What are sustainable development goals (SDGs)?

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a comprehensive framework established by the United Nations to address global challenges and promote sustainable development. Specifically, they provide a universal call to action aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all by the year 2030. This framework encompasses a range of interconnected goals that address social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

The SDGs are important because they encompass a holistic approach to development, recognizing that poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and peace are interconnected and must be tackled together. Each goal has specific targets and indicators to measure progress, fostering accountability and facilitating collaboration among countries, organizations, and individuals.

Understanding this framework is crucial for anyone involved in sustainability and climate risk, as it guides policy-making, investment decisions, and community initiatives globally. The focus on universal applicability reinforces the idea that sustainable development is a shared responsibility.

While other options may touch upon relevant aspects of sustainability, such as environmental accounting or urban development strategies, they do not capture the broad and ambitious essence of the SDGs that aim for widespread action and change across multiple dimensions of society by 2030.