Germany
1
German Federal Government February 2014
Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Key Positions of the German Government
2015 will be an important year in international politics; the international community
will
- take stock with regard to the Millennium Declaration adopted by the United
Nations in 2000 and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) derived from that Declaration,
- make efforts to conclude a new global climate agreement and
- adopt the post-2015 agenda for sustainable development.
This post-2015 agenda, which will apply for all countries, is to be adopted at a UN
summit in September 2015. Germany will also be promoting the agenda as part of its
G8 presidency.
Great successes have been achieved in reaching the MDGs. The proportion of people
living in extreme poverty was cut in half even before 2015, and developing countries
have seen great progress with regard to the access to education and clean drinking
water and the fight against malaria and tuberculosis. The aim of the post-2015
agenda is to continue working on the goals that have not been achieved by 2015,
and to merge them with the sustainability agenda of the Rio+20 process. In that
context, some dimensions of the Millennium Declaration, like for example human
rights and good governance, are also to be included in the agenda.
At the Rio+20 Conference of the United Nations, an Open Working Group for
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-OWG) and an Expert Committee on
Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) were mandated to present reports to
the UN General Assembly. The UN Secretary General will take these reports into
consideration for his synthesis report on the post-2015 agenda. The post-2015
agenda is to be negotiated in an intergovernmental negotiating process in the
framework of the United Nations by all Member States by September 2015.
On 21 August 2013, the Federal Cabinet decided on a first report on the post-2015
agenda. On that basis, in light of previous talks at the UN level and drawing on
numerous statements made by civil society, the German government intends to focus
on the following priorities in the negotiation process in the Open Working Group on
Sustainable Development Goals. The Federal Government will evaluate the following
catalogue of goals in light of the two reports mentioned above and the synthesis
report of the UN Secretary General. In doing so, suggestions from politics, civil
society and the scientific community will be taken into account.
The financial aspects of the post-2015 agenda will also be an important subject of
discussions and negotiations. In this regard, both internal and external sources of
finance as well as the creation of efficient framework conditions will need to be taken
into account. These issues will be addressed in the report of the UN expert group
ICEDSF.
2
A. A new Global Partnership as a framework
A "Global Partnership" is to be the overarching framework of the future agenda for
sustainable development, which takes into account and is adapted to planetary
boundaries. The pertinent reference documents are the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the Millennium Declaration and the outcome document of the UN
Conference on Sustainable Development, “The Future We Want”. The Federal
Government is guided by the following principles in this regard: rule of law, equality,
non-discrimination, transparency, participation and inclusion.
The purpose of the Global Partnership is to induce a paradigm shift, breaking with
traditional views such as the classic North-South or donor-recipient thought patterns
and defining joint goals for reducing poverty, creating economic, political and social
opportunities, and transforming economies worldwide, making them more
sustainable. The existing economic, ecological and social interdependencies in and
between all countries require all states and all stakeholders to assume joint
responsibility for the global common good.
These are the key characteristics of the Global Partnership:
1. Universally applicable goals, building on mutual respect and shared values, i.e.
all countries are responsible for both the goals and for achieving them (developing
countries, industrialised countries and emerging economies) and for all policy areas,
while ensuring that national realities, capacities and levels of development are taken
into account and national policies and priorities are respected.
2. Shared responsibility for global wellbeing through the protection of global
public goods and the creation of structural framework conditions that are conducive
to development
3. Effectiveness, transparency and monitoring at the international level through
compelling indicators and mutual accountability
4. Not only national governments but also civil society, the private sector and
academia must play a vital role in the development process and in bringing the
concept of partnership to life.
The German government supports the proposal of establishing a Global Partnership.
It is willing to take on the responsibility associated with that Partnership, but expects
all other members of the UN to do the same. Emerging economies, in particular,
must assume new responsibility as part of the post-2015 agenda.
Germany's contribution to achieving the goals of the post-2015 will depend to a great
extent on a coherent concept pursued by all Ministries.
