On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  (Links to an external site.)of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Links to an external site.) — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit  (Links to an external site.)— officially came into force.  Over the next fifteen years, with these new Goals that universally apply to all, countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.

The SDGs, also known as Global Goals, build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Links to an external site.) and aim to go further to end all forms of poverty. The new Goals are unique in that they call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and addresses a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

While the SDGs are not legally binding, governments are expected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for the achievement of the 17 Goals.  Countries have the primary responsibility for follow-up and review of the progress made in implementing the Goals, which will require quality, accessible and timely data collection. Regional follow-up and review will be based on national-level analyses and contribute to follow-up and review at the global level.

-United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals 2018

Here you will visit the site http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ (Links to an external site.) (also found in Module 1) and choose a sustainable development goal (SDG) of your choice! Each week you will update your blog regarding your chosen SDG (You will create a NEW Blog, each titled Blog 1, Blog 2, etc.). For the FIRST WEEK ONLY, you will also introduce your SDG before investigating your first nation. Each week, the student will provide background information from a country within the UN on how it is addressing the goal they chose (you keep the same goal throughout the project, only changing the country you are visiting each week) by answering the following questions:

• How will the SDGs be implemented?
• How will the SDGs be monitored?
• How much will the implementation of this new sustainable development agenda cost?
• How does climate change relate to sustainable development?
• Is this an issue for the country?
• What resources does this country have to reach this goal?
• Is this currently being addressed by the country?
• Is this a priority in the country?

Your Blog should be educational, professional, decorative/appealing, creative, and in APA format. You should have AT LEAST 350 words, in-text citations for your resources, a reference list at the end of your post, and AT LEAST 2 references.