The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a concept and a set of 17 global goals adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015. Their purpose is to provide a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The history of the SDGs began with the concept of sustainable development established at the 1992 Rio Conference. The SDGs were created to replace the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which guided global action from 2000 to 2015. The MDGs were criticized for focusing primarily on developing countries and giving too little consideration to ecological goals. The need for a new, more comprehensive agenda was formulated in 2010, and the course was set at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. The 17 goals were formally adopted in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The mechanism of the SDGs involves 17 distinct goals and 169 targets that are integrated and indivisible, recognizing that progress must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The framework is often understood through the 5 Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. The goals are implemented through national ownership, with countries integrating them into their policies and establishing monitoring mechanisms.
The SDGs connect to the preceding Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They require a collective effort from governments, corporations, and civil society. In India, the government has adopted the SDGs and integrated them into the broader national goal of achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047. The framework itself has not been replaced since 2015, but the UN Secretary-General issued a global call for a Decade of Action from 2020 to 2030 to accelerate progress toward the goals.