B. Strategic issues and exemplary goals
The German government focuses on the following strategic issues:
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, secure a life in dignity
• Preserve the natural resource base and ensure its sustainable use
• Achieve the creation of decent jobs and adequate income through
ecologically sound growth
3
• Strengthen good governance, anchor gender equality, protect and
foster human rights, secure peace
To flesh out and implement the strategic issues, thirteen goals for sustainable
development are proposed. These are merely examples at this stage so as to avoid
premature decisions and definitions, be able to take up further input from national
and international actors, also after September 2014, and remain flexible during the
negotiation process. Each of these goals is attributed to one of the four strategic
issues:
I. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, secure a life in dignity
Global poverty has been reduced significantly since the year 2000. Yet there are still
some 1.3 billion people in extreme poverty, and more than 840 million people suffer
from hunger. This is unacceptable. A holistic understanding of poverty is needed
in order to fight the root causes of poverty and hunger. This understanding does not
only include income poverty but also and especially the lacking foundations of
sustainable development, such as health and education, orientation towards human
rights and gender equality, and the necessary general framework conditions such as
good governance, secure property rights and peacekeeping. Political, social and
economic inclusion and participation and equity of opportunity are of pivotal
importance. This requires the political will to overcome social inequalities as far as
possible. In the Global Risks 2014 Report of the World Economic Forum in Davos,
global risks that result from unemployment and social inequality are high on the scale
of importance. Africa but also the emerging economies continue to be problem
regions; two thirds of people in extreme poverty live in these regions. For reasons of
population policy, among other things, the key approach must be to eradicate
poverty among women, who account for 70% of the poor worldwide, and to give
young people better prospects for the future. Reducing income poverty among
women is a key factor in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The
concept of social protection floors of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is
an important instrument in the fight against poverty. This concept is meant to enable
developing countries and emerging economies to build and expand basic systems of
social protection.
Health, too, is a crucial fundament of social, economic and political development and
stability. Health and access to affordable health care are both preconditions as well
as the result of social development and contribute to a significant extent to poverty
reduction. Access to affordable healthcare is an effective protection against
impoverishment.
1. Leaving no one behind - end extreme poverty
o By 2030, end extreme income poverty (1,25$ PPP/day)
o Establish and maintain national floors of social protection
comprising basic social security guarantees according to ILO
recommendation No. 202
4
2. Quality education and lifelong learning for all
o By 2030, ensure that every child receives at least a full cycle of basic
education (pre-primary, primary and lower secondary) with recognized
and measurable learning outcomes
o Increase adult literacy to X%
o By 2020, include sustainable development concepts, health and nutrition
related issues, human rights including gender equality at all levels into
education and training curricula.
3. End hunger and ensure food security and good nutrition
o By 2025, end hunger and reduce malnutrition and stunting among
children under five by 2/3
o Achieve a land and soil degradation neutral world
o Increase sustainable agricultural production and sustainable
fisheries
o By 2030, reduce by 50% worldwide post-harvest loss and food waste
o Increase access of smallholder farmers, especially women in rural
areas to agricultural land, markets & finances, training, capacity building,
knowledge and innovative practices
o Promote nutrition sensitive cross-sectorial policies (especially
agriculture, health, sanitary, education and social welfare) and strengthen
political commitment to do so.
o By 2030, increase by at least 40 % the share of women and men, local
communities and businesses with legally recognised evidence of
tenure rights.
4. Maximizing health for all through achieving universal health coverage
o By 2030, at least 80% of the poorest 40% of the population have coverage
to ensure access to essential health services.
o By 2030, significantly increase coverage from financial risk of being
pushed into poverty or kept in poverty because of expenditure on health
services.
o By 2030, reduce maternal and child mortality by 2/3 and ensure
universal sexual and reproductive health and rights
o By 2030 reduce the disease burden due to infectious diseases, such as
HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria by 2/3 and due to priority non-communicable
diseases (NCDs) by 1/3
5
II. Preserve the natural resource base and ensure its sustainable use
Global ecological developments such as climate change, soil degradation or the loss
of biodiversity are not only a threat to the integrity of creation but also to the very
foundation of prosperous societies. In both developing and industrialised countries,
protecting the natural resource base and global public goods plays a central
role in ensuring continued survival especially for poorer sections of the population
and future generations (intergenerational equity). Resilience to natural disasters
also depends to a large extent on well-functioning ecosystems. In future, resources
must be used more efficiently and sparingly to ensure that the needs of the
people can be met in our times of population growth. This is extremely important in
the areas of soils, water, energy and food security, which are inextricably linked and
interdependent. On the international stage, Germany is an active and widely
acknowledged pioneer in climate and environmental politics. With its energy
turnaround, Germany stands like no other country for the transformation to an
environmentally sound economy. Emerging economies, too, must step up their
efforts to protect natural resources and ecosystems.
