The goals - explained

1 No Poverty - an image of a group of people

SDG 1 – No poverty

Almost half of the world’s population are living in poverty, struggling to access the essentials many of us take for granted - like healthy food, clean water and basic hygiene facilities.

Poverty is not just something that effects people in developing countries, but in developed countries like the UK, too. Eliminating it is all about removing the barriers which keep people trapped in cycles of disadvantage, so everyone has an equal chance to reach their potential.

Read more about the zero hunger goal.

SDG 3 – Good health and wellbeing

In order to help everyone to lead a healthy life, mentally and physically – we need to make access to healthcare more affordable and accessible across the globe.

We also need to empower people to live a healthy lifestyle affordably, and to prevent the spread of disease by making safe medicines and vaccines available to all.

SDG 4 – Quality education

A good education should be available to all, helping people to prepare for their futures and achieve their full potential.

As Scouts, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn valuable life skills: that’s why promoting lifelong learning is so essential.

SDG 5 – Gender equality

Everyone should have the same opportunities and rights, regardless of the gender they are born with or choose.

Working together, we will empower women and girls to help them achieve their goals – for the benefit of all.

SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation

Can you imagine life without easy access to clean water? It’s essential to human life, and yet 785 million people don’t have clean water close to home, and 1 in 4 don’t have a toilet of their own. Changing this is essential to global health: by improving access to clean water, we can prevent death and illness from dehydration and contamination.

SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy

The energy we use to power our lifestyles shouldn’t cost the Earth. By reducing the use of highly polluting energy sources and moving towards more renewable solutions, we’ll help to reduce climate change, promote cleaner air and work towards more affordable energy for all.

SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth

Everyone should feel safe at work, be paid a fair price for their services and be suitably equipped to do the job at hand.

No child should be forced to work, but they should have the opportunity to learn skills for life that will help their job prospects when they reach a suitable age.

SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure

The world we live in is changing. We need to make sure we are forward-thinking in our infrastructure, creating only that which is resilient and ready for the challenges ahead, as well as ensuring that growth and industrialisation is sustainable.

SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities

Everyone should have the same access to opportunities in life regardless of their background. We need to make sure that everyone’s needs are met and people are supported to lead a happy and healthy life.

SDG 11 – Sustainable communities

Society needs to work for everyone. Cities should expand and grow sustainably with a focus on being safe and inclusive, especially for those who may need extra support such as those with disabilities (both visible and hidden).

SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production

We only have one earth. We need to make sure that our consumption and production is responsible and not damaging our planet, by making changes to our lifestyles (such as eliminating the use of single use plastic and buying sustainable products).

SDG 13 – Climate action

The devastating impacts of climate change are already clear to see, but it’s not too late to make a stand and protect our planet for future generations.

By raising awareness and learning about the causes of climate change we can make changes to our lives to reduce our negative impact.

SDG 14 – Life below water

Whether it’s plastic pollution, overfishing or changing sea temperatures, the ocean-dwelling creatures we share our world with are facing bigger challenges than ever before – but we can help them! By using our oceans sustainably and reducing plastic use we can ensure that our planet is fit for the future.

SDG 15 – Life on land

We’re not alone on earth. We share our planet with billions of plant and animal species and each one is important, from the trees that provide the air we breathe to the bees who pollinate our plants.

By protecting and restoring habitats we can stop deforestation and increase biodiversity