The 17 New United Nations(UN)Development Goals for 2030

“We have a big bold agenda before us – now we must work to make it real in people’s lives”. Those were the words of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban ki Moon last week after 193 member states adopted a sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years that seeks to end poverty and hunger by 2030 and achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment among a total of 17 goals.

While the goals are expected to be adopted formally by heads of state in September, a senior UN official has urged countries to make the necessary investments to implement the new ambitious agenda.

This is a pivotal moment for the UN family as an agreement by all 193-member states will take the Millennium Development Goals forward.

The Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Amina Mohamed explains, “This is the moment in history when we are learning the lessons of the Millennium Development Goals and what we need to do to address existing challenges but new complexities in a universal agenda. And for us, 193 countries coming together what it is that we need to do to address that amongst other things not just sustainable development goals but the means of implementation and addressing the climate change. So, three big actions and this I think is at the core of it, it is about the universal agenda that it is integrated”.

"Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" places poverty eradication as its overarching goal, the pursuit of gender equality and education equity, the reduction of inequalities between nations, ensuring sustainable consumption patterns and taking urgent action to combat climate change among others.

The 17 goals and 169 targets will be adopted at a special summit in New York.

The 193 member states of the United Nations in the coming days will adopt 17 new development goals to be achieved by 2030. 

The goals will be added to the world agenda at a global summit just before the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. 

The new goals replace the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted at a summit in 2000. Those expire at the end of 2015.