The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transformative Change through the Sustainable Development Goals?

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 sub-targets which serve as a global reference point for the transition to sustainability. The agenda acknowledges that different issues such as poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, environmental degradation, among others, are intertwined and can therefore only be addressed together. Implementing the SDGs as an ‘indivisible whole’ represents the actual litmus test for the success of the 2030 Agenda. The main challenge is accomplishing a more integrated approach to sustainable development that encompasses new governance frameworks for enabling and managing systemic transformations. This thematic issue addresses the question whether and how the SDGs set off processes of societal transformation, for which cooperation between state and non-state actors at all political levels (global, regional, national, sub-national), in different societal spheres (politics, society, and economy), and across various sectors (energy, transportation, food, etc.) are indispensable. In this editorial, we first introduce the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs by providing an overview of the architecture of the agenda and the key challenges of the current implementation phase. In a second step, we present the eleven contributions that make up the thematic issue clustering them around three themes: integration, governance challenges, and implementation.

Promoting Environmental Citizenship in Education: The Potential of the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire to Measure Impact of Interventions

“…Current societal and environmental challenges can only be faced by aligning personal values and behaviors with political aims and measures through a process of cooperation. This will help maximize our capacity as human beings to achieve sustainable development goals through societal transformation [1].…”

The Social Dimensions of Sustainable Development: The Importance of Creating New Partnerships

“…With the emergence of socio-ecological, socio-institutional, and socio-technical models for sustainable development [17], new interdisciplinary approaches can be adopted to foster creative and multisystemic interventions. With the emerging sustainability debates, the concept of education for sustainable development is evolving across the disciplines [18]. For example, SDG 4 advocates "by 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through Education for Sustainable Development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and nonviolence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture's contribution to sustainable development" [19].…”

Looking into the past to build the future: food, memory, and identity in the indigenous societies of Puebla, Mexico

“…The current debate on food security calls for the construction of a research agenda that responds to the goals of the 2030 Agenda and transforms food systems without overstepping the boundaries of sustainability [ 72 ]. According to [ 73 ] global governance met in Paris in September 2015 under the leadership of the United Nations and agreed on the 2030 Agenda. The 2030 Agenda comprises 17 sustainable development goals and 169 sub-goals that serve as a global benchmark for the transition to sustainability.…”