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The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, serve as a shared blueprint and urgent call to action for all nations within a global partnership. These goals aim to achieve prosperity and peace for both people and the planet. They represent a universal development agenda applicable to every country and individual, grounded in universal values, common interests, and shared aspirations. The 17 Goals are interconnected, meaning that progress in one contributes to the achievement of others. Adopted by 193 countries in 2015, they are set to be accomplished by 2030.

For each Sustainable Development Goal, there is a specific set of targets that contribute to achieving that Goal. In total, there are 169 targets spread across the 17 SDGs. These targets also include 248 indicators (231 unique indicators, with 13 repeated under two or three different targets). These indicators provide an initial set of measurements to evaluate progress toward achieving the Goals. Governments and organizations at all levels also develop their own indicators to monitor progress on the Goals and targets most relevant to them, reflecting best practices and lessons learned.

The SDGs, commonly known as the Global Goals, are indeed synonymous. In contrast, the 2030 Agenda represents a broader framework established in a resolution reached through multilateral negotiations. Beyond the Goals, it encompasses overarching principles, timelines, and processes for the implementation and review of the SDGs.

The Sustainable Development Goals were preceded by a set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that ran from 2000 to 2015, mainly focused on global poverty and international assistance. As the MDGs timeline was ending, a conversation began about what should follow them. The idea began to take hold that this was an opportunity for a new set of goals that could connect a lot of dots and be relevant to all — expressing aspirations for a healthier, safer, and fairer world that were relevant to all societies.

The starting point for developing the 2030 Agenda was the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit in 2012 (Rio+20), which created an Open Working Group to develop a new set of goals. A “High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda” was also launched to spark fresh thinking. These contributed to a multilateral process that has often been called the “most inclusive negotiating process in UN history,” involving all countries, public consultations, expert briefings, a worldwide survey, and high-level deliberations. Agenda 2030 was formally adopted at a historic summit at the UN in September 2015.

The “5 Ps” of the SDGs are:

1. People

2. Planet

3. Prosperity

4. Peace

5. Partnership

These focus areas highlight the intertwined nature of the 17 Goals and are used by educators and communicators as a way to consider stakeholders, impacts, and progress on the Goals. This expands on the three Ps used in many definitions of sustainability (people, planet, and profits), with recognition of the importance of peace and partnership to achieving and maintaining sustainable development for all.