The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are part of the ambitious global ‘Agenda 2030’ adopted by world leaders in 2015 at an historic UN summit. Building upon the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, which expired in 2015, the SDGs aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030.
Age Action worked with HelpAge International to make sure ageing and older people were included in the Sustainable Development Goals. This was a significant achievement as the Millennium Development Goals failed to mention age and older people.
Agenda 2030 contains the bold pledge that ‘no one will be left behind’ and recognises the importance of including older women and men for sustainable development. In particular:
- Goal 3 is to ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’.
- Goal 5 to ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ is more gender and age-inclusive than previous development goals on maternal mortality.
- The Goals contain a commitment to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data, which should be ‘disaggregated by age’ as well as characteristics such as gender and disability. This is essential for ensuring effective policies and interventions.
Age Action Ireland is a member of Coalition 2030, a network of leading civil society organisations working to uphold Ireland’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in at home and abroad by 2030
Find out more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals here.
