sustainable development goals quality education ppt

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

Quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all are central to ensuring a full and productive life to all individuals and to the realization of sustainable development. Despite considerable progress in school enrolment, millions of children remain out of school, especially where educational systems struggle to keep up with population growth. Even when more children are enrolled, many do not acquire the basic skills. Quality education is hampered by the lack of trained teachers and adequate school facilities. Achieving this Goal will require intensified efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, targeted to vulnerable populations, specifically persons with disabilities, indigenous people, refugees and the rural poor.

In the poorest countries, only 40 per cent of children participate in education one year before the start of primary school

Early childhood is a critical period for a child’s cognitive development. Organized learning before the official start of primary school has been shown to boost a child’s social, emotional and intellectual development and support readiness for primary education and future learning. Pre-primary education is, in fact, considered an important part of a holistic and robust educational system. In 2014, two thirds of children worldwide participated in pre-primary or primary education in the year prior to the official entrance age to primary school. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, the least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), the rate was only 4 in 10 children, versus 9 in 10 children in Europe and Northern America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Participation rate in organized learning one year before the official age of entry into primary school , 2014 (percentage)

† based on 2013 data., despite progress in enrolment, more than a quarter of a billion school-aged children, adolescents and youth are not in school.

Despite considerable progress in primary school enrolment between 2000 and 2014, 9 per cent of primary-school-aged children worldwide were still out of school in 2014. The rate has stagnated since 2008, reflecting pockets of exclusion and hard-to-reach populations. The out-of-school rates for lower and upper secondary-school-aged adolescents and youth decreased, but remain higher than for primary-school-aged children, reflecting the difficulty in keeping pupils in school and the fact that youth have fewer opportunities to enter school in the first place.

As a result, about 263 million children, adolescents and youth were out of school in 2014. Of these, 61 million were children of primary school age, 60 million were adolescents of lower secondary school age, and 142 million were youth of upper secondary school age. They largely resided in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, where educational systems struggle to keep up with population growth. In fact, these two regions accounted for over 70 per cent of the global out-of-school population at every level.

Proportion of school-aged children out of school worldwide, by level of education and sex, 2000-2014 (percentage)

Note: data are based on nationally representative household surveys from 63 low- and middle-income countries between 2008 and 2012., poverty, gender and location of residence all influence reading proficiency.

Even though more children than ever are going to school, many do not acquire basic skills. For example, only about half of students at the end of primary education have attained minimum proficiency levels in reading or mathematics in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Results of recent reading assessments show that inequity constitutes a major challenge. Parity indices from the assessments revealed that children and adolescents from the richest 20 per cent of households achieved greater proficiency in reading than those from the poorest 20 per cent of households, and urban children scored higher than rural children. The indices also showed that while out-of-school rates are higher for school-aged girls than boys, girl students had better reading proficiency at the end of primary and lower secondary school than their male counterparts.

Gender, location and wealth parity indices for children and adolescents achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading, 2007-2015 (most recent data)

Note: parity indices below 1 indicate a comparative advantage for the sub-population shown in the lower segment of each graph (i.e., boys, urban and richest 20 per cent). parity is assumed to occur in the range 0.97-1.03., lack of trained teachers and adequate facilities threaten quality education for all, especially in sub-saharan africa.

In some regions, most notably sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of trained teachers and the poor condition of schools are jeopardising the goal of quality education for all. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest percentage of trained teachers in all three levels of schooling: 44 per cent in pre-primary, 74 per cent in primary and 55 per cent in secondary education. Central Asia, in contrast, has the highest percentages (above 90 per cent) in all three levels of education.

In sub-Saharan Africa, schools often lack basic amenities long taken for granted in other parts of the world. Only around one quarter of schools in the region have electricity and less than half have access to basic drinking water. Although 69 per cent have toilets, many still lack separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys. Based on data from 65 developing countries, the median value of the percentage of schools with access to computers and the Internet for pedagogical purposes is above 70 per cent in both primary and secondary education. However, the proportion drops below 40 per cent for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Proportion of trained teachers at each education level, 2011 or latest available data (percentage)

Note: not all regions are presented due to lack of available data., proportion of schools with access to computers for pedagogical purposes, 2014 or latest available year (percentage).

Quality education

Rebuilding education systems after covid-19.

[goal: 4] aims to provide high-quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Globally, 1.6 billion children were affected by school closures during COVID. The average student saw schools fully or partially closed for 199 days between March 2020 and September 2021. As a result, the average student globally is roughly 1 year behind their expected learning levels, with larger losses in the poorest countries.

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An Education Crisis

Disparities in access to learning.

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators ([link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD NY.GNP.PCAP.CD], [link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS IT.NET.USER.ZS]), [link: https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/int/search/dataset/0038947/Learning-Poverty-Global-Database--Historical-data-and-sub-components Learning Poverty Database], [link: https://covid19.uis.unesco.org/global-monitoring-school-closures-covid19/ UNESCO Global monitoring of school closures caused by COVID-19]

Rising Learning Poverty

Distance learning platforms, % of countries reporting the use of distance learning platform.

Source: World Bank, UNESCO UIS, OECD; [link: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tcg.uis.unesco.org/survey-education-covid-school-closures/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1686066926313685&usg=AOvVaw3OV9PjhAUSnC0iqYpYhI5v Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures]

Learning Poverty projected to rise due to COVID-19

Covid-19 learning poverty projections.

Source: World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, FCDO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [link: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/publication/state-of-global-learning-poverty "The State of Global Learning Poverty 2022 update."]

Learning losses

of lost learning due to COVID-19

The pandemic caused a dramatic drop in learning activities

Share of children engaged in learning activities.

Source: Dang et al. 2021. [link: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/656051621919132722/Impact-of-COVID-19-on-Learning-Evidence-from-Six-Sub-Saharan-African-Countries Impact of COVID-19 on Learning : Evidence from Six Sub-Saharan African Countries (English).] LSMS COVID-19 Cross Country Brief Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group.

Mathematical and reading ability by socio-economic status in Mexico

Share of 10-15 year olds able to solve 4th grade division or comprehend short text.

Source: Hevia, Vergara-Lope, Velásquez-Durán, and Calderón. 2022. [link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102515 "Estimation of the fundamental learning loss and learning poverty related to COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico."] International Journal of Educational Development 88 (2022): 102515.

Dropout rates increased during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dropout rates pre-covid-19 and during covid-19.

Source: Moscoviz, Laura, and David Evans.2022. [link: https://www.cgdev.org/publication/learning-loss-and-student-dropouts-during-covid-19-pandemic-review-evidence-two-years “Learning Loss and Student Dropouts during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Evidence Two Years after Schools Shut Down.”] CGD Working Paper 609. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

Test scores in São Paulo dropped below pre-pandemic projections

5th grade national basic education assessment system (saeb) scores.

Source: Azevedo,Joao Pedro Wagner De; Rogers,F. Halsey; Ahlgren,Sanna Ellinore; Cloutier,Marie-Helene; Chakroun,Borhene; Chang,Gwang-Chol; Mizunoya,Suguru; Reuge,Nicolas Jean; Brossard,Matt; Bergmann,Jessica Lynn (2022). [link: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380128 The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery]. Authors’ calculations using data from SEDUC-SP, 2021. SAEB scores range from 0 to 500.

The Recovery

Learn more about sdg 4.

In the charts below you can find more facts about SDG {activeGoal} targets, which are not covered in this story. The data for these graphics is derived from official UN data sources.

SDG target 4.4

Many youth and adults in low and middle income countries lack basic ICT skills such as copying or moving a file or folder.

Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) and adults (aged 15 years and above) with basic information and communications technology (ict) skills, most recent value in 2017-20 (%).

* Each dot represents a country.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Retrieved from [link: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/database UN SDG Portal (4.4)] DOWNLOAD

SDG target 4.6

Adult literacy rates between men and women have converged over time, but gaps still remain

Literacy rate (% of people ages 15 and above) by region, 1980-2020.

Source: UNESCO UIS. Retrieved from World Development Indicators([link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS SE.ADT.LITR.ZS], [link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.MA.ZS SE.ADT.LITR.MA.ZS], [link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS]). DOWNLOAD

SDG target 4.5

Despite global progress, gender gaps in primary completion remain in Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East & North Africa.

Source: UNESCO UIS, Retrieved from World Development Indicators, ([link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS SE.PRM.CMPT.ZS], [link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.MA.ZS SE.PRM.CMPT.MA.ZS], [link: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.CMPT.FE.ZS SE.PRM.CMPT.FE.ZS]). DOWNLOAD

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a call-to-action for people worldwide to address five critical areas of importance by 2030: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership.

Biology, Health, Conservation, Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, Civics

Set forward by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a collection of 17 global goals aimed at improving the planet and the quality of human life around the world by the year 2030.

Image courtesy of the United Nations

In 2015, the 193 countries that make up the United Nations (UN) agreed to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The historic agenda lays out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets for dignity, peace, and prosperity for the planet and humankind, to be completed by the year 2030. The agenda targets multiple areas for action, such as poverty and sanitation , and plans to build up local economies while addressing people's social needs.

In short, the 17 SDGs are:

Goal 1: No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

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

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

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

Goal 5: Gender Equality : Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.

Goal 10: Reduced Inequality : Reduce in equality within and among countries.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Goal 13: Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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

Goal 15: Life on Land: 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: Peace,  Justice , and Strong Institutions: 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: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

The SDGs build on over a decade of work by participating countries. In essence, the SDGs are a continuation of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which began in the year 2000 and ended in 2015. The MDGs helped to lift nearly one billion people out of extreme poverty, combat hunger, and allow more girls to attend school. The MDGs, specifically goal seven, helped to protect the planet by practically eliminating global consumption of ozone-depleting substances; planting trees to offset the loss of forests; and increasing the percent of total land and coastal marine areas worldwide. The SDGs carry on the momentum generated by the MDGs with an ambitious post-2015 development agenda that may cost over $4 trillion each year. The SDGs were a result of the 2012 Rio+20 Earth Summit, which demanded the creation of an open working group to develop a draft agenda for 2015 and onward.

Unlike the MDGs, which relied exclusively on funding from governments and nonprofit organizations, the SDGs also rely on the private business sector to make contributions that change impractical and unsustainable consumption and production patterns. Novozymes, a purported world leader in biological solutions, is just one example of a business that has aligned its goals with the SDGs. Novozymes has prioritized development of technology that reduces the amount of water required for waste treatment. However, the UN must find more ways to meaningfully engage the private sector to reach the goals, and more businesses need to step up to the plate to address these goals.

Overall, limited progress has been made with the SDGs. According to the UN, many people are living healthier lives now compared to the start of the millennium, representing one area of progress made by the MDGs and SDGs. For example, the UN reported that between 2012 and 2017, 80 percent of live births worldwide had assistance from a skilled health professional—an improvement from 62 percent between 2000 and 2005.

While some progress has been made, representatives who attended sustainable development meetings claimed that the SDGs are not being accomplished at the speed, or with the appropriate momentum, needed to meet the 2030 deadline. On some measures of poverty, only slight improvements have been made: The 2018 SDGs Report states that 9.2 percent of the world's workers who live with family members made less than $1.90 per person per day in 2017, representing less than a 1 percent improvement from 2015. Another issue is the recent rise in world hunger. Rates had been steadily declining, but the 2018 SDGs Report stated that over 800 million people were undernourished worldwide in 2016, which is up from 777 million people in 2015.

Another area of the SDGs that lacks progress is gender equality. Multiple news outlets have recently reported that no country is on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 based on the SDG gender index. On a scale of zero to 100, where a score of 100 means equality has been achieved, Denmark was the top performing country out of 129 countries with score slightly under 90. A score of 90 or above means a country is making excellent progress in achieving the goals, and 59 or less is considered poor headway. Countries were scored against SDGs targets that particularly affect women, such as access to safe water or the Internet. The majority of the top 20 countries with a good ranking were European countries, while sub-Saharan Africa had some of the lowest-ranking countries. The overall average score of all countries is a poor score of 65.7.

In fall of 2019, heads of state and government will convene at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to assess the progress in the 17 SDGs. The following year—2020—marks the deadline for 21 of the 169 SDG targets. At this time, UN member states will meet to make a decision to update these targets.

In addition to global efforts to achieve the SDGs, according to the UN, there are ways that an individual can contribute to progress: save on electricity while home by unplugging appliances when not in use; go online and opt in for paperless statements instead of having bills mailed to the house; and report bullying online when seen in a chat room or on social media.

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Related Resources

Sustainable Development Goal 4

Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 is to “provide quality education for all”, according to the United Nations .

The visualizations and data below present the global perspective on where the world stands today and how it has changed over time.

Further information on education and learning can be found across several Our World in Data topic pages on Education , Teachers and Schools , Education Spending , and Literacy .

The UN has defined 10 Targets and 11 Indicators for SDG 4. Targets specify the goals and indicators represent the metrics by which the world aims to track whether these targets are achieved. Below we quote the original text of all targets and show the data on the agreed indicators.

Target 4.1 Free primary and secondary education

Sdg indicator 4.1.1 achieving proficiency in reading and mathematics.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.1.1 is the “proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex” in the UN SDG framework .

In the interactive visualizations, this is shown as the share of students in each country at each stage of education who reach at least the minimum reading and mathematics proficiency level.

Target: By 2030 “ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.”

More research: Further data and research on primary and secondary education can be found at the Our World in Data topic pages on Education and Literacy .

SDG Indicator 4.1.2 Ensuring children complete their education

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.2.1 is the “completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)” in the UN SDG framework .

This indicator is defined as the share of a cohort of children or young adults aged 3-5 years older than the intended age of the last grade of each educational level who have completed that grade.

