The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015 by all UN Member States with the intention of guiding all countries in their development, contains at its core a pledge ‘that no one will be left behind’. This section lists a number of important milestones in the development of the 2030 Agenda.
2000
World leaders adopt the UN Millennium Declaration, a commitment to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty. The Declaration also sets out a series of targets – the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – to be met by 2015.
2012
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio 20+) results in a focused political outcome document, ‘The Future We Want’, which contains clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development. Member States decide to launch a process to develop a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to build on the MDGs and converge with the post-2015 development agenda.
2014
For the first time, the theme of the UN Economic and Social Council’s Youth Forum takes the MDGs and SDGs into consideration.
2015
The UN General Assembly adopts a landmark resolution, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, presenting ‘a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity’. The resolution outlines a set of 17 development-related targets – the SDGs – to be met by 2030 and contains the pledge ‘that no one will be left behind’.
2019
In September, Heads of State and Government gather at UN Headquarters in New York for the first SDG Summit–High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development to follow up and comprehensively review progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.
In October, the UN General Assembly endorses a Political Declaration, ‘Gearing up for a decade of action and delivery for sustainable development’. World leaders call for a ‘Decade of Action’ to deliver the SDGs by 2030 and announce actions they are taking to advance the 2030 Agenda. More than 100 acceleration actions have so far been announced.
2020
End of the first cycle of 2030 Agenda implementation and review.