Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Explained in 10 minutes or less

Summary

In this video, Kaylee discusses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Adopted by all 193 UN member states in 2015, the agenda encompasses 17 goals, 169 targets, and over 230 indicators, focusing on social, environmental, and economic priorities. It is guided by four principles: integration, universality, inclusivity, and leaving no one behind. The 'Decade of Action' aims to accelerate progress, especially in the face of setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaylee plans to explore each SDG and the pandemic's impact on sustainable development in upcoming series.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all 193 UN member states on September 25, 2015, aiming to create a universal action plan for people, planet, and prosperity.
• 📈 It evolved from two previous frameworks: Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals, combining environmental priorities with human development targets.
• 🔄 The agenda is built on three pillars of sustainable development: social, environmental, and economic, plus two additional Ps for peace and partnership.
• 🎯 It consists of 17 goals, 169 targets, and over 230 indicators, making it an extensive and comprehensive plan to measure progress.
• 🔄 The 2030 Agenda is characterized by four fundamental principles: integration, universality, inclusivity, and leaving no one behind.
• 🌐 It applies universally, meaning it is relevant to all countries regardless of their level of development, urging collective action from every nation.
• 🤝 The agenda emphasizes inclusivity, requiring the engagement of all sectors of society, including governments, NGOs, the private sector, and individuals.
• 🏁 The primary goal is to reach the most vulnerable first, ensuring progress is made in helping those who are furthest behind in development.
• 📊 Progress on the agenda is reviewed annually at the High-Level Political Forum in New York, focusing on gaps, opportunities, and acceleration of implementation.
• 🕒 We are currently in the 'Decade of Action', a critical phase to accelerate progress towards the 2030 goals, which were impacted by setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 📚 The speaker plans to create two series on the topic: one explaining each SDG and current status, and another exploring the pandemic's impact on sustainable development.

Q & A

What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aiming to address a wide range of social, environmental, and economic development issues.

What was the significance of the date September 25th, 2015, in the context of the SDGs?

September 25th, 2015, marks the date when the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs, was adopted by all 193 UN member states, signifying a universal commitment to sustainable development.

What were the two previous processes that laid the groundwork for the 2030 Agenda?

The two previous processes were Agenda 21, adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit focusing on environmental priorities, and the Millennium Development Goals, spearheaded by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, focusing mainly on human development in developing countries.

What are the three pillars of sustainable development mentioned in the script?

The three pillars of sustainable development are social, environmental, and economic aspects, which form the foundation for a balanced approach to sustainable development.

How does the 2030 Agenda expand on the traditional three pillars of sustainable development?

The 2030 Agenda expands the traditional three pillars by adding peace and partnership, creating a framework with five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.

What are the criticisms regarding the comprehensiveness of the 2030 Agenda?

One of the criticisms is that the 2030 Agenda is so far-reaching and includes so many goals and targets that it becomes difficult to prioritize and determine what is most important.

What are the four fundamental principles embedded in the 2030 Agenda?

The four fundamental principles are integration, universality, inclusivity, and leaving no one behind, emphasizing the interconnectedness of policies, global applicability, engagement of all sectors of society, and prioritizing the most vulnerable.

How is the progress of the 2030 Agenda reviewed?

The progress is reviewed annually at the High-Level Political Forum, an event that takes place in New York in July, where the global community assesses progress on specific goals and identifies gaps, opportunities, and solutions.

What challenges does the 2030 Agenda face due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

The pandemic has set back progress significantly, creating a need for immediate action to overcome the setbacks and ensure the goals are met by the target date of 2030.

What is the term 'Decade of Action' referring to in the context of the 2030 Agenda?

The 'Decade of Action' refers to the period from 2020 to 2030, marking the final ten years of the 2030 Agenda, during which there is an urgent need to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs.

What are the upcoming series on the channel related to the SDGs?

