2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 is described as a “call of action for people, planet and prosperity”. The cornerstone of this call ofto action comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The objectives of the 2030 Agenda are, among other things, to:
- end hunger and poverty in all its forms everywhere
- ensure access to education and healthcare for everyone
- ensure dignified lives and well-being for all at all ages in a healthy environment
- ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns and take urgent action on climate change to protect the planet
- foster economic and social progress in harmony with nature
- build peaceful, just and inclusive societies that are free from fear and violence, protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Global partnership, universal applicability, policy coherence
The 2030 Agenda is extremely ambitious, as the international political situation is currently light years behind this vision of solidarity and sustainability. Three aspects thereof will be decisive:
- A global partnership will strengthen the means of implementation, forge greater solidarity, pay special attention to the needs of the poorest and most disadvantaged, and be backed by all countries, stakeholders and individuals.
- The Agenda is universally applicable every UN member state should do its part to achieve the SDGs, at national and international level. Industrialized countries are called upon to ensure sustainable production and consumption and to combat social inequalities. In particular, in view of the global economic divide, they are duty-bound to provide the bulk of the funding for global implementation of the Agenda.
- Each state must pledge to be coherent in its development policy, which means that it must align its various policy areas to achieve sustainable development and making sure they do not cancel each other out. This goes for domestic as well as for international policy.
A great many NGOs in Switzerland, including Helvetas, have joined forces to form a civil-society platform promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The platform is to critically monitor Swiss implementation of the SDGs and work towards making sustainability the guiding principle of action for the Federal Government and other decision-makers at every level.