SDGs

In one minute

The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are 17 goals with 169 targets. The UN General Assembly adopted them in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda. They are meant to guide action for 15 years, to 2030.

They are not a treaty. They are a political commitment, so they count as soft law. Yet they shape budgets, policy and the way courts discuss sustainable development.

Legal provision

• General Assembly resolution 70/1, "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development": adopted on 25 September 2015 without a vote.
• The Goals and targets: 17 goals and 169 targets, intended to guide action over the next 15 years.
• NITI Aayog: the Indian body that publishes the SDG India Index, which monitors the performance of States and Union Territories on the goals.

Meaning and definition

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of global goals for ending poverty, protecting the planet and building peaceful societies. They apply to all countries, rich and poor, and are linked so that progress on one helps others.

Detailed explanation

Step 1: the 17 goals

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

Step 2: the environmental goals and their legal links

• Goals 6, 14 and 15 link to water pollution law, marine and coastal law, forest and wildlife law.
• Goals 7 and 13 link to the climate treaties: the Climate Change Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
• Goals 11 and 12 link to waste, air quality and planning law.
• Goal 16 covers access to justice for all, which is the SDG link to environmental courts and tribunals.

Step 3: soft law with real influence

The SDGs are soft law. No State can be taken to court for missing a target. They still influence national laws, budgets and reasoning. They also rest on the idea of sustainable development developed since the Stockholm conference.

Step 4: India

India has no single SDG statute. NITI Aayog publishes the SDG India Index to rank States. The Supreme Court in Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum treated sustainable development, with the precautionary and polluter pays principles, as part of Indian environmental law. These principles give legal force to the aims behind the goals.

Common mistakes

• Calling the SDGs a binding treaty like the Kyoto Protocol.
• Giving the wrong numbers. There are 17 goals and 169 targets.
• Saying the SDGs are only environmental. Most goals concern poverty, health, education and justice.

Leading case laws

• Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India

  Facts. Tanneries in Tamil Nadu discharged untreated effluent, polluting land and drinking water around the Palar river.

  Principle. Sustainable development, with the precautionary and polluter pays principles, is part of the environmental law of India.

  Why it matters. It gives Indian legal force to the idea that the SDGs promote.

How to write this answer in the exam

Key points to remember

• Adopted 25 September 2015; General Assembly resolution 70/1.
• 17 goals, 169 targets, to guide action to 2030.
• Soft law, not a treaty.
• India: NITI Aayog and the SDG India Index.

Quick self-test

Related topics

• Johannesburg Declaration 2002
• UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) & Paris Agreement 2016
• Need for the preservation, conservation and protection of environment