On the 8th of July, the co-facilitators of the post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations released the final draft of the outcome document of the post-2015 development agenda which will be adopted during the UN Summit in September.

A reaction has been prepared by the Beyond 2015 Rapid Response Task Force. Extracts from the draft text are provided below.

Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Global Action

Preamble

This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity that also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. All countries acting in collaborative partnership will implement the plan. We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet for present and future generations. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps needed to shift the world on to a sustainable path. As we embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing demonstrate the scale and ambition of the new Agenda. They will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in the following areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet:

People

We want to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential. We want to end poverty in all its forms; end hunger and malnutrition; promote human dignity; combat inequalities in and between countries; achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; ensure quality education, water and sanitation and a healthy life for all; and secure the participation of all people and groups, including children, in the realization of the new Goals and targets.

Planet

We must respect and safeguard our common home. We want to protect the planet so that it can support the needs of present and future generations. We will conserve and sustainably use our oceans and seas; fight climate change; protect and restore ecosystems; combat desertification, land degradation and biodiversity loss; promote safe and inclusive cities and human settlements; and promote disaster risk reduction.

Prosperity

We want all human beings to enjoy the fruits of economic, social and technological progress and live productive and fulfilling lives. We want to ensure sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; promote decent work and employment for all; foster shared prosperity and sustainable lifestyles worldwide; promote sustainable industrialization, agriculture and infrastructure; and ensure access to affordable modern energy services.

Peace

All people yearn to live in peaceful and harmonious societies, free from fear and violence. We want to foster peaceful, safe and inclusive societies; to strengthen governance and institutions at all levels; to ensure equal access to justice; and to protect the human rights of all men, women, boys and girls.

Partnership

We want to create an effective Global Partnership for Sustainable Development which will embrace all countries and stakeholders. The Global Partnership will mobilize the means required for implementation of the Agenda, acting in a spirit of strengthened global solidarity and supporting, in particular, the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

If we realize our ambitions in these areas and across the full extent of the new Agenda, the lives of millions of human beings will be profoundly altered and our world will be transformed for the better.

The new Agenda

We are announcing today 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible. Never before have world leaders pledged common action and endeavour across such a broad and universal policy agenda. We are setting out together on the path towards sustainable development, devoting ourselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and of “win-win” cooperation which can bring huge gains to all countries and all parts of the world. We will implement the Agenda for the full benefit of all, for today’s generation and for future generations. In doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to international law and emphasize that the Agenda is to be implemented in a manner that is consistent with the rights and obligations of states under international law.

This is an Agenda which encompasses all human rights. It will work to ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms are enjoyed by all without discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, culture, migratory status, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic situation, birth, disability or other status.

Working for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the goals and targets. The achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities. Women and girls must enjoy equal access to education, economic resources and political participation as well as equal opportunities with men and boys for employment and leadership. All forms of gender inequality, discrimination and violence against women and children, both boys and girls, will be combatted.

The new goals and targets will come into effect on 1 January 2016 and will guide the decisions we take over the next fifteen years. All of us will work to implement the Agenda within our own countries and at the regional and global levels. We will at the same time take into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development. We will respect national policies and priorities and provide adequate policy space for economic growth, in particular for developing states. We acknowledge also the importance of the regional and sub-regional dimensions: regional and sub-regional frameworks can facilitate the effective translation of sustainable development policies into concrete action at national level.

Each country faces specific challenges in its pursuit of sustainable development. The most vulnerable countries and, in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states deserve special attention, as do countries in situations of conflict. There are also serious challenges within many middle-income countries.

Vulnerable sections of the population who must be empowered, and whose needs are reflected in the goals and targets, include children, youth, persons with disabilities and older persons; the needs of others who are vulnerable, such as migrants and indigenous peoples, are also reflected. People living in areas affected by conflict, terrorism and complex humanitarian emergencies are also experiencing severe challenges.

We commit to providing quality education at all levels – early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary. All people irrespective of gender, age, race or ethnicity, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, children and youth in vulnerable situations, should have access to learning that helps them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society. We will strive to provide children and youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their rights and capabilities, including through supportive families, schools and stronger communities.

To extend healthy life expectancy for all, we must achieve universal health coverage. No one must be left behind. We commit to accelerating the progress made to date in reducing infant, child and maternal mortality by ending all preventable deaths of infants, children and pregnant women by 2030. We are committed to ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including for family planning, information and education. We will equally accelerate the pace of progress made in fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis and other communicable diseases and epidemics. At the same time we are committed to devoting greater effort to tackling non-communicable diseases.

We will seek to build strong economic foundations for all our countries. Sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth is essential for prosperity. This will only be possible if wealth is shared through progressive policies aimed at redistribution. We will work to build dynamic, sustainable and people-centred economies, promoting youth employment in particular and decent work for all. All countries stand to benefit from having a healthy and well-educated workforce with the knowledge and skills needed for productive and fulfilling work and full participation in society. We will therefore adopt policies which increase productivity and productive employment, financial inclusion, agricultural and industrial development, sustainable transport systems and modern energy provision and which build resilient infrastructure.

We commit to making fundamental changes in the way that our societies produce and consume goods and services. Governments, international organizations, the business sector, other non-state actors and individuals must contribute to changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns. We commit to implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. All countries should take action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries, through mobilization, from all sources, of financial and technical assistance and capacity-building for developing countries.

We will address decisively the threat posed by climate change and environmental degradation. The global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible international cooperation aimed at accelerating the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. Looking ahead to the COP 21 conference in Paris in December, we underscore the responsibility of all States to work for a meaningful and universal climate agreement which will stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

We are determined also to conserve and sustainably use oceans and seas, protect biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife, promote sustainable tourism, tackle water scarcity, desertification, land degradation and drought and promote resilience and disaster risk reduction.

We recognize that sustainable urban development and management are crucial to the quality of life of our people. We will work with local authorities and communities to renew and plan our cities and human settlements so as to foster community cohesion and personal security and to stimulate innovation and employment. We will reduce the negative impacts of urban activities, including through the safe management and use of chemicals, the reduction and recycling of waste and more efficient use of water and energy. And we will work to minimize the impact of cities on the global climate system. We will also take account of population trends and projections in our national, rural and urban development strategies and policies.

Sustainable development cannot be realized without peace; and peace will be at risk without sustainable development. The new Agenda recognizes the need to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies that provide access to justice and that are based on respect for human rights (including the right to development), on effective rule of law and on effective and accountable institutions. Factors which give rise to violence, insecurity and injustice, such as corruption, poor governance and illicit financial and arms flows, are addressed in the Agenda. We must redouble our efforts to resolve or prevent conflict and to support countries emerging from conflict situations. We commit to remove the obstacles to the full realization of the right of self-determination of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation, which continue to adversely affect their economic and social development as well as their environment.

We pledge to foster inter-cultural understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and an ethic of global citizenship and shared responsibility. We acknowledge the natural and cultural diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace. In its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives, sport is an important enabler of sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Goals and targets

Following an inclusive process of intergovernmental negotiations, and based on the Proposal of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, the following are the Goals and targets which we have agreed.

The SDGs and targets are integrated and indivisible, global in nature and universally applicable, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. Targets are defined as aspirational and global, with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances.

It is important to recognize the link between sustainable development and other relevant ongoing processes such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the United Nations Forum on Forests.

We encourage ongoing efforts by states in other fora to address key issues which pose potential challenges to the implementation of our Agenda; and we respect the independent mandates of those processes. We intend that the Agenda and its implementation would support, and be without prejudice to, those other processes and the decisions taken therein.

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.