Sustainable Development Goals

Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)were adopted during the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations on September 25, 2015. Agenda 2030 promotes the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development (social, environmental, and economic) into all sectoral policies, while also advancing the coherence and synergy of policies and legislative frameworks related to the SDGs. The SDGs are universal, with an implementation timeline set until 2030. All countries, developed and developing, have committed to their implementation, taking into account different national realities, levels of development, and national policies and priorities. Agenda 2030 highlights the greatest challenge for sustainable development as the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions. At the midpoint of the implementation pathway of the SDGs, progress over the years has been reversed due to successive and interconnected crises (pandemic, climate change, conflicts), making it urgent to scale up the ambitions for their implementation at all levels.

Greece attaches great importance to the implementation of the ambitious and transformative framework of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, as well as to ensuring sustainable development without exclusions ("leaving no one behind"). Regarding the implementation of the SDGs at the national level, among Greece's key successes is the establishment of a robust long-term institutional mechanism under a "whole-of-government approach."

Concerning the external dimension of the implementation of Agenda 2030, it is emphasized that the country's multilateral and bilateral development financing is informed by the policy framework of Agenda 2030 when addressing the needs of developing countries.

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) of the United Nations for Sustainable Development, established in 2012, plays a central role in monitoring and evaluating Agenda 2030 and the SDGs at the global, regional, national, and local levels. It allows for the exchange of experiences and best practices and the examination of relevant policies. It provides political guidance and recommendations for the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the 17 SDGs, adopting political declarations following intergovernmental negotiations. As part of the HLPF, member states have committed to conducting regular Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at least twice by 2030, to assess their implementation of Agenda 2030.

Actively contributing to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, Greece presented its Voluntary National Reviews in 2018 and 2022. The first VNR of Greece reflects on (a) the institutional mechanism operating in the country, ensuring both high-level political commitment and the conduct of social dialogue, (b) government policies developed within the framework of the 8 national priorities for the SDGs and their interconnection with specific SDGs, as well as the new National Development Strategy, (c) the role of stakeholders (local government, academic community, private sector, civil society), (d) key implementation tools and examples of integrated policy coherence, and (e) the presentation of the most appropriate next steps, such as the National Implementation Plan for the SDGs within the framework of the National Strategy for Sustainable and Just Development by 2030.

The second VNR in 2022 highlights the challenges and strategies related to three successive crises: The aftermath of the decade-long national recession, with the persistent economic and social issues it caused, the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, which exerted significant pressure on the National Health System and the economy, and the consequences of the recent geopolitical turmoil in the European continent (Ukraine).

Explore in-depth the 17 Goals and the 169 Targets for Sustainable Development on the United Nations website.