Shown here in the interactive visualizations is data for this indicator on the national average completion rate for primary education (first chart), lower secondary education (second chart), and upper secondary education (third chart).

Target: By 2030, “ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.”

More research: Further data and research can be found at Our World in Data topic pages on Education .

Target 4.2 Equal access to quality pre-primary education

Sdg indicator 4.2.1 ensuring children are developmentally on track.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.2.1 is the “proportion of children aged 24–59 months (2-5 years) who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex” in the UN SDG framework .

Since internationally comparable data for this indicator is not currently available, this is measured by the United Nations through a proxy indicator defined as the proportion of children aged 36-59 months in each country who are developmentally on-track in at least three of the following four domains: literacy-numeracy, physical, socio-emotional and learning.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: By 2030, “ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.”

More research: Further data and research can be found at Our World in Data topic page on Education .

SDG Indicator 4.2.2 Participation in pre-primary education

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.2.2 is the “participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex” in the UN SDG framework .

The participation rate in organized learning is the share of children participating in one or more organized learning programs (including programs that incorporate both education and care) in the year prior to a country’s official entry age.

Target: By 2030 “ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.”

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Education .

Target 4.3 Equal access to affordable technical, vocational and higher education

Sdg indicator 4.3.1 equal access to further education.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.3.1 is the “participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex” in the UN SDG framework .

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization. We also show the enrollment in tertiary education.

Target: By 2030 “ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.”

Target 4.4 Increase the number of people with relevant skills for financial success

Sdg indicator 4.4.1 information and communications technology (ict) skills.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.4.1 is the “proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill” in the UN SDG framework .

Having a skill in this context refers to having undertaken a certain ICT-related activity in the past three months. This indicator includes multiple ICT skills, including using basic arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet and verifying the reliability of information found online.

Data for one component of the indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations. The first chart shows the share of youth and adults (aged 15-24 years old) in each country with skills in creating electronic presentations with presentation software. The second chart shows this measure by sex.

Target: By 2030 “substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.”

Target 4.5 Eliminate all discrimination in education

Sdg indicator 4.5.1 disparities in educational access.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.5.1 is “parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated” in the UN SDG framework .

Parity indices measure the ratio of the value of a measure for one group to the value for another, with the likely more disadvantaged group placed in the numerator.

In the interactive visualizations, data for this indicator is shown for gender parity in primary school completion (first chart), lower secondary school completion (second chart), and upper secondary school completion (third chart).

Target: By 2030 “eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for all.” 1

Additional charts

• Primary-school-age children who are out of school by world region

Target 4.6 Universal literacy and numeracy

Sdg indicator 4.6.1 universal literacy and numeracy.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.6.1 is the “proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex” in the UN SDG framework .

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations for young people (first chart), the literacy of adult men and women (second and third chart), and their numeracy (fourth and fifth chart).

Target: By 2030 “ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.”

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Literacy .

• Literate and illiterate world population
• Literacy rates of younger vs. older population

Target 4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship

Sdg indicator 4.7.1 education on sustainable development and global citizenship.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.7.1 is the “extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment” in the UN SDG framework .

These measures reflect characteristics of country education systems, as reported by government officials, and measure what governments intend rather than what is implemented in practice. For each component, a score is calculated by combining a number of criteria to give a single score of one to zero.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations for the components related to teacher education (first chart), curricula (second chart), student assessment (third chart), and national education policies (fourth chart).

Target: By 2030 “ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.” 2

Target 4.a Build and upgrade inclusive and safe schools

Sdg indicator 4.a.1 inclusive and safe schools.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.a.1 is the “proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service” in the UN SDG framework .

Data for this indicator is shown for a variety of basic services, including access to electricity, handwashing facilities, and access to drinking water.

Target: “Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.”

More research: Further data and research can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Teachers and Schools .

Target 4.b Expand higher education scholarships for developing countries

Sdg indicator 4.b.1 scholarships for developing countries.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.b.1 is the “volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study” in the UN SDG framework .

This indicator is disbursements of official development assistance (ODA) for scholarships, defined as financial aid awards for individual students and contributions to trainees, where students and trainees are nationals of recipient countries.

Official development assistance refers to flows to countries and territories on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and to multilateral institutions which meet a set of criteria related to the source of the funding, the purpose of the transaction, and the concessional nature of the funding.

Target: By 2020 “substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries.” 3

Unlike most SDG targets which are set to be achieved by 2030, this indicator has a target year of 2020.

More research: Further data and research can be found at Our World in Data topic page on Financing Education .

Target 4.c Increase the supply of qualified teachers in developing countries

Sdg indicator 4.c.1 supply of qualified teachers.

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 4.c.1 is the “proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level” in the UN SDG framework .

This indicator is measured as the share of pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary teachers who have received the minimum organized pedagogical teacher training required for teaching at the relevant level in a given country.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations for pre-primary education (first chart), primary education (second chart), lower secondary education (third chart), and upper secondary education (fourth chart).

Target: By 2030 “substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers.” 4

More research: Further data and research can be found at Our World in Data topic page on Teachers and Schools .

• Pupil-teacher ratio in primary education

Full text: “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.”

Full text: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”

Full text: “By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.”

Full text: ”By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States.”

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THE SDGS IN ACTION.

What are the sustainable development goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are designed to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context.

Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015, too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.

As of 2015, about 736 million people still lived on less than US$1.90 a day; many lack food, clean drinking water and sanitation. Rapid growth in countries such as China and India has lifted millions out of poverty, but progress has been uneven. Women are more likely to be poor than men because they have less paid work, education, and own less property.

Progress has also been limited in other regions, such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which account for 80 percent of those living in extreme poverty. New threats brought on by climate change, conflict and food insecurity, mean even more work is needed to bring people out of poverty.

The SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what we started, and end poverty in all forms and dimensions by 2030. This involves targeting the most vulnerable, increasing basic resources and services, and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters.

736 million people still live in extreme poverty.

10 percent of the world’s population live in extreme poverty, down from 36 percent in 1990.

Some 1.3 billion people live in multidimensional poverty.

Half of all people living in poverty are under 18.

One person in every 10 is extremely poor.

Goal targets

• By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
• Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
• By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
• By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
• Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
• Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

SDGs in Action

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Zero hunger.

Zero Hunger

The number of undernourished people has dropped by almost half in the past two decades because of rapid economic growth and increased agricultural productivity. Many developing countries that used to suffer from famine and hunger can now meet their nutritional needs. Central and East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have all made huge progress in eradicating extreme hunger.

Unfortunately, extreme hunger and malnutrition remain a huge barrier to development in many countries. There are 821 million people estimated to be chronically undernourished as of 2017, often as a direct consequence of environmental degradation, drought and biodiversity loss. Over 90 million children under five are dangerously underweight. Undernourishment and severe food insecurity appear to be increasing in almost all regions of Africa, as well as in South America.

The SDGs aim to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, making sure all people–especially children–have sufficient and nutritious food all year. This involves promoting sustainable agricultural, supporting small-scale farmers and equal access to land, technology and markets. It also requires international cooperation to ensure investment in infrastructure and technology to improve agricultural productivity.

The number of undernourished people reached 821 million in 2017.

In 2017 Asia accounted for nearly two thirds, 63 percent, of the world’s hungry.

Nearly 151 million children under five, 22 percent, were still stunted in 2017.

More than 1 in 8 adults is obese.

1 in 3 women of reproductive age is anemic.

26 percent of workers are employed in agriculture.

• By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons
• By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
• By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
• By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed
• Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries
• Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round
• Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility.

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Good health and well-being.

We have made great progress against several leading causes of death and disease. Life expectancy has increased dramatically; infant and maternal mortality rates have declined, we’ve turned the tide on HIV and malaria deaths have halved.

Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of the two. It takes into account widening economic and social inequalities, rapid urbanization, threats to the climate and the environment, the continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases, and emerging challenges such as noncommunicable diseases. Universal health coverage will be integral to achieving SDG 3, ending poverty and reducing inequalities. Emerging global health priorities not explicitly included in the SDGs, including antimicrobial resistance, also demand action.

But the world is off-track to achieve the health-related SDGs. Progress has been uneven, both between and within countries. There’s a 31-year gap between the countries with the shortest and longest life expectancies. And while some countries have made impressive gains, national averages hide that many are being left behind. Multisectoral, rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches are essential to address inequalities and to build good health for all.

At least 400 million people have no basic healthcare, and 40 percent lack social protection.

More than 1.6 billion people live in fragile settings where protracted crises, combined with weak national capacity to deliver basic health services, present a significant challenge to global health.

By the end of 2017, 21.7 million people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy. Yet more than 15 million people are still waiting for treatment.

Every 2 seconds someone aged 30 to 70 years dies prematurely from noncommunicable diseases - cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes or cancer.

7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air.

More than one of every three women have experienced either physical or sexual violence at some point in their life resulting in both short- and long-term consequences for their physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health.

• By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
• By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
• By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
• By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
• Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
• By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
• By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes
• Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
• By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
• Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
• Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and noncommunicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all
• Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
• Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

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Quality education.

Since 2000, there has been enormous progress in achieving the target of universal primary education. The total enrollment rate in developing regions reached 91 percent in 2015, and the worldwide number of children out of school has dropped by almost half. There has also been a dramatic increase in literacy rates, and many more girls are in school than ever before. These are all remarkable successes.

Progress has also been tough in some developing regions due to high levels of poverty, armed conflicts and other emergencies. In Western Asia and North Africa, ongoing armed conflict has seen an increase in the number of children out of school. This is a worrying trend. While Sub-Saharan Africa made the greatest progress in primary school enrollment among all developing regions – from 52 percent in 1990, up to 78 percent in 2012 – large disparities still remain. Children from the poorest households are up to four times more likely to be out of school than those of the richest households. Disparities between rural and urban areas also remain high.

Achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education.

Enrollment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 percent.

Still, 57 million primary-aged children remain out of school, more than half of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

In developing countries, one in four girls is not in school.

About half of all out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.

103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 percent of them are women.

6 out of 10 children and adolescents are not achieving a minimum level of proficiency in reading and math.

• By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes
• By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education
• By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
• By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
• By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
• By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
• By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
• Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
• By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
• By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states

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Gender equality.

Gender Equality

Ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, it’s crucial for sustainable future; it’s proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development.

UNDP has made gender equality central to its work and we’ve seen remarkable progress in the past 20 years. There are more girls in school now compared to 15 years ago, and most regions have reached gender parity in primary education.

But although there are more women than ever in the labour market, there are still large inequalities in some regions, with women systematically denied the same work rights as men. Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office all remain huge barriers. Climate change and disasters continue to have a disproportionate effect on women and children, as do conflict and migration.

It is vital to give women equal rights land and property, sexual and reproductive health, and to technology and the internet. Today there are more women in public office than ever before, but encouraging more women leaders will help achieve greater gender equality.

Women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men get for the same work.

35 percent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.

Women represent just 13 percent of agricultural landholders.

Almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday.

Two thirds of developing countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.

Only 24 percent of national parliamentarians were women as of November 2018, a small increase from 11.3 percent in 1995.

• End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
• Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
• Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
• Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
• Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in political, economic and public life
• Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
• Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
• Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
• Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

UNDP Gender Equality Strategy ...

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Press releases.

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Clean water and sanitation.

Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of people, an alarming figure that is projected to rise as temperatures do. Although 2.1 billion people have improved water sanitation since 1990, dwindling drinking water supplies are affecting every continent.

More and more countries are experiencing water stress, and increasing drought and desertification is already worsening these trends. By 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people will suffer recurring water shortages.

Safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 requires we invest in adequate infrastructure, provide sanitation facilities, and encourage hygiene. Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is essential.

Ensuring universal safe and affordable drinking water involves reaching over 800 million people who lack basic services and improving accessibility and safety of services for over two billion.

In 2015, 4.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services (with adequately disposed or treated excreta) and 2.3 billion lacked even basic sanitation.

71 percent of the global population, 5.2 billion people, had safely-managed drinking water in 2015, but 844 million people still lacked even basic drinking water.

39 percent of the global population, 2.9 billion people, had safe sanitation in 2015, but 2.3 billion people still lacked basic sanitation. 892 million people practiced open defecation.

80 percent of wastewater goes into waterways without adequate treatment.

Water stress affects more than 2 billion people, with this figure projected to increase.

80 percent of countries have laid the foundations for integrated water resources management.

The world has lost 70 percent of its natural wetlands over the last century.

• By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
• By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
• By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
• By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
• By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
• By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
• By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
• Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

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(R)evolution

Affordable and clean energy.

Between 2000 and 2018, the number of people with electricity increased from 78 to 90 percent, and the numbers without electricity dipped to 789 million.

Yet as the population continues to grow, so will the demand for cheap energy, and an economy reliant on fossil fuels is creating drastic changes to our climate.

Investing in solar, wind and thermal power, improving energy productivity, and ensuring energy for all is vital if we are to achieve SDG 7 by 2030.

Expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology to provide clean and more efficient energy in all countries will encourage growth and help the environment.  

One out of 10 people still lacks electricity, and most live in rural areas of the developing world. More than half are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Energy is by far the main contributor to climate change. It accounts for 73 percent of human-caused greenhouse gases.

Energy efficiency is key; the right efficiency policies could enable the world to achieve more than 40 percent of the emissions cuts needed to reach its climate goals without new technology.

Almost a third of the world’s population—2.8 billion—rely on polluting and unhealthy fuels for cooking.

As of 2017, 17.5 percent of power was generated through renewable sources.

The renewable energy sector employed a record 11.5 million people in 2019. The changes needed in energy production and uses to achieve the Paris Agreement target of limiting the rise in temperature to below 2C can create 18 million jobs.

• By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
• By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
• By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
• By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing coun

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Decent work and economic growth.