There will be two series: one explaining each SDG and the current status, and another examining how the pandemic is affecting sustainable development and the SDGs.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Introduction to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The video script introduces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals or 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs were adopted on September 25th, 2015, and represent a universal commitment by all 193 UN member states to work towards a more sustainable future. The script discusses the historical context of the SDGs, which evolved from Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals, and highlights the agenda's comprehensive nature, covering 17 goals, 169 targets, and over 230 indicators. It emphasizes the agenda's three pillars: social, environmental, and economic, along with the additional notions of peace and partnership. The script also mentions the agenda's fundamental principles, including integration, universality, inclusivity, and the focus on 'leaving no one behind.'

05:01

🔄 The Decade of Action and the Impact of COVID-19 on SDGs

This paragraph delves into the current status of the 2030 Agenda, highlighting the 'Decade of Action' which began in 2020, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has posed significant challenges to the progress of the SDGs, necessitating immediate and concerted action to overcome setbacks and achieve the goals by the target year. The script underscores the importance of collective effort, involving all sectors of society, from governments to NGOs, to ensure that the most vulnerable are not left behind. The creator also announces upcoming video series on the channel that will explore each SDG in detail and examine how the pandemic is affecting sustainable development. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage with the content, ask questions, and seek further resources on the topic.

Keywords

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain certain processes or conditions so that they can continue over the long term without causing depletion or harm to the environment or society. In the video, Kaylee discusses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for achieving a sustainable future, emphasizing the importance of addressing environmental, social, and economic issues in tandem.

💡United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 as a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are designed to be a 'blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.' In the script, Kaylee outlines the SDGs as the central theme of the video, aiming to cover everything one needs to know about them in under 10 minutes.

💡2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity that was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. It includes a set of SDGs and aims to stimulate action in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet. The video script mentions this agenda as the foundation for the discussion on global goals and the collective effort required to achieve them by 2030.

💡Agenda 21

Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It is a comprehensive blueprint for addressing the互动 between environment and development issues. In the video, Agenda 21 is mentioned as the precursor to the SDGs, emphasizing its role in laying the groundwork for environmental priorities.

💡Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The MDGs were eight international development goals established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. They were aimed primarily at developing countries and focused on issues like poverty reduction, education, gender equality, and child and maternal health. The video script explains that the MDGs were a precursor to the SDGs, highlighting their focus on human development.

💡High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)

The HLPF is an annual United Nations platform for reviewing progress towards the SDGs. It is an interactive and multi-stakeholder platform that serves to mobilize and share knowledge for the implementation of the SDGs. In the script, Kaylee mentions the HLPF as the event where progress on the SDGs is reviewed annually, emphasizing its importance in monitoring and accelerating implementation.

💡Decade of Action

The Decade of Action refers to the ten-year period from 2020 to 2030, during which the United Nations calls for a global push to achieve the SDGs. The video script mentions this period as a critical time for action, especially in light of the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

💡COVID-19

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The pandemic has had significant global impacts, including on the progress towards the SDGs. In the video, Kaylee discusses the challenges posed by the pandemic to the 2030 Agenda and the need for urgent action to overcome these setbacks.

💡Global Goals

Global Goals is a term often used interchangeably with the SDGs, referring to the shared objectives set by the international community to promote sustainable development worldwide. The video script uses the term to describe the collective aspirations encapsulated in the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda.

💡Indicators

Indicators in the context of the SDGs are statistical measures used to track progress towards the goals. There are over 230 indicators for the 17 SDGs, providing a comprehensive way to measure achievements. The script mentions indicators as part of the SDG framework, emphasizing their role in assessing progress.

💡Fundamental Principles

The fundamental principles of the 2030 Agenda include integration, universality, inclusivity, and leaving no one behind. These principles guide the implementation and interpretation of the SDGs. In the video, Kaylee explains these principles as the cornerstones of the agenda, highlighting their importance in ensuring a holistic and inclusive approach to sustainable development.

Highlights

Introduction to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals or 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 2030 Agenda was adopted on September 25th, 2015, with universal adoption by all 193 U.N. member states.