5. Achieve universal access to water and sanitation and implement an
integrated water resources management
o By 2030, ensure universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation
and hygiene for all
o Improve the resilience of societies and economies to floods, droughts and
other water-related disasters.
o By 2030, improve and secure the status of water quality and quantity
and reduce water pollution including with hazardous chemicals from
households, industrial and agricultural sources.
o By 2030, significantly improve water efficiency in all sectors, in particular
in agricultural/ food, industrial and energy production
6. Secure sustainable energy
o By 2030, ensure universal access to modern energy services.
o By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
o By 2030, double the share of renewable energy sources in the energy
mix.
o Hold the increase in global average temperature below 2⁰ C above
pre-industrial levels, in line with international agreements.
6
7. Preserve the environment and manage natural resources sustainably
o Ensure participation and access of all individuals and population groups
in a transparent and equal manner in/to the sustainable use of natural
resources
o By 2020, effective and urgent action has been taken to halt the loss of
biodiversity, all Aichi biodiversity targets are reached and ecosystems
are resilient and continue to provide essential services, with a view to
reach the 2050 vision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
o By 2020, manage cropland area in a sustainable manner, also to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and preserve the global area of
grasslands, savannahs, wetlands and forests
o By 2030, reach zero net deforestation.
o Strengthen forest governance frameworks and promote sustainable
forest management including the expansion of the global certified forest
areas
o By 2020, develop and implement the necessary measures to ensure that
marine ecosystems are clean, healthy, productive and resilient, marine
biodiversity is maintained, and habitats, in particular coral reefs, and
species are protected and on track to being restored, i.a. by
reducing significantly the direct or indirect input of substances or
energy into the oceans which result or are likely to result in
deleterious effects, such as harm to living resources and marine
ecosystems, e.g. chemicals, waste, hazardous substances, nutrients
into the oceans and underwater noise and collect the scientific data
available on marine litter,
minimise negative impact of fishing activities
o By 2019, gradually eliminate discards by avoiding and reducing, as far as
possible, unwanted catches
III. Achieve the creation of decent jobs and adequate income through
ecologically sound growth
Economic development must take place within Earth's ecological carrying
capacity. Therefore, any future agenda must support the objective of enforcing
ecologically sound, inclusive and market-based growth strategies and of
establishing sustainable consumption and production patterns worldwide,
thereby ensuring the integration of the social, economic and ecological dimension of
sustainability. In that context, it has to be borne in mind that 600 million more
people will enter the labour market by 2030. Most of them will be living in cities.
Although high growth rates and market based reforms in emerging countries have
lifted many people to the middle class, reduction of extreme poverty has not been
7
sufficient yet. Many people see migration as their only way out. Migration can only
be prevented by creating income opportunities through training and decent jobs.
Financial and global trade systems that are stable, crisis-proof and conducive to
development are a key prerequisite for long-term growth and sustainable economic
activity. Functional framework conditions which provide incentives for
environmentally sound technological innovations and their diffusion play a role in this
respect. Technical innovations can, e.g., contribute to the enhancement of economic
productivity and energy efficiency and the mitigation of climate change.
Germany can make a contribution: Germany follows the overall concept of a social
market economy and with its circular economy and resource efficiency scheme, is a
pioneer for the transformation necessary to make national economies more
sustainable. Promoting employment through vocational training is regarded as a
German trademark.