Over the past 25 years the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that has almost tripled between 1991 and 2015.

However, as the global economy continues to recover we are seeing slower growth, widening inequalities, and not enough jobs to keep up with a growing labour force. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015.

The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.

An estimated 172 million people worldwide were without work in 2018 - an unemployment rate of 5 percent.

As a result of an expanding labour force, the number of unemployed is projected to increase by 1 million every year and reach 174 million by 2020.

Some 700 million workers lived in extreme or moderate poverty in 2018, with less than US$3.20 per day.

Women’s participation in the labour force stood at 48 per cent in 2018, compared with 75 percent for men. Around 3 in 5 of the 3.5 billion people in the labour force in 2018 were men.

Overall, 2 billion workers were in informal employment in 2016, accounting for 61 per cent of the world’s workforce.

Many more women than men are underutilized in the labour force—85 million compared to 55 million.

• Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
• Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
• Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
• Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead
• By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
• By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
• Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
• Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
• By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
• Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
• Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
• By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

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Industry, innovation and infrastructure.

Investment in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and development. With over half the world population now living in cities, mass transport and renewable energy are becoming ever more important, as are the growth of new industries and information and communication technologies.

Technological progress is also key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges, such as providing new jobs and promoting energy efficiency. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development.

More than 4 billion people still do not have access to the Internet, and 90 percent are from the developing world. Bridging this digital divide is crucial to ensure equal access to information and knowledge, as well as foster innovation and entrepreneurship.   

Worldwide, 2.3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.

In some low-income African countries, infrastructure constraints cut businesses’ productivity by around 40 percent.

2.6 billion people in developing countries do not have access to constant electricity.

More than 4 billion people still do not have access to the Internet; 90 percent of them are in the developing world.

The renewable energy sectors currently employ more than 2.3 million people; the number could reach 20 million by 2030.

In developing countries, barely 30 percent of agricultural products undergo industrial processing, compared to 98 percent high-income countries.

• Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
• Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
• Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets
• By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
• Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending
• Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States 18
• Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
• Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

Digital generation

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Reduced inequalities.

Income inequality is on the rise—the richest 10 percent have up to 40 percent of global income whereas the poorest 10 percent earn only between 2 to 7 percent. If we take into account population growth inequality in developing countries, inequality has increased by 11 percent.

Income inequality has increased in nearly everywhere in recent decades, but at different speeds. It’s lowest in Europe and highest in the Middle East.

These widening disparities require sound policies to empower lower income earners, and promote economic inclusion of all regardless of sex, race or ethnicity.

Income inequality requires global solutions. This involves improving the regulation and monitoring of financial markets and institutions, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions where the need is greatest. Facilitating the safe migration and mobility of people is also key to bridging the widening divide.

In 2016, 22 percent of global income was received by the top 1 percent compared with 10 percent of income for the bottom 50 percent.

In 1980, the top one percent had 16 percent of global income. The bottom 50 percent had 8 percent of income.

Economic inequality is largely driven by the unequal ownership of capital. Since 1980, very large transfers of public to private wealth occurred in nearly all countries. The global wealth share of the top 1 percent was 33 percent in 2016.

Under "business as usual", the top 1 percent global wealth will reach 39 percent by 2050.

Women spend, on average, twice as much time on unpaid housework as men.

Women have as much access to financial services as men in just 60 percent of the countries assessed and to land ownership in just 42 percent of the countries assessed.

• By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
• By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
• Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard
• Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
• Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations
• Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions
• Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies
• Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements
• Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes
• By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

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Sustainable cities and communities.

More than half of us  live in cities. By 2050, two-thirds of all humanity—6.5 billion people—will be urban. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces.

The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more significant feature of urban life.

Making cities sustainable means creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.

In 2018, 4.2 billion people, 55 percent of the world’s population, lived in cities. By 2050, the urban population is expected to reach 6.5 billion.

Cities occupy just 3 percent of the Earth’s land but account for 60 to 80 percent of energy consumption and at least 70 percent of carbon emissions.

828 million people are estimated to live in slums, and the number is rising.

In 1990, there were 10 cities with 10 million people or more; by 2014, the number of mega-cities rose to 28, and was expected to reach 33 by 2018. In the future, 9 out of 10 mega-cities will be in the developing world.

In the coming decades, 90 percent of urban expansion will be in the developing world.

The economic role of cities is significant. They generate about 80 percent of the global GDP.

• By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
• By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
• By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
• Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
• By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
• By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
• By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
• Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
• By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
• Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Built to last

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Responsible consumption and production.

Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. Agriculture is the biggest user of water worldwide, and irrigation now claims close to 70 percent of all freshwater for human use.

The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal. Encouraging industries, businesses and consumers to recycle and reduce waste is equally important, as is supporting developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030.

A large share of the world population is still consuming far too little to meet even their basic needs.  Halving the per capita of global food waste at the retailer and consumer levels is also important for creating more efficient production and supply chains. This can help with food security, and shift us towards a more resource efficient economy.

1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year, while almost 2 billion people go hungry or undernourished.

The food sector accounts for around 22 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, largely from the conversion of forests into farmland.

Globally, 2 billion people are overweight or obese.

Only 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh (drinkable), and humans are using it faster than nature can replenish it.

If people everywhere switched to energy efficient lightbulbs, the world would save US$120 billion annually.

One-fifth of the world’s final energy consumption in 2013 was from renewable sources.

• Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
• By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
• By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
• By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
• By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
• Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
• Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
• By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
• Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
• Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
• Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

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Popping the Bottle

Popping the bottle, climate action.

There is no country that is not experiencing the drastic effects of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are more than 50 percent higher than in 1990. Global warming is causing long-lasting changes to our climate system, which threatens irreversible consequences if we do not act.

The annual average economic losses from climate-related disasters are in the hundreds of billions of dollars. This is not to mention the human impact of geo-physical disasters, which are 91 percent climate-related, and which between 1998 and 2017 killed 1.3 million people, and left 4.4 billion injured. The goal aims to mobilize US$100 billion annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries to both adapt to climate change and invest in low-carbon development.

Supporting vulnerable regions will directly contribute not only to Goal 13 but also to the other SDGs. These actions must also go hand in hand with efforts to integrate disaster risk measures, sustainable natural resource management, and human security into national development strategies. It is still possible, with strong political will, increased investment, and using existing technology, to limit the increase in global mean temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, aiming at 1.5 ° C, but this requires urgent and ambitious collective action.

As of 2017 humans are estimated to have caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.

Sea levels have risen by about 20 cm (8 inches) since 1880 and are projected to rise another 30–122 cm (1 to 4 feet) by 2100.

To limit warming to 1.5C, global net CO2 emissions must drop by 45% between 2010 and 2030, and reach net zero around 2050.

Climate pledges under The Paris Agreement cover only one third of the emissions reductions needed to keep the world below 2°C.

Bold climate action could trigger at least US$26 trillion in economic benefits by 2030.

The energy sector alone will create around 18 million more jobs by 2030, focused specifically on sustainable energy.

• Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
• Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
• Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
• Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
• Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

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Life below water.

The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. How we manage this vital resource is essential for humanity as a whole, and to counterbalance the effects of climate change.

Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, today we are seeing 30 percent of the world’s fish stocks overexploited, reaching below the level at which they can produce sustainable yields.

Oceans also absorb about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by humans, and we are seeing a 26 percent rise in ocean acidification since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Marine pollution, an overwhelming majority of which comes from land-based sources, is reaching alarming levels, with an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter to be found on every square kilometre of ocean.

The SDGs aim to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution, as well as address the impacts of ocean acidification. Enhancing conservation and the sustainable use of ocean-based resources through international law will also help mitigate some of the challenges facing our oceans.

The ocean covers three quarters of the Earth’s surface and represents 99 percent of the living space on the planet by volume.

The ocean contains nearly 200,000 identified species, but actual numbers may lie in the millions.

As much as 40 percent of the ocean is heavily affected by pollution, depleted fisheries, loss of coastal habitats and other human activities.

The ocean absorbs about 30 percent of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.

More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.

The market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at US$3 trillion per year, about 5 percent of global GDP.

• By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
• By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
• Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
• By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
• By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
• By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
• By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
• Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
• Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
• Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want

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Life on land.

Human life depends on the earth as much as the ocean for our sustenance and livelihoods. Plant life provides 80 percent of the human diet, and we rely on agriculture as an important economic resources. Forests cover 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, provide vital habitats for millions of species, and important sources for clean air and water, as well as being crucial for combating climate change.

Every year, 13 million hectares of forests are lost, while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares, disproportionately affecting poor communities.

While 15 percent of land is protected, biodiversity is still at risk. Nearly 7,000 species of animals and plants have been illegally traded. Wildlife trafficking not only erodes biodiversity, but creates insecurity, fuels conflict, and feeds corruption.

Urgent action must be taken to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage and support global food and water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and peace and security.

Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.

Forests are home to more than 80 percent of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture for a living.

Nature-based climate solutions can contribute about a third of CO2 reductions by 2030.

The value of ecosystems to human livelihoods and well-being is $US125 trillion per year.v

Mountain regions provide 60-80 percent of the Earth's fresh water.

• By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
• By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
• By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
• By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
• Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
• Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
• Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
• By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
• By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
• Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
• Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation
• Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities

Peace, justice and strong institutions

We cannot hope for sustainable development without peace, stability, human rights and effective governance, based on the rule of law. Yet our world is increasingly divided. Some regions enjoy peace, security and prosperity, while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence. This is not inevitable and must be addressed.

Armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development, affecting economic growth, and often resulting in grievances that last for generations. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are also prevalent where there is conflict, or no rule of law, and countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk

The SDGs aim to significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to end conflict and insecurity. Promoting the rule of law and human rights are key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms and strengthening the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance.

By the end of 2017, 68.5 million people had been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.

There are at least 10 million stateless people who have been denied nationality and its related rights.

Corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion cost developing countries US$1.26 trillion per year.

49 countries lack laws protecting women from domestic violence.

In 46 countries, women now hold more than 30 percent of seats in at least one chamber of national parliament.

1 billion people are legally ‘invisible’ because they cannot prove who they are. This includes an estimated 625 million children under 14 whose births were never registered.

• Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
• End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
• Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
• By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime
• Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
• Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
• Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
• Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
• By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration
• Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
• Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
• Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

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Partnerships for the goals.

The SDGs can only be realized with strong global partnerships and cooperation. Official Development Assistance remained steady but below target, at US$147 billion in 2017. While humanitarian crises brought on by conflict or natural disasters continue to demand more financial resources and aid. Many countries also require Official Development Assistance to encourage growth and trade.

The world is more interconnected than ever. Improving access to technology and knowledge is an important way to share ideas and foster innovation. Coordinating policies to help developing countries manage their debt, as well as promoting investment for the least developed, is vital for sustainable growth and development.

The goals aim to enhance North-South and South-South cooperation by supporting national plans to achieve all the targets. Promoting international trade, and helping developing countries increase their exports is all part of achieving a universal rules-based and equitable trading system that is fair and open and benefits all.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says achieving SDGs will require US$5 trillion to $7 trillion in annual investment.

Total official development assistance reached US$147.2 billion in 2017.

In 2017, international remittances totaled US$613 billion; 76 percent of it went to developing countries.

In 2016, 6 countries met the international target to keep official development assistance at or above 0.7 percent of gross national income.

Sustainable and responsible investments represent high-potential sources of capital for SDGs. As of 2016, US$18.2 trillion was invested in this asset class.

The bond market for sustainable business is growing. In 2018 global green bonds reached US$155.5billion, up 78 percent from previous year.

• Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
• Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
• Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
• Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
• Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries  
• Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
• Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
• Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology  

Capacity building

• Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation  
• Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
• Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
• Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access  

Systemic issues

Policy and institutional coherence

• Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
• Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
• Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development  

Multi-stakeholder partnerships

• Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
• Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships  

Data, monitoring and accountability

• By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
• By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

Sustainable Development Goals Integration

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Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities and achieve universal access to a quality higher education.

Estimates show that, among those 59 million children, 1 in 5 of them had dropped out and recent trends suggest that 2 in 5 of out-of-school children will never set foot in a classroom. The Sustainable Development Goals clearly recognise that this gap must be closed, even as the international community more explicitly addresses the challenges of quality and equity in education.

Space technologies can provide, among others:

• High-speed internet connectivity and tailored online educational content delivered via satellite
• Electronic attendance monitoring and provision of incentives for parents to reduce dropout rates
• Remote learning, e-learning and lifelong learning opportunities for remote and isolated communities

Studies on Nano-satellite technologies

Recognizing its unique role in supporting capacity building efforts and being a catalyst for a broad engagement in space activities in developing countries, UNOOSA has launched a series of initiatives directly addressing SDG4 like Space4Women and Space4Youth . Furthermore, UNOOSA offers, in cooperation with its partners, the support of Fellowship Programmes. This capacity building effort in educational institutes throughout the world have become a cornerstone of the offices to promote the benefits of space activities. The fellowships cover topics on Nanosatellite Technologies and Microgravity and are designed to act as motivation for younger generations to pursue a career in a space related field.

UNOOSA offers the following opportunities:

UN/Japan long-term fellowship programme on nano-satellite technologies - Kitakyushu, Japan

Fellowship programme for the Drop Tower experiment series (DROPTES) - Bremen, Germany

Unispace Nanosatellite Assembly and Training by ISRO (UNNATI) - Bangalore, India

Regional centres

As access to education is pivotal to improve quality of life and help equip locals with the necessary tools to develop innovative solutions to the core issues tackled by the SDGs, UNOOSA is supporting through its Programme on Space Applications six Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education in order to facilitate the development of local capacities in the field of space technologies. Located in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Asia, the six establishments are targeting mainly developing countries through their courses. To ensure a common standard teaching at the centres, education curricula haven been developed in major fields of space applications:

Satellite Meteorology and Global Climate

Space and Atmospheric Science

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Read more about the Regional Centres

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• 15 Agustus 2024 Reports A/AC.105/1184/Add.1 - Notification by the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning the change of status of Delfi-n3Xt

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#LeadingSDG4 | Education2030

Education 2030

The global multi-stakeholder mechanism to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4:

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

31 October – 1 November 2024 Fortaleza, Brazil

Highlights of the ‘Accelerate Progress Towards SDG4: Stocktake of Transformative Actions in Education’ meeting.