The Agenda was built on the groundwork of Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals, combining environmental and human development priorities.

The 2030 Agenda is a comprehensive action plan addressing social, environmental, and economic issues, with added emphasis on peace and partnership.

The Agenda consists of 17 goals, 169 targets, and over 230 indicators for measuring progress.

One of the Agenda's criticisms is its broad scope, making it difficult to prioritize and determine the most important goals.

The SDGs touch on various aspects including ending poverty, achieving gender equality, and combating climate change.

The Agenda is based on four fundamental principles: integration, universality, inclusivity, and leaving no one behind.

The Agenda applies to all countries, regardless of their level of development, emphasizing a collective effort for sustainable development.

The Agenda was developed using the results of the My World survey, engaging a wide range of sectors in society.

The principle of leaving no one behind focuses on reaching the most vulnerable first to ensure inclusive progress.

The 2030 Agenda is a 15-year plan, with annual reviews of progress at the High-Level Political Forum.

The current decade is referred to as the Decade of Action, emphasizing the urgency of achieving the Agenda's goals by 2030.

The Agenda faces significant challenges due to the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The importance of immediate action is highlighted, using the crisis as an opportunity to accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

Upcoming series on the channel will explore each SDG and the impact of the pandemic on sustainable development.

A blog post with additional resources and organizations to follow or support for those interested in the SDGs.

Transcripts

hey y'all it's kaylee welcome tipping a

suit where every week

i talk about sustainability why you ask

because i dream of a world where a

global pandemic

does not create 50 new billionaires

today i'm going to be covering the

united nations sustainable development

goals or as you may know them

the sdgs global goals or 2030 agenda for

sustainable development

i'm going to attempt to give you

everything you need to know about them

in just 10 minutes or less so we better

get going

[Music]