8. Make economic development sustainable
o By 2030, significantly speed up the decoupling of economic growth
from resource use
o By 2030, take action to implement a circular economy, in particular by
increasing the prevention, reuse, recycling and energy recovery of waste
and significantly reducing landfilling, so that by 2030 the majority of waste
globally is managed as a resource.
o By 2030, phase out environmentally harmful subsidies including for
fossil fuels.
o By 2030, significantly increase the internalization of environmental
external costs, inter alia in the areas of transport, energy and
agriculture.
o By 2030, ensure that natural resources are used efficiently and
sustainably within the carrying capacity of the planet.
o By 2020, ensure the sound management of chemicals throughout their
life cycle, so that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the
minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the
environment.
o By 2030, significantly increase the market share of sustainable products
and services (e.g. marked with reliable labels) and increase their share
in public procurement.
o By 2030, publish and use economic, social and environmental
accounts and implement comprehensive and ambitious environmental
management system in addition to existing conventional growth/wealth
indicators such as GDP in all governments, major companies and
international institutions (Natural Capital Accounting including valuation of
ecosystem services)
8
o Preserve cultural heritage, strengthen cultural and creative
industries and foster sustainable tourism
9. Create decent jobs and improve the global enabling economic
environment
o By 2030, significantly increase the number of decent jobs including fair
wages (according to the concept of the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO)
for women and men alike with a special focus on the employment of
women, youth, ethnic minorities and disabled people and the reconciliation
of work and family life
o By 2030, decrease the number of young people not in employment or
training by x% i.a. by promoting education, vocational training,
productive skills and employability
o Promote an open, rules-based and development-friendly multilateral
trading system and ensure the stability of the global financial system
incl. the promotion of responsible finance
o Promote Corporate Social Responsibility worldwide through the Global
Compact and the development of reporting standards
o By 2030, strengthen productive capacity by sharing access to science,
technology and innovation and by increasing the use of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) by x%
10. Ensure that urbanization is sustainable
o By 2030, ensure universal access to a secure and affordable built
environment and basic urban services
o Increase resilience of city regions through efficient land and resource
use, climate protection and disaster risk reduction
o Increase the proportion of cities with sustainable and integrated urban
development plans based on participatory inclusive processes
o By 2030, significantly reduce the severity of air pollution, in particular
by reducing the particulate concentration and SO2, NOx and Ozone in urban
air.
IV. Strengthen good governance, anchor gender equality, protect and
foster human rights, secure peace
Violence, corruption, lack of legal security, deficient access to information and
restricted freedom of opinion and expression, flight of capital, despotism and a lack
of space for private initiatives and entrepreneurship continue to be significant
9
hindrances on the way to sustainable development in many countries. There is a
need for action concerning the strengthening of institutions, legal systems, political
participation, protection from violence and the enforcement of efficient
framework conditions for sustainable development. The protection of our natural
foundations of life is of particular importance in this respect. That aspect was
therefore enshrined in Principle 25 of the Rio Declaration: “Peace, development
and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible.”
Therefore the Federal Government is of the opinion that peace and security, good
governance, the respect for and protection of human rights as well as gender
equality are fundamental prerequisites and also goals of any development.
11. Achieve gender equality, empower women and enforce women’s
rights
o Promote women’s voice, leadership and participation in decisionmaking
processes as well as in public and private institutions
o Improve women’s economic opportunities, including
entrepreneurship, capabilities, income security, as well as access to and
control over productive assets and a fairer distribution of family care and
household work
o Enact and enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit all forms of
discrimination against women and girls and review existing laws in
this regard, ensure women’s access to justice and work towards the
generation and dissemination of gender-disaggregated data and
information for planning and evaluation.
o Prevent, respond to, and end impunity of violence against women and
girls
12. Ensure good governance and effective institutions
o Build, ensure and strengthen effective, accountable and transparent
public and private institutions at all levels.
o Increase political participation and strengthen state – society relations.
o Strengthen commitment to Rule of Law at national and international level
with focus on better access to justice and independence of the
judiciary as well as other structures and procedures in accordance with
rule of law.
o Prohibit all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities
and encouraging research on how to improve accessibility and
inclusiveness in particular for planning and evaluation.
10
o Strengthen good financial governance (including improvement of
domestic resource mobilization through sound and just fiscal systems and
elimination of corruption and illicit financial flows).
