Sustainable Development Goals
On 25th September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) formed by 193 countries, adopted the 2030 Development Agenda, which included the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.
This 17 SDGs provide a blueprint for achieving peace and prosperity and a sustainable and equitable future for humanity and the planet. The SDGs build upon success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which for 15 years drove progress in several areas, making huge efforts in combating many diseases, such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The development of the SDGs started in 2012 during the UN Conference of Sustainable Development in Rio, involving many stakeholders and including consultations to ensure that the priorities from all humanity were reflected. According to the 2030 Agenda, most targets are meant to be achieved by 2030, but some has no deadline. The goals are interconnected, recognizing that achieving one of them will depend on the progress on other areas and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. Besides there are lists of targets and indicators to measure the progress made for each SDG.
The SDGs play a crucial role in shaping carbon markets, providing a broader framework that highlight the linkage between environmental sustainability, social and economic development. By integrating these goals into the carbon market verification standards, they create additional impacts to the projects developed beyond emission reduction targets.