17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) List

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. But what is the SDGs' purpose exactly? The SDGs can be considered a universal call to action to eradicate poverty on the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for people by 2030. There are 17 goals in total, each addressing different areas of global development.

In this regard, let's look at the 17 SDGs and understand what they aim to achieve.

What are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals?

Understanding the 17 Sustainable Development Goals explains how they interconnect and drive global progress.  

Goal 1: No Poverty 

The first goal is to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” by 2030. It aims to eliminate extreme poverty and  reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty. All nations would develop a social protection system so that the poor and vulnerable have equal rights to economic resources. For instance, community development projects are part of this agenda to create jobs and provide poor people with free access to basic services. 

Goal 2: Zero Hunger 

Did you know more than 600 million people will face hunger by 2030? Realising this, the second SDG aims to provide food security to all with improved nutrition. This is possible when everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food all year round. That's where sustainable farming practices and food distribution programs become crucial in achieving this goal. 

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being 

Everyone gets to live a healthy life, and there is well-being for all ages. The primary aim is to improve maternal and child health and reduce diseases with quick access to primary health services. 

Goal 4: Quality Education 

The United Nations has realised that the world is falling behind in quality education. Without prompt measures, 84 million children and youth worldwide will be deprived of basic school education. In this regard, nations worldwide are providing free primary school education to all, especially to vulnerable and marginalised groups. 

Goal 5: Gender Equality 

Gender equality is a fundamental right. Women and girls represent nearly 50% of our global population. On an average, women in the labor market still earn 23 percent less than men globally and women spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.  This goal aims to achieve gender equality by 2030 for a prosperous and sustainable world. Continuous development will be undertaken to achieve equal pay, zero sexual violence, zero discrimination in public office, and more. 

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation 

More than 40% of the world is facing water scarcity, and almost 3.5 billion people lack safe sanitation. The United Nations is clear on its agenda to provide safe drinking water and clean sanitation to the world by 2030. However, progress must accelerate at least 3X times to achieve this goal by 2030. 

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy 

Goal 7 is to provide clean and affordable energy to achieve sustainable agriculture, education, and transportation development. However, despite the current effort, it is estimated that nearly 600 million people may still lack electricity, and 2 billion people may run out of cooking fuel by 2030. 

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

To meet the ever-increasing challenges of economics, this goal aims to improve the per capita growth of people around the world through employment and decent work for all. Here, decent work means the kind of job that is productive and provides a fair income. Achieving SDG 8 mandates policies fostering economic growth with a focus on social justice and inclusive employment.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure 

No country can achieve economic growth and social development without resilient infrastructure, sustainable industrialisation, and technological progress. Therefore, the goal is to promote sustainable industrialisation with robust infrastructure by 2030 that will increase industrial employment and rise in small-scale enterprises to facilitate sustainable development. 

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities within and among countries

This goal aims to achieve sustainable economic growth for the bottom population at a higher rate than the national average. Everyone, irrespective of their age, sex, disability, race, and ethnicity, would be able to enjoy equal inclusion in terms of social, economic, and political developments. 

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities 

Around 1.1 billion people live in slum-like conditions in cities. In this regard, the eleventh goal aims to provide safe, resilient, and sustainable housing and basic services to upgrade slums by 2030. This goal also targets to provide sustainable transportation systems, enhance inclusive urbanisation, safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage through a modern course of action.  

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production 

To achieve a sustained livelihood, sustainable consumption and production patterns are important. This is what the twelfth goal is all about. Numerous programs are running to teach people about the efficient use of natural resources, reduce global food waste, and move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption. 

Goal 13: Climate Action 

Climate change affects every person living on this Earth in some way. Currently, greenhouse gas emissions are rising due to human activities and pose a threat to life on the Earth as we know it. Thus, the 13th sustainable goal aims to decrease industrial emissions by almost half and limit global warming to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level by 2030. 

Goal 14: Life Below Water 

Goal 14 concerns conserving our marine ecosystem, which is the basis of human existence and life on Earth. Currently, the ocean absorbs around 23% of human annual greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, the aim is to prevent and reduce marine pollution by 2025 and increase the sustainable use of marine resources by 2030. 