13. Ensure stable and peaceful societies
o Strengthen effective, formal and informal mechanisms to manage
disputes peacefully.
o By 2030, significantly reduce violent deaths caused by homicides per
100,000 inhabitants
o By 2030, reduce proliferation of small arms and light weapons
o By 2030, make more people feel safe and have confidence in public
institutions and mechanisms to resolve conflicts.
o By 2030, reduce significantly organized crime including through
addressing its root causes (fight illicit flows of goods and human
trafficking)
o By 2030, increase capacities for and access to disaster risk
management in order to reduce the social and economic impacts of
natural hazards and increase the resilience of societies at risk.
German Federal Government February 2014
Post-2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Key Positions of the German Government
2015 will be an important year in international politics; the international community
will
- take stock with regard to the Millennium Declaration adopted by the United
Nations in 2000 and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) derived from that Declaration,
- make efforts to conclude a new global climate agreement and
- adopt the post-2015 agenda for sustainable development.
This post-2015 agenda, which will apply for all countries, is to be adopted at a UN
summit in September 2015. Germany will also be promoting the agenda as part of its
G8 presidency.
Great successes have been achieved in reaching the MDGs. The proportion of people
living in extreme poverty was cut in half even before 2015, and developing countries
have seen great progress with regard to the access to education and clean drinking
water and the fight against malaria and tuberculosis. The aim of the post-2015
agenda is to continue working on the goals that have not been achieved by 2015,
and to merge them with the sustainability agenda of the Rio+20 process. In that
context, some dimensions of the Millennium Declaration, like for example human
rights and good governance, are also to be included in the agenda.
At the Rio+20 Conference of the United Nations, an Open Working Group for
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-OWG) and an Expert Committee on
Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) were mandated to present reports to
the UN General Assembly. The UN Secretary General will take these reports into
consideration for his synthesis report on the post-2015 agenda. The post-2015
agenda is to be negotiated in an intergovernmental negotiating process in the
framework of the United Nations by all Member States by September 2015.
On 21 August 2013, the Federal Cabinet decided on a first report on the post-2015
agenda. On that basis, in light of previous talks at the UN level and drawing on
numerous statements made by civil society, the German government intends to focus
on the following priorities in the negotiation process in the Open Working Group on
Sustainable Development Goals. The Federal Government will evaluate the following
catalogue of goals in light of the two reports mentioned above and the synthesis
report of the UN Secretary General. In doing so, suggestions from politics, civil
society and the scientific community will be taken into account.
The financial aspects of the post-2015 agenda will also be an important subject of
discussions and negotiations. In this regard, both internal and external sources of
finance as well as the creation of efficient framework conditions will need to be taken
into account. These issues will be addressed in the report of the UN expert group
ICEDSF.
2
A. A new Global Partnership as a framework
A "Global Partnership" is to be the overarching framework of the future agenda for
sustainable development, which takes into account and is adapted to planetary
boundaries. The pertinent reference documents are the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the Millennium Declaration and the outcome document of the UN
Conference on Sustainable Development, “The Future We Want”. The Federal
Government is guided by the following principles in this regard: rule of law, equality,
non-discrimination, transparency, participation and inclusion.
The purpose of the Global Partnership is to induce a paradigm shift, breaking with
traditional views such as the classic North-South or donor-recipient thought patterns
and defining joint goals for reducing poverty, creating economic, political and social
opportunities, and transforming economies worldwide, making them more
sustainable. The existing economic, ecological and social interdependencies in and
between all countries require all states and all stakeholders to assume joint
responsibility for the global common good.
These are the key characteristics of the Global Partnership:
1. Universally applicable goals, building on mutual respect and shared values, i.e.
all countries are responsible for both the goals and for achieving them (developing
countries, industrialised countries and emerging economies) and for all policy areas,
while ensuring that national realities, capacities and levels of development are taken
into account and national policies and priorities are respected.
2. Shared responsibility for global wellbeing through the protection of global
public goods and the creation of structural framework conditions that are conducive
to development
3. Effectiveness, transparency and monitoring at the international level through
compelling indicators and mutual accountability
4. Not only national governments but also civil society, the private sector and
academia must play a vital role in the development process and in bringing the
concept of partnership to life.
The German government supports the proposal of establishing a Global Partnership.
It is willing to take on the responsibility associated with that Partnership, but expects
all other members of the UN to do the same. Emerging economies, in particular,
must assume new responsibility as part of the post-2015 agenda.
