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4
At the September 2015 Sustainable Development
Summit, a new global pact was passed under
witness of the leaders and representatives of
193 countries worldwide. Entitled Transforming
Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, the Agenda includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets,
officially setting the world on a path toward the
common goal of sustainable development.
This announcement followed a long process that
began in 2012, when the UN announced a set of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to succeed
the previous Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Thereafter, the report of UN Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon “The Road to Dignity by
2030” in December 2014 charted a course for future
global development strategies and actions.
At the Third Inter national Conference on
Financing for Development in July 2015, the UN
adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which
not only outlined policy recommendations for raising
funds needed for each sustainable development
target, but also established a consensus on how
to use these funds effectively. In December, an
agreement was reached at the 21st Conference
of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), wherein 196 nations (including the
European Union) pledged to limit global temperature
rise to below 2°C by the end of the century and to
put in USD100 billion every year before 2020 to
help the developing countries. The progress will
be reviewed every five years to ensure that global
actions to combat climate change are well aligned
with the SDGs.
Thus far, the SDGs have been developed in
greater scope and depth in terms of strategies,
resources and coverage. Concerted action and
cooperation of the international community will
be critical to the successful implementation of the
SDGs.
Toward a sustainable future, putting global
wisdom to the test
According to the Millennium Development Goals
Report 2015, the number of people worldwide
living in extreme poverty fell from 47 percent to 14
percent, maternal mortality showed a decline of 45
percent and the mortality of children under the age
of five was reduced by half. However, there is still
work to be done to attain the MDGs. For example,
gender inequality remains a serious issue, the
gaps between rich and poor and between urban
and rural areas continue to widen, and climate
change and environmental issues continue to
worsen. In population trends, the global population
is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050, aging
population is expected to bring increasing needs
for healthcare, and the rapidly rising population
of youth in developing countries is leading to
inadequate educational resources and employment
oppor tunities, all compounding the coming
challenges and risks ahead.
The SDGs are a set of bold and ambitious goals.
As we face the future challenges in the world, our
wisdom will be tested in how we integrate Taiwan’s
valuable experience in agriculture, public health
and medicine, environmental protection, education,
information and communications technology (ICT),
and disaster prevention; how we build stable and
Welcoming the First Year of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals
Preface