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Sustainable Development Goal for Quality Education (SDG 4): A study on SDG 4 to extract the pattern of association among the indicators of SDG 4 employing a genetic algorithm

• Published: 11 August 2022
• Volume 28 , pages 2031–2069, ( 2023 )

Cite this article

• Munish Saini 1 ,
• Eshan Sengupta 1 ,
• Madanjit Singh   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1151-6729 2 ,
• Harnoor Singh 1 &
• Jaswinder Singh 2  

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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are at the forefront of government initiatives across the world. The SDGs are primarily concerned with promoting sustainable growth via ensuring wellbeing, economic growth, environmental legislation, and academic advancement. One of the most prominent goals of the SDG is to provide learners with high-quality education (SDG 4). This paper aims to look at the perspectives of the Sustainable Development Goals improvised to provide quality education. We also analyze the existing state of multiple initiatives implemented by the Indian government in the pathway to achieving objectives of quality education (SDG 4). Additionally, a case study is considered for understanding the association among the observed indicators of SDG4. For this purpose, exploratory data analysis, and numerical association rule mining in combination with QuantMiner genetic algorithm approaches have been applied. The outcomes reveal the presence of a significant degree of association among these parameters pointing out the fact that understanding the impact of one (or more) indicator on other related indicators is critical for achieving SDG 4 goals (or factors). These findings will assist governing bodies in taking preventive measures while modifying existing policies and ensuring the effective enactment of SDG 4 goals, which also will subsequently aid in the resolution of issues related to other SDGs.

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• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Education and Educational Technology

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

1 Introduction

Educational technology relies on academic knowledge from many fields such as communication, education, psychology, sociology, machine intelligence, and information technology in combination with practical academic experience (An & Oliver, 2021 ); Brill & Galloway, 2007 ; Januszewski & Molenda, 2013 ). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a broad phase of IT, emphasizing the function of unified communications as well as computers and software for businesses, middleware storage, and audio-visual services to enable users to access, save, transmit, understand and handle information (Schreyer, 2000 ; Yusuf, 2005 ). In the traditional education model, a teacher-centric classroom system was mostly preferred where the students are always expected to sit in front of the teacher, listening to lectures and taking notes (Pereira & Murzyn, 2001 ; Sibirskaya et al., 2019 ). In the twenty-first century, education evokes images of blended learning (Bruggeman et al., 2021 ; Osguthorpe & Graham, 2003 ; Singh, 2021 ), flipped classrooms (Hew et al., 2020 ; Wright & Park, 2021 ), and internet-based learning (or E-learning) (Singh et al., 2021 ; Winiharti & Chairiyani, 2021 ). Blended learning and flipped classrooms elevate a student’s academic performance and perception in comparison to traditional teaching (El Sadik & Al Abdulmonem, 2021 ). Implementing a blended approach to instruction at various phases of undergraduate and postgraduate education might enhance learning opportunities. Blended learning represents the integration of digital and multimedia equipment like personal computers, tablets, multimedia projects, sound systems, 3D models, and augmented reality with lectures and conventional modules (Trelease, 2016 ). Flipped or inverted classrooms are a collaborative learning format in which typical in-class lessons and assignment activities are swapped (Güvenç, 2018 ; Unal et al., 2021 ). Students are given access to the learning material before class so that they may prepare at their leisure, while the in-class period is devoted to engaging teaching activities (Ölmefors & Scheffel, 2021 ). These practices include but are not limited to, case-based learning, group learning, project-based learning, research-based learning, and cooperative learning (Sasson et al., 2018 ).

United Nations (UN) created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Worldwide Goals, in 2015 as a global call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and guarantee that everyone enjoys freedom and harmony by 2030 (de Villiers et al., 2021 ). The 17 SDGs are interlinked; they determine the impact of initiatives in one domain and progress in social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Footnote 1 These SDGs require everybody's creativity, understanding, technology, and financial resources in every environment. Approximately 262 million children and teenagers are out of school today (Matthew & Kazaure, 2020 ). It will result in possibly adding impoverishment and marginalization for 750 million individuals (UNESCO, 2021 ). UNESCO develops educational resources to assist individuals in living as global citizens free of hatred and bigotry (Ty, 2021 ). It aims to ensure that every child and citizen has access to a good education by fostering national connections and also cultural heritage and the equality of all civilizations (Addey, 2021 ). UNESCO acts as an idea laboratory, assisting nations in adopting international standards and managing programs that promote the free flow of ideas and information exchange.

Education ambitions are fundamentally reflected in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) which is aimed to guarantee integrative and equal quality education and promote opportunities for lifelong learning for all by 2030 (Demirbağ & Sezgin, 2021 ; Shiohira, 2021 ). The roadmap for achieving the education objective, which was established in November 2015, advises governments around the world and private sector partners like Discovery Networks, Samsung Footnote 2 etc. on, how to transform pledges into action (Marope, 2016 ). Footnote 3 This is sponsored by the International Community through partnerships, guidance, institutional strengthening, inspection, and lobbying (Briones Alonso et al., 2021 ). In the context of the great challenges and opportunities for a forecast, feasible, and chosen future, the commission will focus on reconsidering the role of education, learning, and knowledge (Ahmad, 2019 ). SDG 4 is the goal of pristine education (Ferguson et al., 2021 ). It strives to offer equal and equitable education and create chances for continuous learning.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, an old Indian saying that means "the world is one family," encapsulates the essence of India's approach to all areas of life, including economic growth, succinctly (Shelley, 2021 ). The Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) are therefore an integral part of the country's lengthy culture and legacy, and the goals largely represent India's development ambition (Kakar et al., 2021 ; Manby, 2021 ). India had a major influence in formulating the goals for sustainable development (SDGs). As one of the countries that have participated in the High-Level Political Forum's (HLPF) 2017 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), India recognizes the importance of poverty eradication and supporting growth in an ever-changing globe. Footnote 4 In India, significant advances have been made in essentializing basic education, with improvements in female enrolment and completion rates in both secondary and tertiary institutions. (Saxena, 2020 ). At the national level, the youth literacy rate was 94 percent for men and 92 percent for women (Jain, 2021 ). The gross enrollment ratio for men and girls in elementary school was 100%. Footnote 5 The new National Learning and Development Policy Objective (2020) places a special focus on the development of each individual's creative potential. Footnote 6 It is founded on the premise that schooling must develop not just intellectual capabilities, but also interpersonal, ethical, and psychological abilities and inclinations. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the administration's flagship program, aims to provide ubiquitous quality education to all Indians, and it is supported by a specialized Hajdukiewicz and Pera ( 2020 ) program for nutritional needs, higher education, and professional development. Footnote 7 Ensuring comprehensive and high-quality education for everyone underlines the conviction that e-learning is one of the most potent and well-tested engines for long-term development. Footnote 8 This objective seeks to ensure that all girls and boys finish elementary and secondary schools and have fair access to effective vocational training by 2030, as well as to eradicate gender and income gaps and achieve universal access to a quality higher education (Mohanty & Dash, 2018 ). Furthermore, it promotes lifelong learning opportunities to acquire significant adult literacy and numeracy, as well as the construction and renovation of current education facilities that are children, handicapped, and gender-inclusive (McKay, 2018a ).

The Indian government has taken the necessary efforts to guarantee the successful execution of SDG 4 (Pandey, 2018 ). The government of India is committed to ensuring the proper execution of SDG 4 and ensuring that, the government has taken some initiatives like National Literacy Mission, Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana, National Scheme for Incentive to Female Child for Secondary Education, Scholarship for College, and University Students, National Fellowship and Scholarship for Tertiary Education of ST Students, SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active – Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Project. Footnote 9 Specific SDGs have a wide scope to cover the following: Adjusted Net Enrolment Ratio (ANER) in elementary education average yearly dropout rate in secondary education (Rao et al., 2021 ), Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in Higher Secondary (Nehru & Shahi, 2021 ), Number of students in class 8 attaining at least a minimum competency level in terms of nationally specified learning outcomes to be reached by the students at the end of the year, Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in Tertiary Education, Proportion of people with disabilities aged 15 and older who have completed secondary school, Gender Parity Index (GPI) for Tertiary Education, percentage of individuals 15 years or above who are illiterate, the proportion of schools that have access to decent amenities (electricity, drinking water), Proportion of qualified teachers at secondary schools, Secondary Pupil-to-Teacher Ratio (PTR). Footnote 10 India has made great headway toward executing the “ Education for All ” plan (Pandey, 2018 ). Several important programs and initiatives like Sarva Sikhsha Avyan were established as a basic right to provide obligatory elementary schooling for all children aged 6 to 14 years. Footnote 11 Programs such as Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education (RTE) have provided a much-needed push to India's educational sector (Pahwa & Indira, 2021 ). Even, the country's enrolment rates in elementary education have considerably improved. Footnote 12

In this paper, we are looking forward to introducing and discussing India's current approach or initiatives aimed at achieving or contextualizing the SDG for education (stated as SDG 4) in the Indian perspective by incorporating them into the development of a new education policy, as well as its optimistic influence on the outcomes of quality training, as outlined by 2030. It covers basic, intermediate, and higher education trends in the nation and addresses several important challenges in the field of quality education and affordability in education. India has taken major steps to promote inclusive, equal, and excellent education (Hajdukiewicz & Pera, 2020 ). Although the education sector in India has seen tremendous development, the SDG's Objective 4 has still a long way to go (Rao et al., 2021 ). Such efforts will demand solid policies, careful supervision, and the funding needed. These efforts will substantially enhance a prosperous future, good jobs, and a better living standard through a decade-long educational mission for 2030, to enhance inclusive, equal, and decent education. Footnote 13

2 Aims and objectives

The goal of this research is to assess the Indian government's attempts to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4), particularly in the time frame 2030. In addition, we want to achieve the following objectives:

I. Analyzing the perspectives of Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4).

II. Investigate the current state and the accomplishments of the Indian government initiatives taken to implement SDG 4.

III. Apply an association rule mining algorithm to extract the pattern of association among different indicators of SDG 4 (Case study on Indian scenario).

3 Organization of paper

The paper is organized into the following sections; Related work presents an overview of research works and surveys on sustainable development objectives, with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4) and other related issues. Mainly, the work in this study is conducted in two phases. In Phase 1 , we emphasized more on exploring the insights of SDG, SDG 4, and various initiatives taken by the Indian Government for the accomplishment of SDG 4 in India. In specific Phase 1 includes the following sections; Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) section presents the sketch of the SDGs established by the United Nations to promote global development and peace. The section on the current state of SDG 4 implementation and achievement focuses on the current successes and evaluation of actions undertaken by governments all around the world. The crucial Initiatives by the Indian Government to attain Sustainable Development in Education are discussed in the next section. In Phase 2 , our main objective is to analyze the SDG 4 dataset (India country dataset only) for extracting the useful pattern of association among the indicators of SDG 4. For the achievement of this objective following steps are performed that are organized into the following subsections; Analysis and methodology subsection elaborates the way data is collected, how the pre-processing of the dataset is performed and includes the explanations of the methods, tools, and algorithms employed to achieve the specified objective. The graphical representation along with the statistical outcomes are represented in the Results section. In the discussion section, the elaborative interpretation of the obtained outcomes concerning the outlined research objectives is given. Besides, the conclusion and future recommendations section summarizes the conducted research work and suggests the direction for future work to assist concerned stakeholders.

4 Related work

The concept of sustainable development is not new (Tomislav, 2018 ). Many scholars have committed their efforts to developing ways to ensure the planet's survival. Since its inception, the United Nations has been dedicated to making the world a better place to live (Ban, 2016 ). To attain that aim, all member countries developed the Millennium Development Goals through a series of meetings. According to the research of Sachs and McArthur ( 2005 ), the Millennium Development Goals had little influence on the worldwide landscape. To accomplish the goal of sustainability, all United Nations member countries agreed in 2015 at the Sustainable Development Summit to establish sustainable development goals (SDGs). Since then, experts from all over the world have been reviewing and evaluating the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals and making recommendations that would pave the way for a more sustainable and developed future for all.

Muff et al. ( 2017 ) in their work stated that the 17 SDGs served as the foundation for the planet's long-term viability. These objectives directly target the difficulties and seek a constructive solution to the situation. Among the seventeen SDGs, SDG 4 is aimed at creating a sustainable education system for the people of the world. This SDG 4 contains seven objectives that address gender inequality in education, dropout rates in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and developing opportunities for the disadvantaged class, such as individuals from scheduled castes, indigenous people, and people with disabilities, among others. It also includes three sub-objectives that can help accomplish the seven targets listed in SDG 4.

Similarly, the Indian government has launched a slew of activities aimed at highlighting and achieving SDG 4 goals. SWAYAM Footnote 14 and DIKSHA, Footnote 15 among other attempts, have shown to be ineffective in the present pandemic scenario (Singh et al., 2021 ).

Several scholars have emphasized the necessity of eliminating gender disparities in education. Women are graduating at a greater rate and with higher marks. The government of India has created scholarship programs such as UDAAN Footnote 16 to improve the spirit of women and encourage them to pursue technical and vocational education. Scholarships have a significant influence on students since it has been seen that students who get scholarships are more inclined to engage in academic pursuits. Furthermore, because most scholarships are merit-based, it motivates students to study properly. After reviewing all of this research, we can conclude that the significance of Sustainable Development Goals is limitless. However, it should be noted that several obstacles must be overcome to attain sustainability.

