The Agenda 2030 is an international framework of action with five main parts. It is for the people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. The plan is the result of about 40 years of global efforts to deal with the environmental, social and economic challenges of the world. The Agenda 2030 was created in 2015, at a historic UN meeting about sustainable development.
The Agenda has been adopted by the 195 countries that are members of the UN. The name “2030 Agenda” comes from the aim to fulfil the targets before 2030.
The core principles of Agenda 2030
The most famous core principle of the Agenda 2030 is “leave no one behind“. This is since the goals of the agenda aims to include all people. Meaning even the people with the most vulnerable and challenging situations. Other principles are universality, to include all nations. As well as multi-stake holder partnerships, to for example share technology and financial resources.
The agenda is an effort to work with the social, environmental and economic problems of the world. In other words, the most important elements are social inclusion, environmental protection and economic growth.
The 5 Ps mentioned above – people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership – is an upgraded understanding of sustainable development. Before 2015, the concept only included people, planet and prosperity. With the Agenda 2030, peace and partnership became integrated parts of the concept. “Genuine sustainability sits at the core of these five dimensions”.
The Sustainable Development Goals
The most famous part of the agenda are the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). These function as focal points for the world to understand what is needed for a sustainable world. The SDGs are a result of many political debates, addressing the most urgent needs of today. Some examples of the goals are “no poverty” (goal 1) and “gender equality” (goal 5). Others deal with climate change.
The agenda aims to tackle the underlying problems in the world. Instead of just working with the symtoms, such as rescue camps for climate refugees. Therefore there is a mixed focus on direct action, such as reassuring access to food, with long-term sustainable projects.
The 2030 Agenda will work through for example local bodies. Each government that is a member of the UN has the responsibility to establish these bodies. The idea is to collect experts in areas such as culture, climate, environment, business and research. This is done with the hope to create national action plans that align with the values of Agenda 2030.