Germany's contribution to achieving the goals of the post-2015 will depend to a great
extent on a coherent concept pursued by all Ministries.
B. Strategic issues and exemplary goals
The German government focuses on the following strategic issues:
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, secure a life in dignity
• Preserve the natural resource base and ensure its sustainable use
• Achieve the creation of decent jobs and adequate income through
ecologically sound growth
3
• Strengthen good governance, anchor gender equality, protect and
foster human rights, secure peace
To flesh out and implement the strategic issues, thirteen goals for sustainable
development are proposed. These are merely examples at this stage so as to avoid
premature decisions and definitions, be able to take up further input from national
and international actors, also after September 2014, and remain flexible during the
negotiation process. Each of these goals is attributed to one of the four strategic
issues:
I. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, secure a life in dignity
Global poverty has been reduced significantly since the year 2000. Yet there are still
some 1.3 billion people in extreme poverty, and more than 840 million people suffer
from hunger. This is unacceptable. A holistic understanding of poverty is needed
in order to fight the root causes of poverty and hunger. This understanding does not
only include income poverty but also and especially the lacking foundations of
sustainable development, such as health and education, orientation towards human
rights and gender equality, and the necessary general framework conditions such as
good governance, secure property rights and peacekeeping. Political, social and
economic inclusion and participation and equity of opportunity are of pivotal
importance. This requires the political will to overcome social inequalities as far as
possible. In the Global Risks 2014 Report of the World Economic Forum in Davos,
global risks that result from unemployment and social inequality are high on the scale
of importance. Africa but also the emerging economies continue to be problem
regions; two thirds of people in extreme poverty live in these regions. For reasons of
population policy, among other things, the key approach must be to eradicate
poverty among women, who account for 70% of the poor worldwide, and to give
young people better prospects for the future. Reducing income poverty among
women is a key factor in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The
concept of social protection floors of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is
an important instrument in the fight against poverty. This concept is meant to enable
developing countries and emerging economies to build and expand basic systems of
social protection.
Health, too, is a crucial fundament of social, economic and political development and
stability. Health and access to affordable health care are both preconditions as well
as the result of social development and contribute to a significant extent to poverty
reduction. Access to affordable healthcare is an effective protection against
impoverishment.
1. Leaving no one behind - end extreme poverty
o By 2030, end extreme income poverty (1,25$ PPP/day)
o Establish and maintain national floors of social protection
comprising basic social security guarantees according to ILO
recommendation No. 202
4
2. Quality education and lifelong learning for all
o By 2030, ensure that every child receives at least a full cycle of basic
education (pre-primary, primary and lower secondary) with recognized
and measurable learning outcomes
o Increase adult literacy to X%
o By 2020, include sustainable development concepts, health and nutrition
related issues, human rights including gender equality at all levels into
education and training curricula.
3. End hunger and ensure food security and good nutrition
o By 2025, end hunger and reduce malnutrition and stunting among
children under five by 2/3
o Achieve a land and soil degradation neutral world
o Increase sustainable agricultural production and sustainable
fisheries
o By 2030, reduce by 50% worldwide post-harvest loss and food waste
o Increase access of smallholder farmers, especially women in rural
areas to agricultural land, markets & finances, training, capacity building,
knowledge and innovative practices
o Promote nutrition sensitive cross-sectorial policies (especially
agriculture, health, sanitary, education and social welfare) and strengthen
political commitment to do so.
o By 2030, increase by at least 40 % the share of women and men, local
communities and businesses with legally recognised evidence of
tenure rights.
