nutrition, safe water and sanitation, healthcare, and education of children) and are less able develop to their full potential and make positive choices
• Educated people are able to gain knowledge about health-promoting behaviours (e.g. condoms, nutrition, accessing healthcare)
• Educated girls are likely to have fewer children later, reducing maternal and infant mortality
• Educated girls are likely to seek prenatal care, immunise their children, use sanitation and hygiene, and feed their infants better, reducing under-five mortality

SDG 5: Gender equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Description

• End all discrimination, violence and harmful practices (e.g. early/forced marriage, female genital mutation) against all females
• Give women equal opportunities to participate in leadership at all levels
• Give women equal rights to economic and natural resources, property ownership and inheritance, and financial services
• Value unpaid/domestic work and promote shared responsibility in the family
• Ensure universal access to sexual/reproductive health and reproductive rights
• Use more enabling technologies (information and communication technologies) to empower women
• Strengthen policies/legislation at all levels to promote gender equality and empower women

Reasons and importance

• Women in developing countries may have limited access to education, equality, community participation, and choice
• These women may be disempowered and trapped in a poverty cycle as they don’t have necessary skills to find paid employment
• This decreases their earning capacity (less economic growth, families unable to access healthcare, nutrition and education)
• Female literacy increases likelihood of understanding health promotion messages (like immunisation, nutrition and sanitation), reducing maternal/infant/U5 mortality rates

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

Ensure availability and sustainable management for water and sanitation for all

Description

• Achieve equitable and affordable access to safe drinking water for all, substantially reducing number of people facing water scarcity
• Achieve equitable access to adequate sanitation for all (especially females and vulnerable)
• End open defecation
• Improve water quality (reduce pollution and dumping of elimination/hazardous materials)
• Reduce untreated waste water – increase safe reuse
• Increase efficiency of water-use across all sectors
• Improve technologies (like water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, and recycling technologies) in developing countries

Reasons and importance

• Poor sanitation and safe water increases waterborne diseases, increasing mortality rates (especially under five)
• People with waterborne diseases can’t go to school or work, decreasing income, standard of living, and ability to lead productive and creative lives
• Limited water reduces crop output, leading to malnutrition and related mortality, and reducing income

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

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

Description

• Sustain economic growth (annually increase GDP by 7% in least developed countries)
• Increase economic productivity through innovation and upgrading technology
• Build policies that support productive activities, job creation, entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth of small enterprises
• Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men (incl. young people and disabled)
• Achieve equal pay for work of equal value
• Reduce proportion of youth not in employment or education
• Eradicate slavery, human trafficking and child labour
• Promote safe and secure working environments for all (especially migrant workers and women)
• Promote tourism (which creates jobs and promotes local culture/products)
• Increase access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
• Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries

Reasons and importance

• Low GDP means the government can’t spend money on providing healthcare, education, social security, safe water and sanitation
• Those without full decent employment can’t afford healthcare, education, safe water, sanitation and adequate nutrition
• More healthcare access reduces overall mortality and morbidity (especially under-five and maternal mortality)
• More access to education expands people’s choices and capabilities, helping them develop to their full potential and live productive and creative lives
• Improved water and sanitation increases mortality from water-borne diseases, especially under-five

SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective accountable institutions at all levels

Description

• Reduce violence everywhere
• End abuse, exploitation and trafficking of children
• Ensure equal access to justice for all
• Combat the black market and organised crime
• Reduce bribery and corruption
• Develop accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
• Promote responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making
• Help developing countries participate more in global governance
• Provide legal identity and birth registration for all
• Strengthen institutions to combat violence, terrorism and crime

Reasons and importance

• Violence and abuse increases mortality, morbidity and mental health issues
• Corruption prevents the poor from accessing basic needs like education, healthcare, social security and employment
• Corruption, violence and dictatorships can lead to conflict (which can destroy infrastructure and crops and increase BOD from injury)
• Stable productive governments promote trade and economic growth and provide stability, education, infrastructure and healthcare