The SDGs were developed after years of discussions and international agreements. The journey started in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where over 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, a global action plan for sustainable development.
In 2000, the Millennium Summit in New York led to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — eight targets to reduce poverty, hunger, and disease by 2015. Two years later, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg strengthened global partnerships and renewed commitments to sustainability.
A major step came in 2012 at the Rio+20 Conference, where world leaders agreed on the need for a new set of goals. They adopted the document “The Future We Want”, which called for the creation of the SDGs and established the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to monitor progress. In 2013, a 30-member Open Working Group was formed to draft the goals.
By September 2015, after long negotiations, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was officially adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, placing the 17 SDGs at its core. That same year, other important agreements were also made, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing development, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The journey toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development began long before its official adoption in 2015. This global framework, endorsed by all United Nations Member States, serves as a collective roadmap for building a better world. Its purpose is to promote peace, enhance quality of life, boost economic growth, and protect the environment—for people and the planet alike. At the heart of this plan are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals encourage every country to take action to eliminate poverty, safeguard the environment, and ensure that all people can enjoy a healthy, safe, and fulfilling life by 2030.