Goal 15: Life on Land 

Terrestrial ecosystems are very important for human life and contribute more than 50% of global GDP. That's why the goal is to preserve them by preventing desertification, restoring degraded land, and conserving mountain ecosystems and their biodiversities. 

Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institution 

Goal 16 aligns with retaining peace and promoting justice amidst ongoing and new violent conflicts worldwide. The aim is to strengthen institutions' capacity to restore justice and address emerging human rights challenges to promote sustainable development.

Goal 17: Partnership for Goals 

Many developing countries are fighting against external debt levels due to various challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Such challenges require a collaborative approach from governments, private sectors, and civil societies. This is what the 17th goal targets to achieve. 

India's Role in achieving the SDGs

With its 1.4 billion population and diverse socio-economic challenges, India plays a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite its limitations, India has committed to several SDGs in poverty, renewable energy, healthcare, and gender equality. India has introduced promising initiatives to contribute to global efforts to meet SDGs. 

1. Climate and Environment

India has launched several initiatives to address climate change and environmental degradation. One is the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) initiative. At the same time, the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) aims to minimise the risks of climate uncertainty. The National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP), on the other hand, focuses on reversing biodiversity loss by the year 2030.

2. Sanitation and Infrastructure

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was rolled out in 2014 to address problems such as open defecation and unsanitary practices. Meanwhile, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, aka AMRUT, was launched to ensure clean tap water and a sewage connection for all households. AMRUT also aims to enhance the city's amenities value by developing greenery and open spaces.

3. Housing and Urban Development

Affordable housing remains a problem for most Indians, and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has done a tremendous job crossing the 1cr milestone in the 50th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) meeting. To further alleviate people from marginalised societies, the flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched to facilitate LPG connections to women in BPL families.

4. Healthcare and Gender Equality

Many people struggle to make ends meet, so affording quality healthcare remains a distant dream. However, the National Health Mission (NHM) has acknowledged this challenge and permitted equitable and affordable healthcare for both rural and urban populations. 

Despite seeing significant strides in women's empowerment over the years, there remain many regions where gender discrimination, female infanticide, and gender biasedness still exist. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao mission is a sincere effort to address this issue. It focuses on addressing the declining state of the child sex ratio and empowering girl children with quality education and other amenities.

5. Economic Growth and Skill Development

The Make in India mission initiative was launched in 2014 to make India a global manufacturing hub. Its objective was to promote manufacturing in sectors where India has a competitive advantage. 

Besides economic growth, technological growth is also essential. For that, the Digital India initiative was launched under the Make in India with a mission to transform the nation into a digitally powered and knowledge economy. It aims to adopt and use digital technologies in manufacturing processes and operations.

Economic and technological advancement cannot be achieved without skilled manpower. The Skill India Mission was set up to create opportunities and space for the nation's youth. 

Challenges in Achieving SDGs

By far, India is doing a great job in achieving the SDG. However, it still struggles with challenges that need to be resolved immediately.

Poverty and Inequality

A large population of India, around 6.7% as of 2019, still lives below the poverty line. Food, healthcare, water, and other necessities are still challenging. The government needs more effective policies and robust actions to reach its SDG goals by the deadline. 

Environmental Degradation

According to reports, around 30% of India's geographical area is degraded due to factors like rapid industrialisation, uncontrollable pollution levels, and an unchecked climate. Without necessary actions, this will continue to dent India's sustainable development efforts.

Inadequate Infrastructure

In many parts of India, people are still not privileged enough to access education, healthcare, and sanitation. For example, most rural kids between the ages of 14 and 18 can't do class 3 math. 

Policy Implementation

While policies and their implementation are in full swing, effective implementation should be of priority. The government must work on eliminating the unequal distribution of resources so that every section of society can benefit from these policies. 

Achieving all SDGs by 2030 would require national, institutional, and individual efforts. All these goals are interconnected. Let's achieve them all by leaving no one behind and transforming our world for a promising future.