Rammohan and Vu ( 2018 ) discovered that women's schooling attainment in India continues to trail significantly behind that of males. The findings give quantitative evidence of the involvement of many economic and social factors in educational gender inequalities. However, the patrilocal exogamy norm, in which wives migrate to co-reside with their husband's kin, is associated with poorer outcomes for women's schooling compared to men's schooling; and, according to anthropological research, gender-differentiated inequities in education are more pronounced in Northern India.

According to Pandey ( 2018 ), India has made significant progress toward implementing the Education for All program . As a Fundamental Right , numerous significant programs and policies have been implemented to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged six to twelve years. The government must look at some of the major issues affecting quality education and accessibility in India's educational system. Beena ( 2019 ) pointed out the work that India has promised to offer all children with inclusive and equitable quality education by 2030. Initiatives such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Right to Education (RTE) have given India's education system a much-needed boost. However, significant progress toward universalizing primary education has been accomplished, as seen by improvements in enrolment, retention, and other physical infrastructure.

Sajan and Medona ( 2021 ) address the fact that India has had a rich scientific and knowledge legacy from ancient times. However, decades of foreign control wiped out the country's knowledge systems. Modern India boasts a rich intellectual history, as well as world-class education and research institutes like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and prominent universities. The resources offered, however, are only available to a wealthy minority, not to the majority who cannot afford them. Though equal access to information and education is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, it is a Herculean task to achieve. Informatics can help to make resources more accessible and learning a more open and free activity, independent of geographical distance or individual economic circumstances. E-learning enables the sharing of study resources in several media formats, including live interactions, videos, slideshows, word documents, and PDFs, as well as the delivery of live online courses and communication via chats and messages. The article investigates the Indian government's intentions to transform knowledge and education systems to be network-compliant, intending to provide fair access to everyone. We anticipate that the findings of this research will assist the Indian government in strengthening its activities and considering immediate steps to achieve sustainability in the Indian education system.

The proposed work is unique in its terms, as we are looking forward to exploring the work and initiatives that are being executed and accomplished by the Indian government for the accomplishment of the SDG 4 goal of education. Further, we are motivated to dig inside the SDG 4 dataset obtained from NITI Aayog to get insights into the pattern of association that exist among the different indicators of SDG 4.

5 Sustainable development goals (SDG)

Sustainable development goals seem to be at the foundation of modern global government schemes focused on making the globe a fairer place to live (World Health Organization, 2016 ). These SDGs are particularly dedicated to promoting sustainable development and also will act as a protracted sustainability roadmap (Mensah, 2019 ). Specifically, the SDGs are more inclusive and effective than their forerunners, the Millennium development goals (MDGs) (Battersby, 2017 ). All agreed United Nations members created a blueprint for bringing prosperity to the globe and ensuring its preservation. The framework is currently known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These SDGs are a rallying cry for both rich and developing countries to take urgent action to forge global cooperation. These SDGs targets a variety of challenges, including poverty, quality education, gender equality, economic growth, and climate change (refer to Fig.  1 ).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

To achieve sustainable development by 2030, all countries must commit to putting global goals into action (Naidoo & Fisher, 2020 ). The United Nations has formed a department to give considerable support to nations to help them achieve sustainability. In this research, our main focus is on exploring the insights of SDG 4 (explained in Sect.  5.1 ). We also aim to look at the current state of SDG 4 implementation and accomplishment (refer to Sect.  5.2 ). Further, we are committed to analyzing varied crucial initiatives taken by the Indian government for achieving the goals of SDG 4 (explained in Sect. 5.3).

5.1 Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)

Education for everyone has always been an important component of the agenda for sustainable development (Agbedahin, 2019 ; Leicht et al., 2018 ). According to Wals and Kieft ( 2010 ) internationally, there is a rising acknowledgment of education for sustainable development (ESD) as an essential component of excellent education and a vital facilitator of sustainable development.

SDG 4 (refer to Fig.  2 ) is intended to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to encourage lifelong learning opportunities for everyone, and it includes seven objectives and three methods of implementation (Ferguson et al., 2018 ; McKay, 2018 ; Webb et al., 2017 ). Even though the goals were formed through a lengthy consultation process led by member countries, civil society, educators, unions, intergovernmental agencies, regional organizations, the private sector, research organizations, and endowments were all engaged (Elmassah et al., 2021 ). Later, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) was established as a collaboration of several sponsoring UN entities such as UNESCO, UN-DESA, UNEP, Global Compact, and UNU, to galvanize commitments from higher academic institutions to instruct and promote research on sustainable development (Paulette, 2019 ). This involves greening campuses and assisting with regional sustainable practices. GAP and HESI seek to assist universities in developing sustainability plans in collaboration with the larger community, as well as assisting institutions in implementing sustainability into academic activities, administration, strategy, and management. The details of SDG 4 and its components are explained in the subsequent paragraphs.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and its components for education

SDG Target 4.1

Aiming that all girls and boys get affordable, inclusive, and high-quality primary and secondary education by 2030, resulting in relevant and effective learning outcomes (Miles & Singal, 2010 ; Raina, 2019 ). A minimum of 12 years of free, publicly funded, accessible, equal, and decent quality primary and secondary education – including at least nine years are mandatory and lead to meaningful educational outcomes – should be provided to all without prejudice (Heymann et al., 2020 ; Kovač Šebart et al., 2021 ).

SDG Target 4.2

Assure that all girls and boys have access to high-quality early childhood education, care, and pre-primary education by 2030 so that they are prepared for elementary education (Haslip & Gullo, 2018 ; Murray, 2021 ). It is urged to provide at least a year of free and obligatory comprehensive pre-primary education, administered by well-trained instructors, as well as childhood development and aftercare (Hazegh, 2019 ; Impact Initiative, 2021 ).

SDG Target 4.3

Ensure that all women and men have equitable access to cheap and high-quality technological, vocational, and post-secondary schooling, including universities, by 2030 (Owens, 2017 ; Shiohira, 2021 ). It is critical to remove obstacles to professional development and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) beginning at the secondary level (Douse & Uys, 2018 ; Wilson, 2001 ), as well as to postsecondary education, including university, and to create possibilities for lifelong learning for adolescents and adults (Gregg, 2007 ; Kallen & Bengtsson, 1973 ; Laal et al., 2014 ). University education should be gradually made free, in accordance with the existing international accords.

SDG Target 4.4

Boost the number of young people and adults with necessary skills, including technical and vocational skills, for jobs, decent-paying jobs, and entrepreneurship by 2030 (Blanchflower, 2019 ; McKinley & Huebner, 2018 ). Access to TVET must be made more equitable while maintaining quality. Training programs should be expanded and varied via the use of a variety of education and training methodologies, so that all adolescents and adults, particularly girls and women, may gain appropriate information, skills, and competencies for decent employment and livelihood (Hamburg, 2020 ; Picatoste et al., 2018 ). Aside from job-specific skills, emphasis should be placed on producing advanced sensory and non-cognitive/transferable skills such as pattern recognition, logical analysis, ingenuity, team cohesion, interpersonal skills, and dispute resolution, which can be applied across a variety of work environments (Avsec & Jagiełło-Kowalczyk, 2021 ; Mumford & Gustafson, 1988 ; Whetten, 2011 ).

SDG Target 4.5

Eliminate gender inequalities in education and guarantee equitable access to all types of technical and vocational education for the disadvantaged, including disabled individuals, native communities, and vulnerable populations, by 2030 (Do et al., 2020 ; Felice, 2002 ). Everyone, regardless of gender, age, race, color, ethnicity, language, religion, political or other beliefs, national or social origin, property, or birth, should have equal access to inclusive, equitable quality education (Braveman, 2010 ; Koehler, 2016 ; Mitchell, 2016 ). Persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, and the impoverished are vulnerable populations that require special attention and specialized measures. According to the statement, all girls and boys, women and men, should have an equal chance to receive a high-quality education, succeed at equal levels, and get equal advantages from education (Koehler, 2016 ; Mechanic & Tanner, 2007 ; Morawa, 2003 ; O’Reilly, 2007 ). Gender-based abuse, child marriage, early pregnancy, and a high burden of domestic tasks all require particular consideration.

SDG Target 4.6

Make sure that just by 2030, all adolescents and a significant number of adults, including women and men, have achieved reading skills and quantitative skills (Harrowell et al., 2018 ; Park et al., 2017 ). The modern view of readability as a spectrum of competency levels in a particular environment underpins the ideas, methods, and activities toward this objective. It goes far beyond the basic divide of literate vs illiterate (Akrong, 2021 ). As a result, action towards this objective aims to ensure that by 2030, all young individuals worldwide have attained appropriate and recognized competence levels in functional reading and numeracy abilities that are equal to levels attained upon successful implementation of primary education (Grotlüschen et al., 2020 ;Hanemann, 2019 ).

SDG Target 4.7

Ensure that all learners have the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve sustainable development by 2030, including through effective teaching and sustainable lifestyles, civil rights, sexual equality, appreciation of cultural diversity, harmony and pacifism, internationalization, and appreciation of diversity and culture's involvement in sustainable growth, among many other things (Askerov & Askerov, 2010 ; Vrdoljak & Meskell, 2021 ; Windorf, 2020 ). It is critical to prioritize academia's involvement in the fulfillment of social rights, democracy, and good governance in all sectors, from local to global. Such education's material must be practical, with an emphasis on both intellectual and non-cognitive elements of learning (Garcia, 2016 ; Gibbons, 1998 ). Education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCED) may be obtained via multicultural understanding and multinational comprehending education (Deng, 2019 ; Wintersteiner, 2018 ; Žegunienė, 2020 ).

SDG Target 4. a

Construct and improve educational facilities that are child, handicapped, and sex sensitive, and that would provide safe, peaceful, equitable, and productive teaching practices for all (Ahmad, 2015 ; Beck, 1990 ; Gordon & Browne, 2016 ). This goal emphasizes the need for appropriate infrastructure facilities and fair, effective education settings for all people, irrespective of their past or physical condition.

SDG Target 4. b

By 2020, significantly increase the number of fellowships open to students from poor nations for tertiary education enrollment. Sponsorship may be extremely beneficial in giving chances to adults and young people who might otherwise be unable to complete their studies (Spooren et al., 2017 ; Sugiyarti et al., 2018 ; Turner, 1960 ). Grants should be aimed at young individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged, in accordance with the SDG 4—Education 2030 focus on fairness, inclusiveness, and excellence.

SDG Target 4. c

Influence the availability of competent teachers significantly by 2030, notably through the international collaboration for professional development in developing nations, particularly the least developed countries and small island developing states. According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, educators are critical to attaining all of the SDG 4 objectives. The scarcity and unequal distribution of properly qualified teachers, particularly in poor regions, exacerbates the equity gap in schooling.

5.1.1 Other Sustainable Development Goals that are directly connected to SDG 4:

Health and happiness ( SDG 3 target 3.7 ) -By 2030, provide universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including family planning, data, and information, as well as the incorporation of reproductive rights into government policies and programs (Cowell, 2006 ; Eide & Showalter, 2011 ).

Gender equality ( SDG 5 goal 5.6 )-Number of nations with legislation and rules ensuring access to reproductive healthcare services, knowledge, and education for women between 15–49 years (Unterhalter et al., 2014 ; Whaley et al., 2013 ).

Good work and long-term growth ( SDG 8 target 8.6 ) -By 2020, greatly decrease the number of young people who are not in work, schooling, or development.

Responsible consumption and manufacture ( SDG 12 objective 12.8 )-By 2030, making sure people worldwide have the necessary insights and knowledge for sustainability and environmentally friendly lifestyle choices.

Climate change abatement ( SDG 13 goal 13.3 )-Improve teaching, information campaigns, and infrastructural ability in environmental protection, adaptability, education and awareness, and warning.

5.2 The current state of SDG 4 implementation and accomplishment

The world is in the grip of Covid-19's destruction. Education systems throughout the world are among the worst affected. Covid has erased 20 years of educational progress (Khan et al., 2020 ; Rohwerder, 2020 ). Furthermore, 101 million, or 9% of students in grades, will be unable to meet basic reading competence by 2020 (Calet et al., 2017 ; Gamu & Damole, 2021 ). According to a recent poll, around 55% of the population is illiterate (Amin, 2019 ; Olaniran, 2020 ). To be more exact, 9 percent have minimal competence, while the remainder has no proficiency (Pienaar et al., 2021 ). There is deterioration in the situation, which is causing delayed progress in school completion (Aina et al., 2018 ). Although participation in structured pre-primary schooling is increasing (Alcott et al., 2020 ). In terms of numbers, it has risen from 65 percent in 2010 to 73 percent now (in 2019) (Chatterjee et al . , 2020 ). Even if the completion rate of secondary and elementary education has marginally risen, fundamental school infrastructure is still lacking in many institutions throughout the world. According to Dr. David Perry , the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on education is a " generational tragedy ". Footnote 17 According to him, the most vulnerable children and those who cannot access virtual education are more likely to drop out of school and be coerced into early marriage or child labor. Perry stated that to meet the education objectives outlined in the Global Goals, we must prioritize remedial and catch-up initiatives. In 2019, there were only 92 literate women and girls 15 years of age or older for every 100 literate males and men of the same age. According to  Carr et al. ( 2021 ), the pandemic will result in a reversal of recent gains toward educational fairness. Footnote 18

6 Initiatives by the Indian government to attain sustainable development in education

India, being the home to one-sixth of all humanity, holds the key to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Footnote 19 Since Indian independence, successive Indian governments have addressed several key challenges in education by introducing new educational policies and schemes as a part of its development agenda i.e., ‘ Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ , ‘ Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan’ , ‘ Right to free & compulsory Education Act’ etc. (Saini et al., 2021 ; Singh et al., 2021 ). However, as per the ‘British Council India report, the current Indian education system is guided by different objectives and goals but is primarily based on the policies of yesteryears (Mohanty & Dash, 2018 ).

