UN Sustainable Development Goals : SDG are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly. The SDGs cover social and economic development issues including poverty, hunger, health, education, global warming, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, urbanisation, environment and social justice.
They are:
Goal 1: No Poverty
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being for People
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Goal 10: Reducing Inequalities
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Goal 15: Life on Land
Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” on 25 September 2015.
Goal 17 encompasses the promotion of international cooperation and the use of public-private partnerships.
The 17 goals incorporate 169 specific targets. This has been criticised in some quarters as over-complex.
SDG driven investment is expected to help push the agenda forward. For example, many large institutional investors have been seeking to promote the SDG goals through engagement with the companies in which they invest. Hence the growth of SRI (socially responsible investing) and ESG (environmental, social and governance) metrics when assessing potential investments.