Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Binoptionen Writer - Cody Walls
Cody Walls

The UN conceived 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, which focused on improving and resolving major global issues for a better and more sustainable future. The SDGs are a successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which concluded in 2015.

Bonus Read: Before learning about the SDGs, you’d benefit from accustoming yourself to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the UN.

17 Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

Having goals ranging from ending starvation to combating desertification, the 17 SDGs include:

1. No Poverty

The key targets for this SDG are:

  1. Focusing resources towards eliminating extreme poverty and reducing all kinds of poverty by half.
  2. Integrating poverty eradication policies and building social support systems.

2. No Hunger

The primary objectives for this SDG are:

  1. Improving agricultural systems to make them highly productive and sustainable.
  2. Overhaul food markets and distribution to make it reasonably profitable for farmers in developing countries.

3. Good Health and Well-Being

The short and long-term goals for this SDG are:

  1. Building infrastructure that provides proper medical care for pregnant mothers, infants, diseased individuals, etc.
  2. Achieving global health coverage and boosting health support for developing countries.

4. Quality Education

This SDG emphasizes on:

  1. Ensuring free primary and secondary education and easy access to affordable higher education for all.
  2. Supplying quality teachers, building better schools, and providing a greater number of scholarships to the developing countries.

5. Gender Inequality

This SDG focuses on empowering and educating all women and girls with the goal of eliminating gender disparity at all levels.

6. Clean Water and Sanitation

The main targets of this SDG are:

  1. Improving water treatments facilities in developing countries for healthier water supply and efficient water usage.
  2. Proving affordable drinking water, access to sanitation facilities, and sustaining water-based ecosystems.

7. Affordable and Clean Energy

This SDG will words towards energy efficiency through:

  1. Promoting renewable energy usage and providing global access to clean energy.
  2. Improving access to clean energy technologies and developing better energy infrastructure in budding countries.

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

The main targets of this SDG include:

  1. Increasing stable and sustainable job opportunities for developing countries.
  2. Encouraging safer work environments through the protection of labor rights.

9. Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

The areas of focus for this SDG are:

  1. Establish sustainable and enduring infrastructure for industries in developing countries.
  2. Achieve global access to better communication technologies.

10. Reduce Inequality

The main targets for this SDG are:

  1. Establishing more inclusive social, economic, and political frameworks to eliminate income inequality and discrimination.
  2. Achieving equal opportunities for all by adopting social policies that encourage equality.

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

This SDG will focus on:

  1. Improving access to safe, affordable housing and transport systems globally.
  2. Promote healthy urbanization without destroying cultural heritage.

12. Responsible Consumption and Production

The main objectives of this SDG are:

  1. Improving management of Environmental resources.
  2. Building better waste management systems that encourage recycling and lower waste generation.

13. Climate Action

This SDG is formulated with a vision of reducing carbon emissions and encouraging the use of renewable energies to prevent further atmospheric degradation.

Bonus Read: Glance through the conclusions and discussions which occurred during 5 specific meetings at the UN High-Level Panel.

14. Life Below Water

Often ignored, this SDG is designed to preserve and improve marine biodiversity. Preventing water pollution, encouraging sustainable farming of marine resources, and preventing poaching of rare aquatic species are some of the planned improvements for this SDG.

15. Life on Land

This SDG is based on stopping and reversing land degradation, desertification, and eradicating the loss of land biodiversity.

16. Peace Justice and Strong Institutions

This SDG is created to put more effective and accountable institutional frameworks into action to nurture and sustain peaceful and inclusive communities.

17. Partnerships for Global Development

This SDG focuses on:  

  1. Fostering partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to provide affordable medicine to those in need.
  2. Partnering with infotech companies to offer greater accessibility to better communication technologies in developing countries.  


Sustainable investing, also known as eco investing or ethical investing, has been an immense blessing for the SDGs. Moreover, it’s the ideal path to follow when achieving these SDGs.

By opting into sustainable investing, you can make sure your financial contributions positively impact the world. Always try purchasing financial assets of companies that are supportive of the SDGs.

Bonus Read: Here is a brief of the HLP report, consisting of the five big transformative shifts that rose after the HLP discussion.