Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals issued its outcome document on 19 July 2014, with proposals for 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be considered by the UN General Assembly at its 68th session. The Open Working Group held 13 sessions and consulted widely in preparing its proposals.

The Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the OWG are accompanied by targets and will be further elaborated through indicators focused on measurable outcomes. They are action oriented, global in nature and universally applicable. They take into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respect national policies and priorities. They build on the foundation laid by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), seek to complete the unfinished business of the MDGs, and respond to new challenges. These goals constitute an integrated, indivisible set of global priorities for sustainable development. Targets are defined as aspirational global targets, with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. The goals and targets integrate economic, social and environmental aspects and recognize their interlinkages in achieving sustainable development in all its dimensions.

The Outcome Document can be consulted on line or downloaded at http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html