The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Global Commitment

On September 25, 2015, in New York, the 193 Member States of the United Nations approved during their General Assembly the document "Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". This global initiative established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets aimed at building a more equitable, prosperous, and resilient future, integrating in a balanced way the economic, social, and environmental dimensions (United Nations, 2015).

Historical Evolution of Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development was formalized in 1987, with the report Our Common Future —known as the Brundtland Report— led by former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. It defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). This concept laid the groundwork for the creation of subsequent instruments, such as:

Agenda 21 (1992): Global action plan for sustainable development adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro [1] (United Nations, 1992).
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015): Eight goals primarily focused on social aspects such as reducing extreme poverty, improving health, and expanding education [2] (United Nations, 2000).
SDGs (2016-present): Successors to the MDGs, developed through global consultations with governments, academia, and civil society (Herrera-Cano et al., 2016).

Sustainable Development Goals Logo (United Nations, n.d.)

The Development of the SDGs: A Collective Construction

During the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 —held in June 2012— the initiative "The Future We Want" was presented, which became the basis for the development of the 2030 Agenda. This document highlighted the importance of establishing a set of SDGs grounded in Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation [3], and the Rio Principles [4]. In addition, it emphasized the need to incorporate in a balanced manner the three dimensions of sustainable development and their interrelationships (United Nations, 2012).

As part of the process, the Open Working Group (OWG) was established. This group was structured around 30 full-fledged seats, distributed among the five official UN regional groups, using a system of representation by "constituencies" —individual or grouped countries— instead of assigning a fixed seat to each State [5] (United Nations, 2013a; UNDESA, 2014). The meetings were held between March 2013 and July 2014, mainly at the United Nations headquarters in New York (UNDESA, 2014).

High-Level Panel (HLP)

Parallel to the formation of the OWG, between 2012 and 2013, the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon established the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda —HLP—, co-chaired by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Indonesia), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), and David Cameron (United Kingdom). This group of 27 members [6], which included government, business, academic, and civil society leaders, had the mission of advising on a global development framework beyond 2015 (United Nations, 2013a).

The HLP published its report "A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development" in May 2013, proposing 12 universal goals that would serve as the basis for subsequent negotiations (High-Level Panel, 2013).

Global Consultations

In 2013, the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) published the report "A Million Voices: The World We Want", which synthesizes the opinions of more than one million people from around the world on their priorities for the post-2015 development agenda (United Nations Development Group [UNDG], 2013). This consultative process was carried out between 2012 and 2013 and included three main mechanisms:

National consultations: conducted in 88 countries, covering all regions of the world.
Global thematic consultations: 11 dialogues were held on key issues such as inequality, health, education, employment, environmental sustainability, governance, conflict and fragility, population dynamics, hunger, food and nutrition security, energy, and water.
MY World global survey: launched in 2012, this survey allowed citizens to select the six areas they considered most important to improve their lives. By December 2014, more than 7 million people from 194 countries had participated in the survey, providing valuable information on the concerns and priorities of ordinary citizens (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2014).

Secretary-General's Synthesis Report (2014)

In December 2014, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented his synthesis report "The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet", which integrated the contributions of the Open Working Group —OWG— on the SDGs, the recommendations of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons, and global consultations —national, thematic, and online—, offering a coherent conceptual and political framework for the final intergovernmental negotiations (United Nations, 2014; Ban, 2014). In the report, the 17 goals proposed by the OWG are structured into six “essential elements” to emphasize their universal, integrated and transformative character:

Pillar	Description
Dignity	Eradicate poverty and fight inequalities
People	Ensure health, education, and inclusion
Prosperity	Drive inclusive and sustainable economies
Planet	Protect the environment and combat climate change
Justice	Promote peaceful societies and accountable institutions
Partnership	Revitalize global collaboration for implementation

Between January and July 2015, eight rounds of intergovernmental negotiations were held to finalize the new agenda [7]. These deliberations culminated on September 25, 2015, when the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted resolution A/RES/70/1, entitled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". This document establishes the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seek to balance the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of development. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda received unanimous support from all 193 UN Member States (Kamau et al., 2018).

United Nations General Assembly in New York, approval of the SDGs, September 25, 2015 (UN Photo, Cia park)

The proposed areas, new goals, and targets came into effect on January 1, 2016, and were designed to guide decisions aimed at addressing urgent and global challenges until 2030 (United Nations, 2015).

