4.2 Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015

4.2 Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015)

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (81), which was adopted as a resolution of the UN General Assembly, contains 17 developmental goals – referred to as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – that are intended to provide a blueprint for peace and prosperity across the globe. The 2030 Agenda is unequivocally anchored in human rights (81). Under SDG3, “Good health and well-being”, States have committed to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. The NCD target for States is that, by 2030, they shall “reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being” (Target 3.4). However, the integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs mean that they all have implications for health and hence provide overarching principles that frame responses to NCDs (see Fig. 4.1) (86). For instance, SDG2, “Zero hunger”, with its focus on malnutrition in all its forms, is closely interlinked with SDG3 in fostering Member States’ commitments to promoting healthy diets and ensuring access to safe and healthy food for all. Similarly, SDG16, “Peace and justice”, calls on Member States to strengthen their legal and governance framework as enablers to achieve other goals, including fair, equitable and effective public health services. In 2016, WHO updated the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health to reflect the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (87, 88).

Figure 4.1 SDGs AND HEALTH

SDG: Sustainable Development Goal. Source: WHO (2021) (89).