2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: The work begins

1 January 2016 saw the beginning of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expired on 31 December 2015. 

The UN has marked the new beginning by highlighting the importance of partnerships and international solidarity in implementing the 2030 Agenda, also calling for sharing experiences and tracking progress, through an Annual SDG Progress Report.

According to the UN General Assembly President, Mogens Lykketoft, 2016 must be "all about action and implementation" and building on momentum and securing early implementation will be his top priority. He called on governments to: identify and plan for necessary changes; invest in essential services; create an enabling legal and policy framework; and advance inclusive, transparent governance. The UN system should support national implementation; ensure alignment of the 2030 Agenda with the agendas of economic decision-making forums, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Group of 20 (G20); and prevent conflicts and protect human rights. Key actions should also be taken by the private sector, civil society and “ordinary people everywhere,” including holding governments accountable, and supporting activities and causes aligned with the SDGs.

The UN notes in a press release in a recent press release that the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will review progress on the Goals each year by assessing global progress, identifying gaps and emerging issues and recommending corrective action. The Secretary-General will prepare an annual SDG Progress Report that will assess progress using a set of global indicators, which are expected to be finalized later in 2016.

The "first test of political will" to implement the 2030 Agenda is the Paris Agreement on climate change, that was agreed in December 2015. Both the UN UN Secretary-General and Lykketoft have stressed addressing climate change as critical in advancing the 2030 Agenda.

The 15-year SDG cycle officially commenced over a 24-hour period, with the SDGs coming into effect as each region reached 2016. 

For further information see http://sd.iisd.org/news/as-2016-begins-un-calls-for-delivering-on-sdgs/