SWAYAM PROGRAMME

The program gets its name from Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (Kumar & Mahendraprabu, 2021 ). Instructors from government-financed schools like IITs, IIMs, and central universities will provide online training to residents of the nation as part of this initiative. Footnote 20 All courses will be available for free study. If the learner desires an Authenticated Certificate, a modest cost will be charged. In the first phase, IIT Bombay, IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati, University of Delhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, IGNOU, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, and Banaras Hindu University will train students in engineering education, social science, power, governance, and science courses on their own and with the assistance of academic staff from international schools.

National E-Library

The E-Library is envisioned as an online portal that will democratize access to knowledge by ensuring quality content from central universities and top-ranked academic institutions is obtainable in a digital format that students, working professionals, and researchers across the country can easily access via laptops, smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Footnote 21 The international partnership has been offered by Israel, Norway, UK, UNESCO. The National E-Library has been operating since the 2015 academic year.

It is a program to facilitate differently-abled students with scholarships. Footnote 22 The AICTE has agreed to give 1000 scholarships each year to differently-abled students to pursue technical education purely on merit in the qualifying test. The scholarship amount would be Rs. 30,000 or tuition costs, whatever is less, plus Rs. 2000 monthly for ten months also as a contingency allowance.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan

The Ministry of Primary Education and Literacy has assisted the Ministry of Women and Child Development in implementing the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” Abhiyan in 100 districts across the country to improve the gender ratio and the position of the female child. Footnote 23 The “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” Abhiyan is instituting an incentive for School Administration Boards that accomplish 100 percent migration of females at all stages of schooling.

UDAAN is a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) project that enables underprivileged girl students as well as other students from vulnerable positions and minorities to transition from school to post-secondary technical learning, particularly in Mathematics and Science. Footnote 24 The initial mission of UDAAN is to tackle the low enrollment of girls in engineering institutions, which is now around 23% of girls against 77% of boys. It seeks to bridge the gap in quality between post-secondary and engineering education entry systems by focusing on three dimensions: curriculum design, transaction, and assessment. This will be accomplished through enhancing and complementing Mathematics and science curricula at the Senior Secondary level. The CBSE will give free and online resources to the whole student population, with additional incentives and assistance available to a thousand chosen underprivileged females each year.

Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has devised this initiative, which offers 300 scholars with Junior Research Fellowships worth Rs. 8,000/—10,000/- monthly beginning in every academic year. Footnote 25

The goal of this project is to assist girls in advancing in technical education. Footnote 26 The AICTE plan provides for the selection of one girl per family with a household income of fewer than 6 lakhs per year to pursue technical education based on merit in the qualifying examination. The system will be executed by the individual state governments' authorized admission centers. Scholarships are intended to assist 4000 females every year. The scholarship amount is Rs. 30,000 or tuition costs, whichever is less, plus Rs. 2000 per month for ten months as a contingency allowance.

Students from the North East Region are eligible for a special scholarship program. Footnote 27 From the 2014–15 academic year, the UGC has introduced a unique scholarship scheme for students from the North East Region. The scheme envisions awarding 10,000 scholarships to students from the North East Region whose family income is less than Rs. 4.5 lakh per annum, with scholarships ranging from Rs. 3,500 to 5,000 per month for studying at the undergrad level at colleges/universities across the country.

Ishān Vikās

Ishan Vikas is a powerful approach to bringing chosen students from the North-Eastern states' school and college levels into close touch with the IITs, NITs, and IISERs during their holiday times. Footnote 28 A typical ten-day visit to one of these schools is planned, in the form of either exposure or an internship. Each school will send one teacher to follow a group of about 32 pupils from classes IX and X, as well as eight teachers. In the summer and winter, the college students would be divided into two groups of 32 students each. During the academic year, about 2016 college students and 504 instructors from N-E will tour renowned institutes such as IIT/NIT/ IISERs. or Centrally Funded Technological Institutes) will be accepted with scholarships and travel. Each year, about 250 students from 25 institutions will visit 16 IITs and 6 NITs (to begin with, six NITs are being considered). A summary of all the initiatives of the Indian government and their connections with the SDG elements are represented in Table 1 .

Apart from all these initiatives few other programs like Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat (PBBB), The Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Saransh, Shaala Siddhi (Self–assessment of all schools and External Evaluation of sample schools), Pota Cabins – Residential Schools for Children in LWE-affected areas, Pratibha Parv – Strengthening Quality of Education in Government Schools, Saakshar Bharat – Sustaining and Enhancing Efforts in Adult Education Swachh Vidyalaya has been started or upgrading to improve quality education in India (Sharma et al., 2020 ).

The state governments in collaboration with the central government have started a few programs for the development of education and to remove the barriers (like increased dropout rate among rural students) (Rajput et al, 2020 ).

The Bihar government started Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana to provide affordability to students especially girls to come to school. This program has not only improved the school enrolment among girls but has drastically reduced the dropout rates. The state government of Gujarat started ‘ Migration Card and Migration Monitoring Software’ to track and monitor migrating students. Since migration for seasonal employment is one of the most crucial factors for dropouts from school. The Mizoram state initiated the ‘ Each One Teach One Method’ program for making education reachable to every student in the state. The state government of Himachal Pradesh started the ‘ Reaching to out of School children’ program to make sure no student should remain out of school.

7 Apply an association rule mining algorithm to extract the pattern of association among different indicators of the SDG 4 dataset (Case study on Indian scenario)

7.1 data analysis and methodology.

The data analysis and methodology include details on the database collection for the study procedure, information on data preprocessing and filtration, techniques, and computational methods designed to achieve the stated objectives of this study (refer to Fig.  3 ).

Data analysis methodology

7.1.1 Data collection

The data for the purpose and research is gathered from trustworthy sources such as the World Bank data repository, Footnote 29 UNSTATS, Footnote 30 UNESCO, Footnote 31 as well as others. We have considered yearly statistics from 1990 to 2020, intending to achieve the objectives of this study. In specifically, the attributes of the dataset are derived from World Bank Sustainable Development Metrics, Footnote 32 UNICEF Data Archives, Footnote 33 UNDESA Open Access Archives, Footnote 34 UNSTATS, Footnote 35 and WHO SDG indicator databases. Footnote 36 Some data was also gathered through surveys conducted by the government of India and preserved at the data archive of India, the ASER Center of India, Footnote 37 and the ministry of education Footnote 38 of India. Data was also obtained from reputable data source websites such as Trade Economics, Footnote 39 Knoema, Footnote 40 and Kaggle. Footnote 41 The collected data is organized in the following indicators (I 1 to I 11 ) as shown in Table 2 .

7.1.2 Data pre-processing

The data collected from multiple sources is first integrated (Wold et al., 2010 ). As the integration of the dataset facilitates the adequate handling and attainment of specified objectives of the study to explore the association among the indicators of SDG 4. Further, the filtration and cleansing of data are performed as the subsequent processes of data pre-processing (Hariharakrishnan et al., 2017 ). This procedure facilitates the removal of abnormalities from the data set and prepares it for analysis (García et al., 2015 ).

Data in the real world is frequently sparse, noisy, and erratic (Famili et al., 1997 ). This might result in low-quality data collection and, as a result, low-quality models based on that data (Bilalli et al., 2018 ). Data Preprocessing includes procedures that can organize data into a correct shape for better comprehension in the data mining process to solve these challenges. In the process of data cleaning, we target eliminating the data outliers, restoring null values, normalizing noisy data, and rectifying inconsistencies in data (Dasu & Johnson, 2003 ). It is an important stage in the data preparation process since incomplete, inaccurate, or erroneous data might jeopardize the trustworthiness of study results (Xiong et al., 2006 ). We processed our data for further analysis using two approaches.

7.1.3 Handling the missing values

During the evaluation of the data set, it was discovered that certain indicators had null (or no) values. It contributes to the problem of uncertainty and heterogeneity in data evaluation. We used the Interpolate Method to solve the problem (Chai et al., 2020 ). Interpolation is a technique for estimating unknown data points between two data points.

A set of data points, gathered by sampling or testing, are frequently used to indicate the values of a variable for a small number of independent variable values. Interpolation, or estimating the value of a variable for an intermediate position of the independent variable, is frequently necessary. Data that represents a specific pattern or periodicity is referred to as time-series data. Analyzing time-series data differs from typical data frames in a few ways. We can't utilize mean imputation approaches to cope with missing values when we have time-series data. Interpolation is a strong approach for filling null values in a time-based dataset and is thought to be the efficient strategy for filling missing values in most circumstances. That's why after careful consideration we picked Linear Interpolation as the best approach required for analyzing the data sued in this study. For this study, the Linear interpolation approach is employed, and the mathematical model for linear interpolation is given in Eq.  1 . Linear interpolation is a method of computing intermediate data between measured values by plotting the data hypothetically between two nearby values obtained (Huang, 2021 ; Noor et al., 2014 ). Linear interpolation is defined as the concatenation of linear interpolants between each pair of data points on a set of data points (m0, n0), (m1, n1),…, (mn, nn). Furthermore, because we have identical data for each category in the database, it aids in a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the data set.

point in the x-axis

point in the y axis

nearest upper point in the x-axis

nearest upper point in the y-axis

nearest lower point in the x-axis

nearest lower point in the y-axis

7.1.4 Data normalization

Data normalization is an important element of data pre-processing. The process of learning and the resultant model may be harmed by the noise that affects the input characteristics or output class. The level to which noise impacts the database can be measured in terms of each attribute's data value, as well as the attribute's lowest, peak, and standard deviation. To correct the noise in our data set, we chose the Relative Neighborhood Graph Edition Filtration method among a variety of data normalization approaches (Jaromczyk & Toussaint, 1992 ). Further, the mathematical representation of the Relative Neighborhood Graph Edition Filtration method is given in Eq.  2 .

are the initial points

is the distance of the considered data point from the corresponding point

are the values of the data

indicates the training set

The pattern in this procedure determines the parameters of the data class and constructs a closeness undirected graph [G = (V, E)], in which each vertex(V) correlates to a Training Set instance (TR). There is a set of edges E, and (x i , x j ) belongs to E if and only if x i and x j fulfill some neighborhood relation, and these instances are called graph neighbors. The point graph neighborhood is made up of its graph neighbors. As a result, the data is normalized with more relevant data for the remaining variables.

7.1.5 Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)

Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) is a process for analyzing and investigating data sets, summarizing their major properties, and applying data visualization tools (Behrens, 1997 ). With the use of descriptive statistics and pictorial depictions, exploratory data analysis corresponds to the crucial process of doing first investigations on data to uncover patterns, spot anomalies, test hypotheses, and check assumptions. In the initial step, the implication of various statistical evaluations provides an understanding of the dataset. This implication helps in obtaining the appropriate results, as well as making it simpler to identify patterns from the dataset, rule out data anomalies, test hypotheses, and check assumptions. EDA is mostly used to uncover patterns that go beyond the formal modeling or inferential statistical tasks, as well as to offer a deeper knowledge of the data set elements and their connections (Braham & Ben-Zvi, 2017 ; Makar & Rubin, 2009 ; Ratner, 2017 ). The significant elements that shape the nature of EDA and its structural model are as follows:

Visual Analysis

Multiple Analyses

Interactive

It is essentially the same as researching data before making any type of claim. EDA help in ensuring that the results are legitimate and relevant to any intended business objectives and goals. Kendall's method of correlation is one of the most reliable mathematical methods of creating a plot in EDA (Lapata, 2006 ; Mao, 2018 ; Muñoz-Pichardo et al., 2021 ). The method follows the following equation:

higher variable points in the plot

lower variable points in the plot

For this study, we can take data values of n attributes (or indicators) measured at a specific instance of time. We can select all possible pairs of observations (x i ,y i ) and (x j ,y j ). Overall, there are N  =  n(n-1) the possible number of pairs.

Number of concordant pairs

Number of Disconcordant Pairs

EDA acts as a primer step for the implication of other advanced data analytic tasks like data modeling , classification , clustering , thresholding , multivariate visualizations , and predictive modeling (Iraji et al., 2021 ; Trevino, 2001 ; Xu, 2003 ).

7.1.6 Numeric Association rule mining

Association rule mining is employed to examine and extract the unique patterns and rules from a huge quantity of data (Zhao & Bhowmick, 2003 ). The Numeric Association Rule Mining (NARM) is the best approach as these patterns indicate remarkable linkages and interactions between distinct factors between the SDGs. Furthermore, the identification of interesting connections and links among vast collections of data objects is made possible by association rule mining. NARM is used in this article to find the connection between SDG 4 and other SDGs. Association rules aid in the identification and forecasting of relational properties relying on data from beneficial properties training datasets. Most of the algorithms in classical association rule mining operate in two stages (Hahsler, 2017 ). All frequent itemsets are discovered in the first phase, and rules are created in the second (Hipp et al., 2000 ). It is observed that the traditional association rule mining methods only operate with binary or categorical (qualitative) data items and do not work efficiently for numeric (quantitative) data items (Zaki, 1999 ). For this purpose of extracting and electing the association rules from the numeric dataset, the NARM algorithms (methods or techniques) like the distribution method, the discretization method, and the optimization method are utilized. In this study, we are using a Biology Inspired NARM, more precisely a genetic algorithm (QuadMiner algorithm). The parameters required for the evaluation of the collected quantitative dataset are as follows (refer to Eqs.  6 and 7 ) (Rastogi & Shim, 2002 ):

where each character is associated with a lower and upper bound. When compared to categorical association rules, these rules are broader and contain more information (Mata et al., 2002 ; Zaki, 1999 ).

