The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals adopted by the world community to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.
The UN SDGs derive from the UN Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), which achieved success in reducing poverty, improving health, and enhancing education in developing countries. The UN SDGs are broader in scope and are applicable to developed and developing countries alike. Moreover, the time line for achieving the UN SDGs is targeted at 2030.
The UN estimates that financing the SDGs to 2030 will cost $5-7 trillion and there’s already a funding gap of $2.5 trillion in developing countries alone. The global business community needs to be involved to achieve the SDGs not merely in terms of financing, but also by using their products and services to drive progress on advancing the UN SDGs.