Sustainable Development Goals

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  • What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The significance of the concept of sustainable development, which was defined for the first time in the Brundtland Report in 1986, has gradually increased over time and has become a constantly emphasized matter in the United Nations (UN) agenda.

Global goals for sustainable development were first introduced with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. The experience in implementing MDGs laid the infrastructure for setting more inclusive and broader goals that concern all countries. As a result, the UN General Assembly, which was held in 2015, adopted resolution 70/1 “Transforming Our World: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The agenda included the SDGs, which consisted of 17 goals and 169 targets to be met by 2030.

SDGs cover issues related to ending poverty, combating inequality and injustice, economic growth, energy, sustainability, production/consumption, industrialization, and climate change in general.

An Overview of 17 Goals: https://turkey.un.org/en/sdgs

  • Turkey's Implementation of SDGs and Participation in the 2030 Agenda

SDGs are not legally binding but the UN expects governments to take ownership of the process and enforce national regulations to achieve the 17 goals. One of the most critical issues underlined in the 2030 Agenda is the inclusion of all segments of society as much as possible in sustainable development efforts.

The concept of "sustainable development" has been used together with the concepts of "sustainable growth" and "sustainable economy" in Turkey's main strategy, policy and plan documents since the 2000s.

In Turkey, the Office of Strategy and Budget (OBB) of the Presidency coordinates the process of the 2030 Agenda. Within OBB, this task is carried out under the coordination of the “Department of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Directorate General for Sectors and Public Investments”. The international process regarding indicators and monitoring is followed by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT). Relevant activities are carried out by the "Group of Sustainable Indicators of the Department of Economic and Social Indicators" at TURKSTAT. Although these two institutions are the focal points of coordination and monitoring for implementing SDGs, there are other ministries, implementing agencies, local administrations, non-governmental organizations, and UN organizations involved in the process.