The United Nations member countries, including Brazil, have new challenges to meet by 2030. As part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), these countries have committed to meeting 169 targets through integrated actions between ministries, public bodies and agencies.

The subject was discussed at a meeting held this Tuesday (25) with the Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, and the National Social Liaison Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic, Henrique Vila da Costa Ferreira.

"The MCTIC has a great responsibility before all ministries in ensuring that the federal government can set its example by adding priorities, enhancing actions and creating conditions to monitor what happens in Brazil, in any dimension," said Kassab.

The 2016-2030 SDGs succeed the Millennium Development Goals (the MDGs, established for the 2000-2015 period). Due to its international protagonism in achieving the MDG targets, Brazil got a seat on the UN High-Level Group that monitors the worldwide implementation of the Agenda 2030.

According to Secretary Vila, the initiative marks the government's commitment to the international targets. "It's a long-term agenda that deals with topics that are absolutely fundamental for the Brazilian population: poverty, sanitation, child mortality. These are major goals, and they constantly relate to our problems."

Agenda 2030

In 2015, UN member countries undertook the commitment to implement a universal and integrated agenda, entitled "Transforming Our World: the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development".

The Brazilian government was tasked with the role of guiding coordinated and integrated actions to implement the agenda at the national level.

"It's a global agenda for sustainable development that gather together nearly 200 UN countries. Several actions are underway in Brazil, including integration actions and calls to governance. The idea is to have our internal agencies understand the targets internally so they can contribute to this agenda through their programmes, projects and initiatives," said Henrique Vila.

Here are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere;

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture;

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages;

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all;

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all;

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all;

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all;

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation;

10. Reducing inequality within and between countries;

11. Make cities and inclusive human settlements, secure, resilient and sustainable;

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns;

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts;

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development;

15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss;

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels;

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.