The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an inter-governmental commitment and “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity”. It comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are “integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental”; and demonstrate the scale and ambition of the new universal Agenda.1 They result from what is arguably the most inclusive process of consultation in the history of the United Nations, reflecting substantive input from all sectors of society, all actors of the international community and all parts of the world. All Member States, the entire UN system, experts and a cross-section of civil society, business and, most importantly, millions of people from all corners of the globe, have committed themselves to this comprehensive agenda seeking to address globally-shared concerns and to promote the public good.

It is a universal agenda for all countries: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is framed by 5 key objectives:

  • People – to end poverty and hunger;
  • Planet – to protect the planet from degradation
  • Prosperity – to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives
  • Peace – to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies and
  • Partnership – to mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda through a revitalised global partnership for sustainable development.
The concern for sustainable development and its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – is at the heart of the 2030 global development agenda. This globally shared concern for sustainability implies a universal agenda relevant to all societies regardless of income and/or development status. This can be understood as a universality of principles (human rights), universality of reach (focus on equity and inclusion), and universality of country coverage.
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The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end exclusion in education. Education is a basic human right, and our mission is to make sure that governments act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality, public education.