7.1.7 Genetic Algorithm Approach

The genetic algorithm is an example of an evolutionary algorithm. It is a biology-inspired algorithm that follows the Darwinism adaptive theory concept (Moslehi & Haeri, 2020 ; Shahin et al., 2020 ). In specific, we are utilizing the QuantMiner genetic algorithm rather than other genetic algorithms such as GENAR and GARPLUS because QuantMiner, unlike other genetic algorithms, is based on identifying appropriate intervals in the dataset by maximizing both support and confidence (Salleb-Aouissi et al., 2013 ). The population size, number of generations, mutation rate, and crossover rate are all needed parameters for the QuantMiner genetic algorithm (Nagao & Seki, 2016 ). QuantMiner is a heuristic algorithm that mines statistical association rules. QuantMiner operates on a collection of constraint patterns directly. In addition, QuantMiner has a predefined rule framework for the generation of quantitative association rule that is either selected by the user or derived by the system. It acts as the primer point for the rule mining operation. Using a Genetic Program, the algorithm searches for the optimum intervals for the numeric characteristics that occur in each rule template. A rule pattern is specified by the collection of characteristics that appear on both the lateral sides of the rule. The value for each category attribute is either set by the user in the framework or calculated by QuantMiner . Let I 1 …I n be the non-instantiated quantitative attribute. QuantMiner approximates the frequent patterns based on I 1 , …, I n , i.e., the collection of variants J 1 , …, J n such that I 1  = J 1 …I n  = J n is frequent and generates a rule framework. The formal description of the QuantMiner is given in Algorithm 1.

7.2 Results and analysis

In the first phase of evaluation, we applied the explanatory data analysis to the dataset concerning the 11 indicators of SDG 4 (refer to Table 2 ). We ultimately gain a basic understanding of the dataset by doing exploratory data analysis. Table 3 represents the standard statistic measures (mean, standard deviation, min value, and max value) of the data respective to all indicators of SDG 4. These values aid in identifying data variations, average value, and the range of the data set. Further, Fig.  4 visualizes the overview of the data set representing the lowest, highest, median, and denser range of the data corresponding to indicators of SDG 4. It is observed that the minimum value for ‘ I1 ’ is 39.7 and the maximum is 97.71, whereas the whole data set is scattered around the range of 72–96.

Box plot extracted from the analysis of the dataset

Paradoxically, the strength of the link between the indicators can be figured out using correlation metrics. The correlation matrix (refer to Table 4 ) depicts the association between each dataset concerning the others. The correlation results reveal that there is a tight relationship between indicators I4, I5, I6, I9, and I10. The correlation between ‘I2' and ‘I5' is 0.91, indicating that they are highly and positively connected, whereas the correlation among indicators ‘I3’ and ‘I7’ is 0.30 signifying a low degree of dependency. The correlation strength can be observed by going through the Pearson coefficient table (see Table 5 ). The high degree of connectivity among ‘I2’ and ‘I5’ indicators stipulates that the Gross enrollment ratio in organized learning is significantly connected to the number of young individuals in elementary schools.

Further, QuantMiner is used to generate association rules among the data set. Table 6 represents the number of rules associated with the respective support measure. It is observed that around 4052 rules were generated at a support rate of 50 to 60% range with 100% of confidence. The least number of rules is associated with a support rate of above 90 percent at the maximum degree of confidence. Figure  5 represents a visualization of the rules associated with each transaction of the data set at the support rate of 90%. We have represented the visualization of only 90% support for the reasons of reducing complexity and fitting data inside the arc diagram. The size of the dots in the figure signifies the weight associated with that particular indicator. Each arc connectivity symbolizes the association among specified rules inside the provided dataset.

Visualization of rules with a support rate between 90 to 100%

8 Discussion

Research Objective I: Analyzing the perspectives of Sustainable Development Goals for Education (SDG 4) .

SDG 4 aims to make the world a more sustainable place to live (Kumar et al., 2016 ). Every aspect of society, as we all know, is linked to one another and the impact of one factor on the other parts of society can be either beneficial or harmful (Chalmers, 2019 ). Education is such a significant component of contemporary civilization that it can influence all other aspects of society (Durkheim, 2012 ). For example, to eliminate unemployment, a trained workforce is needed which is possible with education (Brown & Lauder, 1996 ). Furthermore, to achieve gender equality in all areas, educating females is required so that they may gain the same abilities as males and have the same rights (Unterhalter & Aikman, 2007 ). SDG 4's goals are to address all global issues that are directly or indirectly related to education and that may be addressed via effective global citizen education (Griffiths, 2021 ).

Additionally, to obtain effective learning outcomes the aims are to provide affordable and high-quality primary and secondary education to every student, 12 years of free education, funding, and equality of education by targeting a deadline near the end of 2030 (Ferguson & Roofe, 2020 ). The SDG is keen to improve students' efficiency from the very early stages of education by engaging well-trained instructors, childhood development programs, and free education programs. The efficient implementation of the SDG4 is supposed to lead to the possible solution to many global issues like unemployment, gender inequality, and others.

It was expected that by the end of 2030, all adolescents, including women and men have achieved at least reading and quantitative skills. It is to be ensured that all learners have the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve sustainable development within the prescribed period (Malik, 2018 ).

Research Objective II: Investigate the current state and the accomplishments of the Indian government initiatives taken to implement SDG4

The education system throughout the world gets greatly affected by the sudden rise of Covid-19 (Singh et al., 2021 ). India is among the worst affected nation by this novel coronavirus (Pillai et al., 2020 ). The Indian government has taken several initiatives for making education possible during this period (Singh et al., 2021 ). Apart from the current state, the government of India is keen to provide high standard education by regulating timely updating and needly changes in the education system. The current released New Education Policy 2020 is among the continuation process of educational growth under the Sustainability development goal (SDG 4).

The Indian government has come up with many efforts to address the issues in the implementation of SDG4 (Mohanty & Dash, 2018 ). The SWAYAM program and the National E-Library are launched with the motive to deliver quantity and quality in education. These programs enable students to enroll in courses taught by the top professors from IITs, IIMs, and other prestigious universities, as well as access associated academic materials (Kumar & Mahendraprabu, 2021 ). These campaigns have been quite helpful in educating the general public about the Covid-19 predicament (Singh et al., 2021 ). As the whole educational system moved to an online format, this project gained traction and expanded its scope. The Indian government has launched programs such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and PRAGATI to address issues such as gender discrimination (Jadhav & Bagul, 2021 ). According to current statistics, the nation's Gender Parity Index (GER) has improved dramatically, according to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019–20. Footnote 42 Female involvement in higher education climbed by 18.2 percent throughout this time. Footnote 43 The government sustained focus on girls' education, women's emancipation, and the enfranchisement of socially and educationally backward communities, according to the report, is reflected in the increased participation of women, SCs, and STs in postsecondary education (Sahoo, 2016 ).

Some of the significant achievements with the implementation of these initiatives are:

In 2019–20, cumulative participation in higher education is 3.85 crore, up from 3.74 crores in 2018–19, representing an increase of 11.36 lakh (3.04 percent). In 2014–15, there were 3.42 crore students enrolled. Footnote 44

In 2019–20, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), or the proportion of students in the qualifying particular age group enrolling in postsecondary learning, is 27.1 percent, compared to 26.3 percent in 2018–19 and 24.3 percent in 2014–15. Footnote 45

In Higher Education, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) for 2019–20 is 1.01, up from 1.00 in 2018–19, showing that women of appropriate age groups have better access to postgraduate schooling than boys. Footnote 46

3.38 million students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. Nearly 85 percent of the pupils (2.85 crores) were registered in the six major fields of humanities, sciences, commerce, engineering and technology, medical science, information technology, and computer science.

In 2019–20, the pupil-to-teacher proportion in postsecondary learning is 26 and even the overall population of educators is 15,03,156, with 57.5 percent males and 42.5 percent females. Footnote 47

Research Objective III: Apply an association rule mining algorithm to extract the pattern of association among different indicators of SDG4(Case study Indian Scenario)

The data concerning the Sustainable Development Goals is collected from multiple reputable resources over the previous 30 years for the Indian region.

We can look at the link between the multiple SDG 4 objectives using the association rule mining approach. The generated rules demonstrate the association among the indicator of sustainable development at a fixed level of confidence over a variation among the support values. Following are the few possible interpretations of the association among the indicators that we have extracted with the implication of the association rule mining algorithm (refer to Sect.  7.2 ):

The Gender Parity Index has a strong link to youth and adult training participation. According to the famous poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam Footnote 48 “ Everything great in the world, all the works, beneficial and good, half must be credited to woman, and to a man half only we should .” We could grow the number of adolescents and adults in training if we could reduce the disparity between genders in terms of enrollment in educational institutes and training facilities. Which will address two pressing issues: unemployment and gender disparity.

The Gross Enrolment Ratio in Organized Learning has a strong relationship with the percentage of young people at primary levels (Kingdon, 2007 ). Pre-primary and primary learning are two terms for organized learning. The more pupils enroll in elementary school, the more fundamental literacy is taught to them. And this has an impact on a given age group's gross enrollment ratio. Government initiatives have a direct influence on this. Many impoverished children have enrolled in elementary school as a result of government efforts such as "Free Primary Education" and "Mid-day Meal." As a whole, the literacy rate has risen significantly.

The percentage of young people in secondary school is linked to measures such as the quantity of scholarship funding available to impoverished pupils (Brock, 2010 ). Due to financial difficulties in the family, many students leave out after elementary school. As a consequence, many brilliant brains are denied the opportunity to blossom. Scholarships enable these great minds to develop and broaden their horizons.

Since the SDG4 indicators are associated with each other so upgrading one indicator will reflect its consequences on the other indicator as well. We have found several such associations (as discussed above) of patterns among individuals and groups of indicators. The findings will aid the appropriate authorities in their investigation of SDG 4 implementation in the nation. Because the findings reveal a link between several SDGs, relevant parties may now focus on aspects that need to be prioritized. Working to ensure the correct implementation of the other SDGs can significantly simplify the implementation of SDG 4 because one or more SDGs can have an impact on it directly or indirectly. Furthermore, governments should review their current initiatives to see whether they might be reinforced based on the conclusions of this article's SDG relationship analysis. This will contribute to the effective implementation of the SDGs and promote a higher quality of life for all populations.

9 Conclusion and future recommendations

Worldwide nations are engaged in making education better, and available to every citizen of their respective countries. SDG 4 under the Sustainability development program is motivated to provide quality education by removing the barriers of poverty, funding, costly education, discrimination, and unavailability of resources. India is no longer behind in making the needful changes in its education system; the timely release of the national education policies is among such initiatives. This paper investigates the insights of the sustainable development goals for the upliftment of education, and the efforts put forward ensuring to reach the milestone by the end of 2030. Further, the accomplishments of the Indian government have also been investigated for the implementation of SDG4. The current state reveals the number of planned and upcoming proposals are in the way of the achievement of SDG 4 objectives. The final section of the findings pointed out the association among the different indicators of SDG 4 by implementing a machine learning-based association rule mining technique. The correlation among the indicators indicates the presence of interdependency among the indicators and will assist the regulatory bodies to perform any changes in these measures of sustainable development goals for education in the future. These findings will assist not only governing bodies in taking preventive measures while modifying existing policies and ensuring the effective enactment of SDG 4 goals but also benefits society by understanding their role to bring sustainability to the world. The current study is only limited to the SDG4 objective and goals, whereas for a need of sustainable environment around us then the evaluation of all the sustainable goals yields equal importance.

Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

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Saini, M., Sengupta, E., Singh, M. et al. Sustainable Development Goal for Quality Education (SDG 4): A study on SDG 4 to extract the pattern of association among the indicators of SDG 4 employing a genetic algorithm. Educ Inf Technol 28 , 2031–2069 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11265-4

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Sustainable Development Goals: 17 Goals to Transform our World​

• Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.

The Goals were adopted by all United Nations Member States in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals and their related targets. Never before had world leaders pledged common action across such a broad and universal policy agenda.

The 17 Goals are interconnected, apply to all countries, and need to be carried out by all stakeholders – governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations system and others – in a collaborative partnership.

This year marks the midpoint of SDG implementation. However, on its current course, the world may miss many Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030. For the first time in decades, development progress has stalled and even reversed under the combined weight of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn and the lingering aftermath of COVID-19. The SDG Summit, held on 18 to 19 September 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York is a unique opportunity for the world to pivot from crisis to development and deliver the breakthroughs needed to achieve the Goals.

This exhibit illustrates the Sustainable Development Goals through photos from around the world, bringing to life what the 17 Goals mean for people on the planet.

This exhibit was produced by the UN Department of Global Communications.

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

In 2020, the number of people living in extreme poverty  (living on less than USD 2.15 a day) rose to 724 million. Those living in extreme poverty struggle to fulfill the most basic needs (health, education, access to water and sanitation).

Recovery from the pandemic has been slow and uneven, with extreme poverty dropping from 9.3 per cent in 2020 to 8.8 per cent in 2021. The conflict in Ukraine has disrupted global trade, leading to increased living costs that are disproportionately impacting the poor. Furthermore, climate change poses substantial threats to poverty reduction. 

By the end of 2022, nowcasting suggests that 8.4 per cent of the world’s population, or as many as 670 million people, could still be living in extreme poverty.

Poverty affects developed countries as well. Right now, 30 million children are growing up poor in the world's richest countries.

Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015 – from 1.9 billion to 731 million – too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.

A surge in action and investment to enhance economic opportunities, improve education and extend social protection to all, particularly the most excluded, is crucial to delivering on the central commitment to end poverty and leave no one behind.

