The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals and 169 targets unanimously adopted at the United Nations General Assembly Summit in September 2015. The goals drive international development work for the next fifteen years up to 2030.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and adoption of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), seeks to incorporate and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental). This agenda represents a fundamental shift in development thinking by recognising the underlying and dynamic interlinkages between the three dimensions, and by driving universal and integrated development across all countries. The SDGs look to address the root causes of poverty, and how different drivers of change influence and relate to one another to achieve transformation for sustainable development

Within the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), education related to two standalone goals, narrow in scope, addressing gender equality and participation in primary education. Conversely, education is a cornerstone of the post-2015 agenda, as a goal, as well as a catalyst for broader change. The new global agenda recognises critical role of education for sustainable development, and the interlinkages between education and transformative change.

Course Outline

• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Key education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) challenges
• Taking forward the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs)
• Role of the Commonwealth Secretariat in supporting the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) for Education