‘Agenda’ is a Latin word, a declention of the verb agere, which means ‘to do’. That’s why the United Nations 2030 Agenda is called an agenda. It’s not a wish-list of something that would be nice to happen sooner or later; it’s a concrete, detailed list of things that need to be done, with a clear deadline: 2030. Going beyond the headings Often we stop at the 17 goals of the Agenda: the 17 headings/short phrases that are an urgent call to action to give every person on our planet access to food, health, education, equal dignity, equal opportunity, work and a comfortable life with full respect for nature and the planet that hosts us. The real content of the 2030 Agenda, however, is the 169 targets into which the 17 goals are divided: these 169 short paragraphs are written very clearly and resolutely, and set out specific objectives. For example, Goal 7 is dedicated to affordable and clean energy, and the text of target 7.3 reads: “By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.” ‘Double’ is a precise target, so it’s easy to see if we’re on the road to achieving it by 2030 or if we need to work harder. Objective: transform our world The 2030 Agenda was drafted by a multidisciplinary group of independent experts hired by the UN and approved by the Member States on September 25-27, 2015. The full title of the document is “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” and includes 17 strategies called Sustainable Development Goals (the 17 SDGs). The introductory part (called the preamble) is very clear: “This Agenda is an action plan for people, planet and posterity. [...] The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets seek to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental,” just to give you a taste. Read the whole thing, it's enlightening! Now is the time to take action January 2021 marked the beginning of the decade in which the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is expected to be fully implemented, that is, to tackle all forms of poverty and inequality that afflict the Earth and most of its people. All nations of the world have signed it, so it’s an official document that all governments have promised to take action on. It’s important to know that the 2030 Agenda is based on a scientific approach. The 17 goals are described with numbers, indicators and statistics that are updated annually and the intermediate goals are described with numbers, too. If a goal is set with a precise starting point, then its success is measurable and it’s easier to establish strategies for reaching it. In all 169 targets, attention to the Earth's resources and environmental protection is evident, because the sustainability of the lives of 8 billion people can only happen if nature is protected. So there’s a very close link between the 17 SDGs and the Paris Agreement and subsequent climate conferences. We should also remember that the 17 goals are structurally indivisible and interconnected; they reinforce each other and must be pursued together.
