What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how do they differ from the MDGs?

What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how do they differ from the MDGs?

• A. A universal set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the environment, and promote peace; unlike MDGs, SDGs apply to all countries and are integrated and indivisible.
• B. Eight goals focused only on economic growth.
• C. A framework limited to donor countries with environmental protections excluded.
• D. A plan that replaces all international aid with loans.

Answer: (A)

The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal, integrated set of 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the environment, and promoting peace and prosperity for all countries by a common deadline. They’re designed so progress in one area supports progress in others, which is the idea of being integrated and indivisible. They differ from the MDGs in a few key ways. The MDGs had eight goals and focused mainly on reducing poverty in developing countries, with a narrower scope. The SDGs, by contrast, apply to all countries, not just poorer ones, and they cover a broader range of issues—economic development, social well-being, environmental protection, and governance—together with many targets and indicators to track progress.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal, integrated set of 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the environment, and promoting peace and prosperity for all countries by a common deadline. They’re designed so progress in one area supports progress in others, which is the idea of being integrated and indivisible.

They differ from the MDGs in a few key ways. The MDGs had eight goals and focused mainly on reducing poverty in developing countries, with a narrower scope. The SDGs, by contrast, apply to all countries, not just poorer ones, and they cover a broader range of issues—economic development, social well-being, environmental protection, and governance—together with many targets and indicators to track progress.