4. Maximizing health for all through achieving universal health coverage
o By 2030, at least 80% of the poorest 40% of the population have coverage
to ensure access to essential health services.
o By 2030, significantly increase coverage from financial risk of being
pushed into poverty or kept in poverty because of expenditure on health
services.
o By 2030, reduce maternal and child mortality by 2/3 and ensure
universal sexual and reproductive health and rights
o By 2030 reduce the disease burden due to infectious diseases, such as
HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria by 2/3 and due to priority non-communicable
diseases (NCDs) by 1/3
5
II. Preserve the natural resource base and ensure its sustainable use
Global ecological developments such as climate change, soil degradation or the loss
of biodiversity are not only a threat to the integrity of creation but also to the very
foundation of prosperous societies. In both developing and industrialised countries,
protecting the natural resource base and global public goods plays a central
role in ensuring continued survival especially for poorer sections of the population
and future generations (intergenerational equity). Resilience to natural disasters
also depends to a large extent on well-functioning ecosystems. In future, resources
must be used more efficiently and sparingly to ensure that the needs of the
people can be met in our times of population growth. This is extremely important in
the areas of soils, water, energy and food security, which are inextricably linked and
interdependent. On the international stage, Germany is an active and widely
acknowledged pioneer in climate and environmental politics. With its energy
turnaround, Germany stands like no other country for the transformation to an
environmentally sound economy. Emerging economies, too, must step up their
efforts to protect natural resources and ecosystems.
5. Achieve universal access to water and sanitation and implement an
integrated water resources management
o By 2030, ensure universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation
and hygiene for all
o Improve the resilience of societies and economies to floods, droughts and
other water-related disasters.
o By 2030, improve and secure the status of water quality and quantity
and reduce water pollution including with hazardous chemicals from
households, industrial and agricultural sources.
o By 2030, significantly improve water efficiency in all sectors, in particular
in agricultural/ food, industrial and energy production
6. Secure sustainable energy
o By 2030, ensure universal access to modern energy services.
o By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
o By 2030, double the share of renewable energy sources in the energy
mix.
o Hold the increase in global average temperature below 2⁰ C above
pre-industrial levels, in line with international agreements.
6
7. Preserve the environment and manage natural resources sustainably
o Ensure participation and access of all individuals and population groups
in a transparent and equal manner in/to the sustainable use of natural
resources
o By 2020, effective and urgent action has been taken to halt the loss of
biodiversity, all Aichi biodiversity targets are reached and ecosystems
are resilient and continue to provide essential services, with a view to
reach the 2050 vision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
o By 2020, manage cropland area in a sustainable manner, also to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and preserve the global area of
grasslands, savannahs, wetlands and forests
o By 2030, reach zero net deforestation.
o Strengthen forest governance frameworks and promote sustainable
forest management including the expansion of the global certified forest
areas
o By 2020, develop and implement the necessary measures to ensure that
marine ecosystems are clean, healthy, productive and resilient, marine
biodiversity is maintained, and habitats, in particular coral reefs, and
species are protected and on track to being restored, i.a. by
reducing significantly the direct or indirect input of substances or
energy into the oceans which result or are likely to result in
deleterious effects, such as harm to living resources and marine
ecosystems, e.g. chemicals, waste, hazardous substances, nutrients
into the oceans and underwater noise and collect the scientific data
available on marine litter,
minimise negative impact of fishing activities
o By 2019, gradually eliminate discards by avoiding and reducing, as far as
possible, unwanted catches
III. Achieve the creation of decent jobs and adequate income through
ecologically sound growth
Economic development must take place within Earth's ecological carrying
capacity. Therefore, any future agenda must support the objective of enforcing
ecologically sound, inclusive and market-based growth strategies and of
establishing sustainable consumption and production patterns worldwide,
thereby ensuring the integration of the social, economic and ecological dimension of
sustainability. In that context, it has to be borne in mind that 600 million more
people will enter the labour market by 2030. Most of them will be living in cities.
Although high growth rates and market based reforms in emerging countries have
lifted many people to the middle class, reduction of extreme poverty has not been
7
sufficient yet. Many people see migration as their only way out. Migration can only
be prevented by creating income opportunities through training and decent jobs.
Financial and global trade systems that are stable, crisis-proof and conducive to
development are a key prerequisite for long-term growth and sustainable economic
activity. Functional framework conditions which provide incentives for
environmentally sound technological innovations and their diffusion play a role in this
respect. Technical innovations can, e.g., contribute to the enhancement of economic
productivity and energy efficiency and the mitigation of climate change.
Germany can make a contribution: Germany follows the overall concept of a social
market economy and with its circular economy and resource efficiency scheme, is a
pioneer for the transformation necessary to make national economies more
sustainable. Promoting employment through vocational training is regarded as a
German trademark.
