In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). At the core of the 2030 Agenda are five main themes: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. Through these five themes, 17 goals, known as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), were created to provide actionable steps to meet the Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UN SDGs address a wide range of social issues, such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and peace and justice (Montgomery College, n.d.).
The SDGs are designed to achieve and maintain social justice and a sustainable future, with the attainment of each goal by the year 2030 as set by the Agenda. Each goal consists of specific targets (total of 169 targets) and indicators used to track the global progress achieved. These benchmarks also guide the actions and policies developed by the Member States through the use of measurable data and outcomes.