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Can you imagine if there were a way to connect your social leadership efforts with everyone else’s all over the world? Your impact would be multiplied and your resources maximized.

Good news! There IS and you need to be a part of it: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their Year 2030 targets. Here is the basic information every social leader should have on this global initiative.

The Sustainable Development Goals’ main call to action: transform our world and don’t leave anyone behind. To achieve this, innovative leaders from all sectors – along with governments – must urgently get involved. They need to look at the context of communities beyond official data. This is especially important in relation to youth. These leaders must identify those who do not have access to the necessary resources to achieve their potential and understand why.

At the Puerto Rico Network for Children & Youth’s Rights (REDENIJPR), we foster collective work with key stakeholders to achieve the valuable and important opportunity for sustainable development by 2030, as proposed by the United Nations.

Marcos Santana-Andújar
President
Puerto Rico Network for Children & Youth’s Rights

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

In 2015, the United Nations adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs relate to different areas of human well being and give us a way to understand progress across national boundaries.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (summarized) are:

1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health & well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water & sanitation
7. Affordable & clean energy
8. Decent work & economic growth
9. Industry, innovation & infrastructure
10. Reduced inequality
11. Sustainable cities & communities
12. Responsible consumption & production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace & justice strong institutions
17. Partnerships to achieve the goal

How Do We Measure Sustainable Development Goal Progress?

The United Nations established at least one Year 2030 target per Sustainable Development Goal. Each SDG target is informed by measurable indicators. You can see those by clicking on a specific SDG through the list above.

How Can You Get Involved with the Sustainable Development Goals?

Social leaders can get involved with the SDG movement in multiple ways:

Lobby your local government to perform an SDG Voluntary National Review

• Has your country done its SDG Voluntary National Review to measure progress towards the 2030 targets? If not, lobby your government officials to do so.
• If you live in a particularly vulnerable part of your country, you may want to advocate for a local SDG review.

Encourage your local schools to teach SDGs

• Are your local schools teaching about SDGs in their curriculum? If not, consider becoming an Ambassador for the #TeachSDGs initiative.
• There are plenty of free course materials to ensure that the next generation understands how to better care for our planet.

Link your current social leadership efforts to a local SDG partnership

Your cause probably correlates to a specific Sustainable Development Goal and its indicators. Join one of the formal or informal partnerships working on it. Take advantage of this chance to collaborate with fellow stakeholders in real systemic change. It might be the greatest opportunity for this generation.

Learn More

As with many UN-led efforts, SDG information can be pretty complicated. I recommend starting here:

• Look over the free SDG overview materials here
• Explore the SDG Knowledge Platform and Help Desk

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