Our Scans · (LF.18) Sustainable Development Goals · Weekly Summary

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In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.

• [New] The UN calls for developed countries to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact in SDG 13 and The Paris Agreement sets up the net-zero goal for our global society: stating that greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030. UNSW Sites
• [New] The global AIDS response has been upended in recent months but there is still much more to be done to achieve the SDG target of ending AIDS by 2030. EATG
• [New] Rising obesity trends will in addition undermine the likelihood of countries attaining the SDG target 3.4 of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030 (,,). Global Heart
• [New] Experts urged for stronger policy backing to integrate nutrition education into India's school system, aligning efforts with SDG-2 (Zero Hunger by 2030). newkerala.com
• [New] If current trends continue, 351 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 - to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls-will be missed. UNEP-DHI
• Farmland restoration is central to the Rio Conventions and the UN 2030 Agenda, notably SDG 15.3, which aims to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. CNS Media
• All UN member states have committed to ending modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, and child labour by 2030 under Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7. Minderoo Foundation
• UN SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030 and is directly relevant to the work of planners and urban policymakers. Mirage News
• Without coordinated governance and biodiversity safeguards, the push for renewable energy could undermine international commitments under the UN Ocean Decade, the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). Mirage News
• The Scottish Government's Women and Girls Fund will deliver grants to women and girl-led organizations across Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia, aiming to contribute to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The Scottish Government
• The GCoM plan is that large-scale financing instruments will fund local implementation of frontier technologies to construct global governance (SDG) compliant smart-cities. Unlimited Hangout
• Global evidence, literature, and experiences unite in a single message-collaborative efforts can halve hunger by 2030, advancing the vision of SDG 2. OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION ( ORF )
• Despite significant progress, many individuals in lower-middle-income countries will continue to face challenges in accessing adequate nutrition, putting the achievement of the SDG target of improved global nutrition by 2030 at risk. OECD
• While global goals like SDG 16.9 are clear, the goal of providing legal identity for all by 2030 is often stalled by protocol fragmentation and the lack of a robust architectural model for a world where both people and AI agents are first-class citizens, it says. BiometricUpdate.com
• SDG 3.4 is a vital goal set by the United Nations to cut premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), like cancer, by one-third with a deadline of 2030. Transparent Hands
• The week closed with A Food Waste Breakthrough: Cutting Emissions by Reducing Food Waste, highlighting Japan's achievement as the only country to meet SDG 12.3 ahead of time-cutting food loss and waste by 53% since 2000 and now targeting 56% by 2030. UNEP - UN Environment Programme

Last updated: 08 December 2025