In 2015, the 193 countries that make up the United Nations (UN) agreed to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The historic agenda lays out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets for dignity, peace, and prosperity for the planet and humankind, to be completed by the year 2030. The agenda targets multiple areas for action, such as poverty and sanitation, and plans to build up local economies while addressing people’s social needs.

In short, the 17 SDGs are:

• Goal 1: No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
• Goal 2: Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
• Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
• Goal 4: Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• Goal 5: Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
• Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
• Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
• Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
• Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequality: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
• Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
• Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
• Goal 13: Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
• Goal 14: Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
• Goal 15: Life on Land: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
• Goal 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.