Paving the way for global SDGs

Today, the German Cabinet decided on its position for the UN negotiations starting in January on the Sustainable Development Goals - referred to as the post-2015 agenda for sustainable development. The agenda is due to be adopted at the UN summit in September 2015 by heads of state and government.  

The post-2015 agenda will replace the Millennium Development Goals which will expire next year. It is the first such agenda to lay down goals for development and the environment in the form of a catalogue of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are applicable worldwide. During the summer, a United Nations working group presented a catalogue with 17 goals - from alleviating poverty to making economic systems more sustainable. During negotiations, the German Government will make every effort to ensure that this ambitious and fair catalogue is retained. 

The Federal Development Minister Dr Gerd Müller stated:  "Our greatest global challenges can either be addressed together or not at all. These challenges include combatting extreme poverty and hunger, climate action, environmental protection, securing peace and ensuring human dignity worldwide. The first, second and third worlds no longer exist, there is only ONE WORLD for which we are all responsible. The post-2015 agenda represents this new global partnership." 

Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: "We need a global development model that respects how much the Earth can bear and ensures good economic development for the coming generations. The proposed Sustainable Development Goals will enable us to drive environmental protection, climate action and resource conservation forward and accelerate the global transition towards more sustainable economies. It is important that the implementation of the post-2015 agenda in Germany is also ambitious; if we resolutely lead the way for environmental protection and sustainability then others will follow suit. Consistent environmental policy is the solid foundation upon which lasting economic success is built."