the 2030 agenda for sustainable

development was adopted on september

25th

2015 universally universal adoption

means that

every single country all 193 u.n member

states

agreed i'm sure you can imagine that

getting 193 countries

to agree on anything is next to

impossible

but that's what makes this agenda so

groundbreaking the reason we saw such

broad support and adoption of the 2030

agenda is that it was built on the

groundwork

of two previous processes that laid a

strong foundation

the first was agenda 21 that was adopted

at the 1992

rio earth summit and laid out a whole

bunch of environmental priorities for

the planet

the second were the millennium

development goals that were spearheaded

by the u.n secretary general at the time

kofi annan

these were eight goals targeted at

developing countries and mainly focused

on human development

so things like eliminating poverty

universal primary education

gender equality child and maternal

health fighting against diseases

and even environmental sustainability

but at a very high level

so the global community had these two

processes one environmentally focused

and one human development focused

and in 2012 at the rio plus 20 earth

summit world leaders agreed

to bring the two processes together to

create a more comprehensive framework

that would be relevant to every country

on the planet regardless of its level of

development

and to adopt it as a global community

the 2030 agenda for sustainable

development is referred to as a

comprehensive action plan

for people planet and prosperity this

relates directly to the three pillars of

sustainable development

social environmental and economic that i

talked about in my first video which you

can find up here

interestingly the 2030 agenda also added

the notion of peace and partnership to

those traditional pillars of

sustainability

to create the five p's people planet

prosperity peace and partnership

the agenda is made up of 17 goals

169 targets and over 230 indicators for

measuring progress

so to say it's comprehensive would be a

bit of an understatement

in fact that is one of the biggest

criticisms of the agenda is that it's so

far-reaching that it's hard to

prioritize and know

what is the most important the 17 goals

they touch on everything from

ending poverty achieving gender equality

protecting the planet

both our land and our water combating

climate change

creating sustainable economies limiting

our

consumption and even good governance and

peace

you can see now what i mean by the

agenda kind of including everything but

in fact

as i mentioned in the history this was

quite deliberate it was meant to create

a more comprehensive picture of

sustainable development

it was also meant to be rooted in a few

fundamental principles that were not

included in previous agendas

first it's integrated this means that it

recognizes the systemic nature of our

world

and the interconnectedness between

various domains of society

it says we cannot make policies in a

vacuum we have to think about how they

affect each other

second it's universal this means that it

applies as much to the richest countries

as it does to the poorest countries

meaning that it applies equally to every

single country

no matter what their situation no matter

what their context

the millennium development goals that

came before really focused on developing

countries and

and that was great however this agenda

says to

every country on the planet none of you

have achieved a sustainable society and

we need

to get moving each of you have work to

do i like this because it creates more

of a community

approach and a collective effort in

delivering the agenda

and thirdly it is inclusive the agenda

was adopted by countries yes

so it's ultimately their responsibility

but

it was developed using the results of a

5 million person survey called the my

world survey

and directly in the text it says that we

need to engage

all sectors of society in order to

achieve it so whether that be

ngos in civil society academics and

researchers the private sector

international organizations and

community and of course governments as

well

all of them need to be at the table and

the final fundamental principle of the

2030 agenda is

leaving no one behind or starting with

the most vulnerable first

this comes from a big lesson out of the

millennium development goals which was

while there was progress made in some

countries others fell

way further behind so a lot of the

success that happened

in the millennium development goals was

actually attributed to the economic

development of china over that period

and in fact some of the more vulnerable

countries fell further and further

behind

so this agenda the 2030 agenda and the

sdgs

focuses on how you reach those furthest

behind whether that be a country or

groups within the country

first so that our progress can be

assured to be helping those who are the

most

vulnerable as the name probably suggests

the 2030 agenda will end in 2030.

it's a 15-year agenda running from

2015-2030

every single year we review progress of

the agenda

at the high-level political forum which

is an event that takes place in new york

in july

at that event the global community looks

at progress on certain goals

and in certain countries and looks for

gaps opportunities new solutions and

ways to accelerate implementation

we are currently in what's being

referred to as the decade of action

because we were five years into the

agenda and only have a decade

left to deliver that was kicked off in

2020 and

that happened right around the same time

as the pandemic

so this agenda is facing a great deal of

challenges as we try and

overcome the massive progress that was

set back

by the pandemic if there is one thing

for certain it's that we need

action now as winston churchill famously

said

never let a good crisis go to waste and

this applies so much to the 2030 agenda

we have been set back very far in

progress and we need

action in order to make that time up and

to have good results

on the agenda by the time 2030 comes not

just so we can say we had good results

but because it's so fundamental to

ourselves our planet and vulnerable

communities

all over the world one of my viewers

mentioned that there's so much

information in these videos that a

summary would be helpful so

let's give that a try the 2030 agenda

was universally adopted in september

2015 by all 193 member states

of the united nations it was the

evolution of two previous processes

agenda 21 and the millennium development

goals

it is made up of 17 sustainable

development goals that span social

environmental and economic priorities as

well as 169 targets and over 230

indicators

it has four fundamental principles

embedded in it

integration universality inclusivity and

leaving no one behind

the agenda is reviewed every single year

to ensure that we are progressing

we are now in the decade of action and

is needed more than ever given the

progress that we have lost due to

covid19

i'm going to be making two series here

on the channel related to this topic in

the coming months

one that looks at each sdg and explains

what it is and where we currently stand

on it

and a second that looks at how the

pandemic is affecting

sustainable development and the sdgs so

i hope you'll tune in for those

that's it for today thank you so much

for being here i hope you learned

something and if you have any questions

leave it in the comments below and i

will do my best to respond and provide

resources where you can learn more

as always i also have a blog post that

summarizes this topic

provides links to my research additional

resources for reading

and a couple of organizations who work

in this field that you may want to

follow or support if this topic

interests you

thank you so much for the support if you

liked this video give it a thumbs up it

really helps out the channel

thank you so much again and i look

forward to seeing you soon

take care and keep fighting the good

fight bye