Universal Sustainable Development Goals

Understanding the Transformational Challenge for Developed Countries.

A recent Stakeholder Forum report [commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)] on the implications of the SDGs for developed countries introduces a new methodology for assessing the degree of both transformational challenge represented by each of the SDGs and the transformational change that will need to be made in implementing them in different national circumstances. 

A first application of the methodology leads to the conclusion that the most transformational opportunities for developed countries in implementing the SDGs domestically are clustered around the goals of transitioning economies towards more sustainable modes of consumption and production, greater sustainable energy production and combating climate change.

This contrasts with the position of developing countries for which the goal of eradicating poverty is still the central challenge, and for which they still need support in many forms from more developed countries and the international community.

The full report can be accessed and downloaded here