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals or the 17 SDGs

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs are presented below with their description and number of associated targets:

SDG Number	Goal	Description	Number of Targets
1	No Poverty	End poverty in all its forms everywhere	7
2	Zero Hunger	End hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture	8
3	Good Health and Well-being	Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all	13
4	Quality Education	Ensure inclusive, equitable quality education	10
5	Gender Equality	Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls	9
6	Clean Water and Sanitation	Ensure availability and sustainable management of water	8
7	Affordable and Clean Energy	Ensure access to affordable and sustainable energy	5
8	Decent Work and Economic Growth	Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth	12
9	Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure	Build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation	8
10	Reduced Inequalities	Reduce inequality within and among countries	10
11	Sustainable Cities and Communities	Make human settlements inclusive, safe and sustainable	10
12	Responsible Consumption and Production	Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns	11
13	Climate Action	Take urgent action to combat climate change	5
14	Life Below Water	Conserve and sustainably use oceans and marine resources	10
15	Life on Land	Protect and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems	12
16	Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	Promote peaceful and inclusive societies and accountable institutions	12
17	Partnerships for the Goals	Strengthen implementation means and revitalize global partnership	19

The 2030 Agenda articulates its 17 Sustainable Development Goals around five strategic areas —known as the "5 Ps"— (United Nations General Assembly, 2015). These five pillars are: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships, and constitute the roadmap to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, promote inclusive growth, foster peaceful societies, and mobilize global cooperation towards 2030:

The 17 SDGs and their 5 spheres (Suforall, Javier Trespalacios)

Comparison between Agenda 21, MDGs, and SDGs

The SDGs represented a significant evolution compared to the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and Agenda 21 (Le Blanc, 2015; Fukuda-Parr, 2016):

Aspect	Agenda 21	MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)	SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
Year adopted	1992	2000	2015
Focus	Emphasis on environmental sustainability and local participation	Reduction of poverty and improvement of social indicators in developing countries	Addressing social, economic, and environmental dimensions
Applicability	Guidance framework for all countries, with voluntary implementation at national and local levels	Primarily aimed at developing countries	Universal, applicable to all countries regardless of their level of development
Participation	Encourages participation of multiple actors, including local governments and civil society	Less inclusive design, with limited participation in its formulation	Broad participatory process, including global consultations and online mechanisms
Structure	40 chapters addressing various areas of sustainable development	8 goals with 21 specific targets	17 goals with 169 detailed targets
Integration	Promotes integration of environmental and development policies	Sectoral approach with specific objectives	Recognizes the interconnection between targets and the need to address them jointly

Controversies and Reservations in the Adoption of the 2030 Agenda

The consensus approval of the 2030 Agenda was not without debate and nuances: various States and groups expressed reservations or made critical comments on key aspects of some goals and targets, both during intergovernmental negotiations and in subsequent forums:

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SDGs 3.7 and 5.6): The Vatican, in its capacity as an observer State, warned that references to "sexual and reproductive health" (Target 3.7) and "reproductive rights" (Target 5.6) could be interpreted as an endorsement of abortion (Catholic News Agency, 2016; Holy See, 2015). Although it did not vote or block the resolution, it requested that the language be nuanced to clarify that it did not imply promotion of practices contrary to its beliefs (Catholic News Agency, 2016; Holy See, 2015).
Reduction of inequalities (SDG 10.4): Several European Union members and the United States expressed concern about the formulation of "progressive fiscal, wage and social protection policies," arguing that their application should be left to the "spirit and discretion" of each country and avoid specific fiscal prescriptions (Adams & Judd, 2016). The final text, however, maintains the non-binding nature of the target without explicit references to specific taxes (United Nations, 2015).
Responsible production and consumption (SDG 12.1): The most industrialized countries (e.g., United States, United Kingdom, and several OECD members) advocated for a voluntary and flexible approach, avoiding language that would oblige them to lead the transition (Bernstein, 2017).
Climate action (SDG 13.a): Island nations, such as Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands, demanded a clear commitment to "committed climate financing" and support for adaptation, while major oil exporters (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) emphasized the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and defended clauses that recognized their energy interests (Depledge, 2017; Michaelowa et al., 2018).
Means of implementation and financing (SDG 17): The G-77 bloc and China pushed for concrete commitments on Official Development Assistance (ODA) and reforms of the international financial system, while developed countries favored language oriented towards "voluntary partnerships" and mobilization of private capital, minimizing state obligations in financing the SDGs (Clemens & Kremer, 2016; Fukuda-Parr & Hulme, 2017).

Conclusion

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute the most ambitious international commitment to achieve balanced and sustainable development. Their success will depend on the capacity of the international community to maintain political momentum, overcome ideological resistance, and mobilize the necessary resources. Among the main challenges of the SDGs are:

Weakness in accountability mechanisms: The SDGs lack legally binding mechanisms, which weakens the enforceability of commitments (Biermann et al., 2017). Although Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) [8] allow for accountability before the UN High-Level Political Forum (United Nations, 2016), their optional nature limits their effectiveness (Persson et al., 2016).
Insufficient financing: The implementation of the SDGs requires financial resources far greater than those currently available (Schmidt-Traub, 2015). While there are initiatives such as the SDG Fund and public-private partnerships, the absence of a specific fund and dependence on international cooperation limit their sustainability (Gaspar et al., 2019).
Tension between universality and contextualization: Applying global targets to disparate national realities generates tensions, especially in areas such as climate action (SDG 13), where historical responsibilities and capacities for action vary (Fukuda-Parr, 2016).
Balance between ambition and realism: Some targets, such as "achieve gender equality" (SDG 5), are so broad that they make effective measurement and the definition of verifiable intermediate objectives difficult (Hák et al., 2016).

