The 17 Sustainable Development Goals have been adopted by all UN Member States. That’s great, but now what?
Governments will be busy for the next 15 years working to achieve the goals, but that doesn’t mean all the work falls on them. The private sector, civil society organization and regular people can all help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. But sometimes it’s not that easy to know where to start. There are 17 goals after all, each one with different targets and indicators.
In fact, the question we get asked most frequently is: how can I help?
We want to make it easier for you to do your part. We don’t want you to feel like ending poverty, tackling climate change and reducing inequality is something only policymakers can do. We don’t want you to think it’s difficult to achieve – it is all doable.
This is why we have started the Year of Living Sustainably, a space where we will share tips on how to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Many of our tips are simple and you may already be doing them. Others will require you to change or adopt new habits. But you don’t have to turn your life upside-down to be sustainable. You don’t have to do everything at once, but also know that change starts with you and your involvement matters. Your small actions can have a big impact!
We also want to hear from you. We want to know how you’re helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Do you have an idea or initiative already running that is helping to improve people’s lives and protecting the planet? Tell us about it. We’d like to share with others.
So here’s how you can follow the Year of Living Sustainably:
We will be sharing regular blog posts on this website and also through the @GlobalGoalsUN twitter and facebook pages. The UN instagram page will also be doing a #SustainableSunday activity every week.
World Court says countries are legally obligated to curb emissions, protect climate
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands, issued its advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, read out by the President of the Court, Judge Iwasawa Yuji, [...]
UN’s Guterres declares fossil fuel era fading; presses nations for new climate plans before COP30 summit
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres declared the world has “passed the point of no return” on the shift to renewables and implored governments to file sweeping new climate plans before November’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, [...]
‘Perfect storm’ of global crises drove years of food price surges: FAO
The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Máximo Torero Cullen, previewed its annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report in a briefing on Tuesday to journalists at [...]
Deep dive into the International Seabed Authority: Why it matters now
Protecting underwater ecosystems from the growing interest in rare mineral mining, framing deep-sea laws and building a biobank are among landmark achievements of the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is marking its 30th anniversary [...]
Deadly floods show need for faster, wider warnings, UN agency says
From the Himalayas to rural Texas, deadly floods this month have killed hundreds and exposed dangerous gaps in early warning systems, the UN’s weather agency warned, linking the devastation to rapid urbanization, land-use change and [...]
Salvaging SDGs still possible, but countries must act now: Guterres
Citing new global agreements on pandemic preparedness, ocean protection and development financing, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres said on Monday that recent “signs of momentum” show multilateralism can still deliver.