SDGs — What are the goals to save our world?

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tech2impact

12 min readJul 3, 2020

“Sustainable Development Goals”, “Global Goals”, “Agenda 2030” — three names, one framework. It is one of the most important sets of goals for the future of our planet and society. The Sustainable Development Goals cover social, economic, and environmental aspects for sustainable development for ALL countries. That’s why it has such high significance: it is accepted by all countries and is therefore applicable to them.

It consists of 17 goals, 169 targets, and 231 indicators. Knowing this makes it obvious how complex the agenda is. To make it more clear: the goals are basically what you can see on the nice picture above and for every goal, there is a specific set of targets to be reached. In order to make them measurable, every target has one or more indicators, by which the development progress should be assessed.

The Sustainable Development Goals for sure do not cover all challenges there are on earth and some are more applicable for certain countries more than for others. Adapting the framework requires to take into account different national realities, capacities, and levels of development. The agenda is just a framework, a guideline — an important one — but the actions to reach the goals need to be assessed and taken on local and national levels. Therefore each country has adopted the SDGs to their own realities and defined national targets and indicators aligned with the global ones. In order to reach the goals, the challenges need to be tackled on all levels by EVERYONE — politics, economic players, and civil society.

Due to the interrelated nature of the goals, it is necessary to take a holistic look on the 2030 Agenda. All goals are interlinked on many levels and are influencing each other in positive and negative ways. So when measuring your impact have in mind that you will always influence more than one goal. In the picture below it is clearly shown, how interlinked the goals are.

As we know how overwhelming this framework can be, we would like to give you an overview of the goals and show you some solutions our members are creating. Additionally, will add some resources, where you can look up the goals, targets, and indicators in detail.

“End poverty in all its forms everywhere”
Goal 1 focuses on eradicating (extreme) poverty. It covers not only income-based measures of poverty but also other dimensions, including access to social protection and basic services, economic resources, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, etc. Additionally, it aims to reduce the exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks and disasters. The two means of implementation indicators focus on the mobilization of resources and the development of pro-poor and gender-sensitive policies.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#1: Leaf is a global, virtual bank for vulnerable populations crossing borders.

“End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”
In order to achieve the goal of zero hunger, sustainable, inclusive, and efficient food systems are necessary. That’s why the goal focuses on the interlinkages between food security, nutrition, rural transformation, and sustainable agriculture.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#2: Smart Farming System is a connected and intelligent urban farm for a resilient future.

“Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”
Goal 3 addresses the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, as well as the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Additionally, it focuses on universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, fertility rates, and family planning. Besides that, it aims to reduce maternal and under-5 mortality, mortality due to suicides and pollution, and global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. Another target is to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases and increase vaccine coverage. In order to achieve all of the above stable healthcare systems with the right capacities need to be in place and health coverage like financial risk protection is to be provided.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#3: Kwit is an app that offers a powerful tool to make it easier to stop smoking.

“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”
This goal promotes inclusive access to education as well as the quality of it. The targets encompass early childhood education, primary and secondary education, vocational, and tertiary education. The access to quality educational infrastructure, quality educational programs, and qualified teachers are the means of implementation. It focuses on students having a basic understanding of literacy and numeracy, knowledge of sustainable development, and work-ready skills.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#4: WonderTree is making special education accessible through AR games.

“Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”
Goal 5 covers health and human rights issues like violence and harmful traditional practices, child marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM). Additionally, it covers unequal access to economic resources, reproductive health, and rights. The unrepresented number of women in leadership positions and the low value assigned to domestic and unpaid work are also important parts of the goal. On the public level, the aim is to have an institutional framework addressing and promoting non-discrimination based on sex, and finally, the presence of systems to uncover and monitor gender inequalities.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#5: SheKab is a subscription-based carpool service for women & girls — safe, affordable, and reliable.

“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”
Goal 6 focuses on universal access to safely and appropriately managed water resources. Access to water and sanitation is considered as a universal human right, and making the access available to all is the aim of the first two targets in the framework. However, this goal recognizes that sustainable water management involves more than simply providing these services. It also requires addressing other water issues, such as water quality and wastewater management, water scarcity and usage efficiency, water resources management, and the protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#6: Wasser 3.0, removes micropollutants and microplastics from various waters.

“Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”
Goal 7 calls for ensuring universal access to modern energy services, improving energy efficiency, and increasing the share of renewable energy. It specifically refers to “modern energy” — meaning non-solid fuels such as biogas, while solid fuels such as charcoal are generally considered polluting and non-modern.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#7: EcoSync helps you to stop heating empty rooms.

“Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”
Goal 8 recognizes the importance of sustained economic growth and high levels of economic productivity for the creation of well-paid quality jobs and the achievement of global prosperity. It focuses on providing opportunities for full and productive employment and decent work for all while eradicating forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor and promoting labor rights and safe and secure working environments. The goal draws particular attention to creating opportunities for youths who are not in education, employment, and training in order to prevent future erosion of skills and job discouragement. Decent jobs are a vehicle for ending poverty and hunger, improving mental health and wellbeing, require and reinforce inclusive and equitable learning opportunities for all, and are integral to decreasing inequalities, building more inclusive societies and achieving gender equality.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#8: B.O.T ensures that disadvantaged youth and women have access to global and local digital work.

“Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”
Goal 9 calls for building resilient and sustainable infrastructure, which supports sustainable development and human well-being. It promotes inclusive and environmentally sound industrialization as a core driver for ending poverty and improving standards of living for all. It also recognizes the importance of technological progress and innovation for finding lasting solutions to social, economic, and environmental challenges. It is fostering innovation by enhancing scientific research and technology development, and by upgrading the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. To foster innovation and entrepreneurship, SDG 9 also seeks to increase access to financial services for small-scale enterprises and to bridge the digital divide by increasing access to information and communication technologies.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#9: Bridgefy makes mobile apps work without the internet.

“Reduce inequality within and among countries”
This goal has at its core to ensure the reduction of all inequalities within and among countries. The targets reflect the idea that inequality is a multidimensional issue, often made up of economic, social, and political factors. Goal 10 reflects an understanding of inequality as more complex than just an “inequality of outcomes” (disparities in wealth and living conditions) but also an “inequality of opportunities” (disparities in access to education, work, technology or political participation) and “inequality of impact” (asymmetric impact of external shocks, such as natural disasters). Furthermore, it is acknowledged that inequalities are experienced by all countries, not just developing ones.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#10: Develop Diverse, is a software tool that automatically analyses stereotypic content for gender, age, and ethnicity in texts and proposes non-stereotypic alternatives.

“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”
Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development, and much more. This goal encompasses adequate, safe, and affordable housing and sustainable transport systems. Additionally, it focuses on inclusive and sustainable urbanization and to establish positive links between urban and rural areas. The goal is also to reduce the impact of cities and the number of people affected by disasters. It includes providing universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces and protecting and safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#11: vorteX.io uses space technology to prevent communities from suffering from hydrological risks.

“Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”
Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods. SDG 12 focuses on sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, substantially reducing waste generation (through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse) and reducing global food waste. It also aims to encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. For all of this, it is also important to ensure that people everywhere are well informed and aware of sustainable lifestyles.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#12: SCIRCULA is a purpose-led big data and tech startup that exists to make fashion circular.

“Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”
Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. To strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, countries agreed not only on the Agenda 2030 in 2015 but also adopted the Paris Agreement in 2016. In Paris, the countries agreed to work on limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees. The targets of goal 13 are looking to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries — specifically focusing on the most vulnerable countries and groups. Moreover, the goal encompasses improving education and raising awareness on climate change adaptation and mitigation.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#13: Plan A has developed the first Carbon Reduction Software which helps businesses calculate, monitor, and reduce their carbon footprint.

“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”
Goal 14 addresses the prevention and reduction of marine pollution of all kinds and the management, conservation, and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems. Besides, it aims to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices like overfishing and implement science-based management plans to restore fish stocks. In order to do so, it is important to eliminate subsidies that contribute to unsustainable fishing practices. As ocean acidification is also a bit issue, also influencing climate change, it is also one of the targets to minimize it.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#14: FISHCON develops and distributes the innovative fish lock “2-Chamber-Organismbypass”.

“Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”
Forests cover 30,7% [UN] of the earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and shelter, they are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and the homes of the indigenous population. That’s why goal 15 aims to conserve and restore the use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, drylands, and mountains. Promoting the sustainable management of forests and halting deforestations is also a vital part of the goal. Additionally, it focuses on restoring degraded forests, combating desertification, and restoring degraded land and soil. An important factor is to also reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#15: BirdShades, produce an invisible window film to save billions of birds worldwide.

“Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”
Goal 16 focuses on building peaceful and inclusive societies based on respect for human rights, protection of the most vulnerable, the rule of law, and good governance at all levels. It also envisions transparent, effective, and accountable institutions, which promote non-discriminatory laws and policies, combat corruption, bribery, and organized crime and prevent violence, terrorism, and crime. This goal calls for responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making, with an enhanced role of developing countries in institutions of global governance. To achieve peace, justice, and inclusion, countries, communities, and civil society need to work together to implement lasting solutions to reduce violence, deliver justice, combat corruption, and ensure inclusive participation at all times.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#16: YOU?

“Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development”
Goal 17 aims to establish global partnerships for sustainable development between governments, the private sector, and civil society. Those partnerships should be built upon principles and values, a shared vision and goals that place people and the planet at the center. This includes a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO and the implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access for all least developed countries. It also covers enhanced support for developing countries in terms of global macroeconomic stability and attaining long-term debt sustainability. Another target is to increase the availability of quality statistical data and develop measures of progress on the SDGs.
tech2impact member tackling SDG#17: Impactory is a donation platform connecting NPOs with corporates.

Resources used in the article

SDGs — What are the goals to save our world?

Resources used in the article

Written by Katharina Buiten