Despite these challenges, there are examples of significant progress:

Education (SDG 4): India raised its literacy rate to 74% in 2018 thanks to programs such as Saakshar Bharat (UNESCO, 2018).
Energy (SDG 7): Denmark achieved 43% of its electricity generation from wind energy in 2017, leading the energy transition (International Energy Agency [IEA], 2018).
Gender equality (SDG 5): Rwanda recorded 61% female representation in its parliament, the highest worldwide (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2018).

"There is no plan B because there is no planet B"... Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, 2007-2016

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Notes

[1] Agenda 21 is a global action plan adopted at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, promoted by the UN, which seeks to promote sustainable development through coordinated policies and actions at global, national, and local levels. This program covers topics such as fighting poverty, natural resource management, environmental protection, and strengthening social groups, with the aim of integrating economic, social, and environmental development for present and future generations. Available at: https://www.un.org/spanish/esa/sustdev/agenda21/agenda21toc.htm.

[2] The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a set of eight global targets established by the UN in 2000, with a deadline until 2015, aimed at combating extreme poverty, hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, child and maternal mortality, diseases, environmental degradation, and fostering a global partnership for development. The MDGs served as an international framework to coordinate efforts and measure progress in improving living conditions in developing countries.

[3] Johannesburg Plan of Implementation: World Summit on Sustainable Development, held from August 26 to September 4, 2002, in Johannesburg (South Africa). More information at: https://unctad.org/es/Docs/aconf199d20_sp.pdf

[4] The Rio Principles: 27 principles proclaimed in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, during the United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro (June 3-14, 1992). Available at: https://www.un.org/spanish/esa/sustdev/agenda21/riodeclaration.htm

[5] The distribution of seats by regional group in the international context is distributed as follows: Africa has 7 seats, as does the Asia-Pacific group, which also has 7 seats. Eastern Europe has 5 seats assigned, while Latin America and the Caribbean have 6. Finally, the Western European and Other States Group (WEOG) has 5 seats. This distribution seeks to ensure equitable representation of the different regions of the world in international decision-making bodies.

[6] Its co-chairs were Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (President of Indonesia), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (President of Liberia), and David Cameron (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom). The rest of the group included Fulbert Gero Amoussouga (Benin, economist and presidential advisor), Izabella Teixeira (Brazil, Minister of Environment), Yingfan Wang (China, former Permanent Representative to the UN), Maria Angela Holguín (Colombia, Minister of Foreign Affairs), Gisela Alonso (Cuba, President of the Environmental Agency), Jean-Michel Severino (France, investment director), Horst Köhler (Germany, former president), Naoto Kan (Japan, former Prime Minister), Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan, Queen of Jordan), Betty Maina (Kenya, director of the Manufacturers Association), Abhijit Banerjee (India, economist), Andris Piebalgs (Latvia, European Commissioner for Development), Paul Polman (Netherlands, CEO of Unilever), Patricia Espinosa (Mexico, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs), Amina J. Mohammed (Nigeria, special advisor to the UN Secretary-General), Elvira Nabiullina (Russia, Minister of Economic Development), Graça Machel (South Africa/Mozambique, activist and former First Lady), Gunilla Carlsson (Sweden, former Minister of Development Cooperation), Emilia Pires (Timor-Leste, Minister of Finance), Kadir Topbaş (Turkey, Mayor of Istanbul), John Podesta (United States, president of the Center for American Progress), Tawakel Karman (Yemen, journalist and activist), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria, Minister of Finance), H.M. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (Qatar, president of the Qatar Foundation) and Justine Greening (United Kingdom, Secretary of State for International Development).

[7] Between January and July 2015, eight formal sessions of intergovernmental negotiations were held —including those for stock-taking (Jan 19-21), declaration (Feb 17-20), goals (Mar 23-27), means of implementation (Apr 21-24), follow-up (May 18-22) and drafting of the outcome document (Jun 22-25; Jul 20-24; Jul 27-31)— to refine the final text of the 2030 Agenda (United Nations, 2015a).

[8] Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) are periodic reports that countries submit to the United Nations to report on their progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These reports allow governments to be accountable, share achievements and challenges, and exchange experiences and good practices with other countries, thus promoting transparency and collective learning in advancing towards sustainable development.

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