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

In 2022, about 9.2 per cent of the world population was facing chronic hunger, equivalent to about 735 million people - 122 million more than in 2019. Hunger and malnutrition are barriers to sustainable development because hungry people are less productive, more prone to disease, and less able to improve their livelihoods.

To nourish today’s 735 million hungry people and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050, a profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed.

To achieve zero hunger by 2030, urgent coordinated action and policy solutions are imperative to address entrenched inequalities, transform food systems, invest in sustainable agricultural practices, and reduce and mitigate the impact of conflict and the pandemic on global nutrition and food security.

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

Great strides have been made in improving people’s health in recent years. 146 out of 200 countries or areas have already met or are on track to meet the SDG target on under-5 mortality. Effective HIV treatment has cut global AIDS-related deaths by 52 per cent since 2010 and at least one neglected tropical disease has been eliminated in 47 countries.

However, inequalities in health care access still persist. The COVID-19 pandemic and other ongoing crises have impeded progress towards Goal 3. Childhood vaccinations have experienced the largest decline in three decades, and tuberculosis and malaria deaths have increased compared with pre-pandemic levels.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. The aim is to achieve universal health coverage, and provide access to safe and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.

To overcome these setbacks and address long-standing health care shortcomings, increased investment in health systems is needed to support countries in their recovery and build resilience against future health threats.

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

Progress towards quality education was already slower than required before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on education, causing learning losses in four out of five of the 104 countries studied.

Without additional measures, an estimated 84 million children and young people will stay out of school and approximately 300 million students will lack the basic numeracy and literacy skills necessary for success in life.

In addition to free primary and secondary schooling for all boys and girls by 2030, the aim is to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to quality higher education.

Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty.

Education helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress.

On average, women in the labor market still earn 23 percent less than men globally. On average, women spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.

Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office, all remain huge barriers. All these areas of inequality have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: there has been a surge in reports of sexual violence, women have taken on more care work due to school closures, and 70% of health and social workers globally are women.

At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

Political leadership, investments and comprehensive policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Goal 5. Gender equality is a cross-cutting objective and must be a key focus of national policies, budgets and institutions.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right. Yet billions are still faced with daily challenges accessing even the most basic of services.

Water scarcity is projected to increase with the rise of global temperatures as a result of climate change. In 2020, 2.4 billion people lived in water-stressed countries.

In 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 703 million without a basic water service; 3.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, including 1.5 billion without basic sanitation services; and 2 billion lacked a basic handwashing facility, including 653 million with no handwashing facility at all.

There has been positive progress. Between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of the world's population with access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69 per cent to 73 per cent.

Investments in infrastructure and sanitation facilities; protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems; and hygiene education are among the steps necessary to ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.

But we are still not on track to reach Goal 6 by 2030. To get back on track, key strategies include increasing sector-wide investment and capacity-building, promoting innovation and evidence-based action, enhancing cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders, and adopting a more integrated and holistic approach to water management.

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

Our everyday life depends on reliable and affordable energy. And yet the consumption of energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

From 2015 to 2021, the proportion of the global population with access to electricity has increased from 87 per cent to 91 per cent. In 2021, developing countries installed a record-breaking 268 watts per capita of renewable energy-generating capacity. And yet, in 2021 there were still 675 million people around the world with no access to electricity.

Ensuring universal access to affordable electricity by 2030 means investing in clean energy sources such as solar, wind and thermal. Expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology to provide clean energy in all developing countries is a crucial goal that can both encourage growth and help the environment.

To ensure access to energy for all by 2030, we must accelerate electrification, increase investments in renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and develop enabling policies and regulatory frameworks.

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

Multiple crises are placing the global economy under serious threat. Global real GDP per capita growth is forecast to slow down in 2023 and with ever increasing challenging economic conditions, more workers are turning to informal employment.

Globally, labour productivity has increased and the unemployment rate has decreased. However, more progress is needed to increase employment opportunities, especially for young people, reduce informal employment and labour market inequality (particularly in terms of the gender pay gap), promote safe and secure working environments, and improve access to financial services to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth.

The global unemployment rate declined significantly in 2022, falling to 5.4 per cent from a peak of 6.6 per cent in 2020 as economies began recovering from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. This rate was lower than the pre-pandemic level of 5.5 per cent in 2019.

A persistent lack of decent work opportunities, insufficient investments and under-consumption contribute to the erosion of the basic social contract: that all must share in progress. The creation of quality jobs remain a major challenge for almost all economies.

Achieving Goal 8 will require a wholesale reform of the financial system to tackle rising debts, economic uncertainty and trade tensions, while promoting equitable pay and decent work for young people.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The manufacturing industry's recovery from COVID-19 is incomplete and uneven. Global manufacturing growth slowed down to 3.3 per cent in 2022, from 7.4 per cent in 2021.

The share of manufacturing in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) remains low, posing a serious challenge to the target of doubling industry’s share of GDP by 2030. However, medium-high and high-technology industries demonstrated robust growth rates.

As of 2022, 95 per cent of the world’s population was within reach of a mobile broadband network, but some areas remain underserved.

Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries.

To achieve Goal 9 by 2030, it is also essential to support LDCs, invest in advanced technologies, lower carbon emissions and increase mobile broadband access.

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Inequality threatens long-term social and economic development, harms poverty reduction and destroys people’s sense of fulfillment and self-worth.

The incomes of the poorest 40 per cent of the population had been growing faster than the national average in most countries. But emerging yet inconclusive evidence suggests that COVID-19 may have put a dent in this positive trend of falling within-country inequality.

The pandemic has caused the largest rise in between-country inequality in three decades.

Reducing both within- and between-country inequality requires equitable resource distribution, investing in education and skills development, implementing social protection measures, combating discrimination, supporting marginalized groups and fostering international cooperation for fair trade and financial systems.

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Half of the world’s population live in cities. This is projected to reach 70 per cent by 2050.

In the developing world, the rapid growth of cities, along with the increasing rural to urban migration, has led to a boom in mega-cities. In 1990, there were ten mega-cities with 10 million inhabitants or more. In 2014, there are 28 mega-cities, home to a total of 453 million people.

This rapid urbanization outpaces the development of housing, infrastructure and services, which led to a rise in slums or slum-like conditions.  In 2020, an estimated 1.1 billion urban residents lived in slums or slum-like conditions. Over the next 30 years, an additional 2 billion people are expected to live in such settlements.

Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way urban spaces are built and managed.

Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, upgrading slum settlements, investing in public transport, creating green spaces, and improving urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

If the global population reaches 9.8 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets will be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.

Global crises triggered a resurgence in fossil fuel subsidies, nearly doubling from 2020 to 2021.

In 2021, governments spent an estimated $732 billion on subsidies for coal, oil and gas, nearly doubling the $375 billion spent in 2020.

In 2021, although 828 million people were facing hunger, 13.2 per cent of the world's food was lost after harvest along the supply chain from farm to consumer.

The trend towards sustainability reporting is on the rise, with around 70 per cent of monitored companies publishing sustainability reports in 2021.

In 2022, 67 national governments reported to the United Nations Environment Programme on the implementation of sustainable public procurement policies and action plans, a 50 per cent increase from 2020.

Support should be provided to developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate change affects every country on every continent. It is caused by human activities and threatens the future of our planet. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated and its effects are clearly felt world-wide.

The impacts include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. If left unchecked, climate change will undo a lot of the progress made over the past years in development. It will also provoke mass migrations that will lead to instability and wars.

Between 2010 and 2020, highly vulnerable regions, home to approximately 3.3–3.6 billion people, experienced 15 times higher human mortality rates from floods, droughts and storms compared to regions with very low vulnerability.

Sea levels continued to rise in 2022, reaching a new record since satellite measurements in 1993.

Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient, and low-carbon economies.

Climate change is a global challenge that requires coordinated international cooperation.

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

Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water, and represent 99 percent of the living space on the planet by volume.

The world’s oceans provide key natural resources including food, medicines, biofuels and other products; help with the breakdown and removal of waste and pollution; and their coastal ecosystems act as buffers to reduce damage from storms.

However, marine pollution is reaching alarming levels, with over 17 million metric tons clogging the ocean in 2021, a figure set to double or triple by 2040.

Currently, the ocean’s average pH is 8.1, about 30 per cent more acidic than in pre-industrial times. Ocean acidification threatens the survival of marine life, disrupts the food web, and undermines vital services provided by the ocean and our own food security.

Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. This includes increasing funding for ocean science, intensifying conservation efforts, and urgently turning the tide on climate change to safeguard the planet's largest ecosystem.

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

Terrestrial ecosystems are vital for sustaining human life, contributing to over half of global GDP and encompassing diverse cultural, spiritual, and economic values.

Global forest coverage decreased from 31.9 per cent in 2000 (4.2 billion hectares) to 31.2 per cent (4.1 billion hectares) in 2020.

In 2021, Official Development Assistance (ODA) in support of biodiversity increased by 26.2 per cent from $7.7 billion  in 2020 to $9.8 billion.

In 2022,  21 per cent of reptile species are threatened.

Between 2015 and 2019, at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land were degraded every year, impacting the lives of 1.3 billion people.

Halting deforestation and restoring the use of terrestrial ecosystems is necessary to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage.

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

People everywhere should be free of fear from all forms of violence and feel safe as they go about their lives whatever their ethnicity, faith or sexual orientation.

Civilian deaths directly related to 12 of the world’s deadliest conflicts increased by 53 per cent between 2021 and 2022, marking the first rise since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015.  The year 2022 witnessed a more than 50 per cent increase in conflict-related civilian deaths.

High levels of armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development.

Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are prevalent where there is conflict or no rule of law, and countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk.

As of the end of 2022, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide – an increase of 19 million compared with the end of 2021 and two and a half times the number of a decade ago.

In 2021, there were approximately 458,000 intentional homicides – the highest number in the past two decades.

Governments, civil society and communities need to work together to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights is key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms, combating corruption, and ensuring inclusive participation at all times.

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

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is universal and calls for action by all countries – developed and developing – to ensure no one is left behind. It requires partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized with a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation.

The total external debt of low- and middle-income countries reached $9 trillion in 2021, recording a 5.6 per cent increase from 2020.

In 2022, global exports increased sharply by 12.3 per cent, and global trade reached a record $32 trillion.

In 2022, net ODA flows by member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reached $206 billion.

To be successful, everyone will need to mobilize both existing and additional resources, and developed countries will need to fulfill their official development assistance commitments.

Now is the time for change. A confluence of multiple global crises have upended our lives. The way we work, the way we interact, the way we move about. This can be a turning point. Let's seize the moment and change course - toward more sustainable lifestyles. Small changes in your daily life can save you money, improve your health and help cut harmful pollution.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As such, the Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals aim not only to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – but also to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies, realizing the human rights of all.

They offer a blueprint for tackling the defining issues of our time, such as climate change, which requires urgent and transformative action that leaves no one behind.

The United Nations and its agencies, funds and programmes are working with Member States, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to accelerate progress toward the Goals, in a spirit of global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

• Sustainable Development Goals
• ActNow Campaign
• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Infographics

This exhibit was launched in September 2020 and updated in August 2023

Quality Education

Goal 4 targets.

4.1  By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes

4.2  By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3  By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4  By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5  By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6  By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7  By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.A  Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.B  By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.C  By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states

Source :  UN Sustainable Development

Implementing partners

Investing partners, related content.

THE 17 GOALS

Publications

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

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

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

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

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

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

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

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

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

Reduce inequality within and among countries.

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

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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

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

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

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Do you know all 17 SDGs?

Implementation Progress

Sdgs icons. downloads and guidelines, the 17 goals.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,  adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, including the  UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

• In June 1992, at the  Earth Summit  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted  Agenda 21 , a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.
• Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the  Millennium Summit  in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.
• The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the  World Summit on Sustainable Development  in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitments to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.
• At the  United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, Member States adopted the outcome document  "The Future We Want"  in which they decided, inter alia, to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs to build upon the MDGs and to establish the  UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development . The Rio +20 outcome also contained other measures for implementing sustainable development, including mandates for future programmes of work in development financing, small island developing states and more.
• In 2013, the General Assembly set up a 30-member  Open Working Group  to develop a proposal on the SDGs.
• In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process on the  post-2015 development agenda . The process culminated in the subsequent adoption of the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , with  17 SDGs  at its core, at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in September 2015.
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction  (March 2015)
• Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development  (July 2015)
• Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  with its 17 SDGs was adopted at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in New York in September 2015.
• Paris Agreement on Climate Change  (December 2015)
• Now, the annual  High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development  serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.

Today, the  Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)  in the United Nations  Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)  provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including  water ,  energy ,  climate ,  oceans ,  urbanization ,  transport ,  science and technology , the  Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) ,  partnerships  and  Small Island Developing States . DSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.

Follow DSDG on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/sustdev  and on Twitter at  @SustDev .

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Every year, the UN Secretary General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

Please, check below information about the SDG Progress Report:

• SDG Progress Report (2024)
• SDG Progress Report (2023)
• SDG Progress Report (2022)
• SDG Progress Report (2021)
• SDG Progress Report (2020)
• SDG Progress Report (2019)
• SDG Progress Report (2018)
• SDG Progress Report (2017)
• SDG Progress Report (2016)

Please, check here for information about SDG indicators and reports: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs#

Additionally, the Global Sustainable Development Report is produced once every four years to inform the quadrennial SDG review deliberations at the General Assembly. It is written by an Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General.

• Global Sustainable Development Report (2019)
• Global Sustainable Development Report (2023)

SDGs Icons. Downloads and guidelines.

• Download SDGs icons according to guidelines at this link .
• Please send inquiries to: United Nations Department of Global Communications