8. Make economic development sustainable
o By 2030, significantly speed up the decoupling of economic growth
from resource use
o By 2030, take action to implement a circular economy, in particular by
increasing the prevention, reuse, recycling and energy recovery of waste
and significantly reducing landfilling, so that by 2030 the majority of waste
globally is managed as a resource.
o By 2030, phase out environmentally harmful subsidies including for
fossil fuels.
o By 2030, significantly increase the internalization of environmental
external costs, inter alia in the areas of transport, energy and
agriculture.
o By 2030, ensure that natural resources are used efficiently and
sustainably within the carrying capacity of the planet.
o By 2020, ensure the sound management of chemicals throughout their
life cycle, so that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the
minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the
environment.
o By 2030, significantly increase the market share of sustainable products
and services (e.g. marked with reliable labels) and increase their share
in public procurement.
o By 2030, publish and use economic, social and environmental
accounts and implement comprehensive and ambitious environmental
management system in addition to existing conventional growth/wealth
indicators such as GDP in all governments, major companies and
international institutions (Natural Capital Accounting including valuation of
ecosystem services)
8
o Preserve cultural heritage, strengthen cultural and creative
industries and foster sustainable tourism
9. Create decent jobs and improve the global enabling economic
environment
o By 2030, significantly increase the number of decent jobs including fair
wages (according to the concept of the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO)
for women and men alike with a special focus on the employment of
women, youth, ethnic minorities and disabled people and the reconciliation
of work and family life
o By 2030, decrease the number of young people not in employment or
training by x% i.a. by promoting education, vocational training,
productive skills and employability
o Promote an open, rules-based and development-friendly multilateral
trading system and ensure the stability of the global financial system
incl. the promotion of responsible finance
o Promote Corporate Social Responsibility worldwide through the Global
Compact and the development of reporting standards
o By 2030, strengthen productive capacity by sharing access to science,
technology and innovation and by increasing the use of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) by x%
10. Ensure that urbanization is sustainable
o By 2030, ensure universal access to a secure and affordable built
environment and basic urban services
o Increase resilience of city regions through efficient land and resource
use, climate protection and disaster risk reduction
o Increase the proportion of cities with sustainable and integrated urban
development plans based on participatory inclusive processes
o By 2030, significantly reduce the severity of air pollution, in particular
by reducing the particulate concentration and SO2, NOx and Ozone in urban
air.
IV. Strengthen good governance, anchor gender equality, protect and
foster human rights, secure peace
Violence, corruption, lack of legal security, deficient access to information and
restricted freedom of opinion and expression, flight of capital, despotism and a lack
of space for private initiatives and entrepreneurship continue to be significant
9
hindrances on the way to sustainable development in many countries. There is a
need for action concerning the strengthening of institutions, legal systems, political
participation, protection from violence and the enforcement of efficient
framework conditions for sustainable development. The protection of our natural
foundations of life is of particular importance in this respect. That aspect was
therefore enshrined in Principle 25 of the Rio Declaration: “Peace, development
and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible.”
Therefore the Federal Government is of the opinion that peace and security, good
governance, the respect for and protection of human rights as well as gender
equality are fundamental prerequisites and also goals of any development.
11. Achieve gender equality, empower women and enforce women’s
rights
o Promote women’s voice, leadership and participation in decisionmaking
processes as well as in public and private institutions
o Improve women’s economic opportunities, including
entrepreneurship, capabilities, income security, as well as access to and
control over productive assets and a fairer distribution of family care and
household work
o Enact and enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit all forms of
discrimination against women and girls and review existing laws in
this regard, ensure women’s access to justice and work towards the
generation and dissemination of gender-disaggregated data and
information for planning and evaluation.
o Prevent, respond to, and end impunity of violence against women and
girls
12. Ensure good governance and effective institutions
o Build, ensure and strengthen effective, accountable and transparent
public and private institutions at all levels.
o Increase political participation and strengthen state – society relations.
o Strengthen commitment to Rule of Law at national and international level
with focus on better access to justice and independence of the
judiciary as well as other structures and procedures in accordance with
rule of law.
o Prohibit all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities
and encouraging research on how to improve accessibility and
inclusiveness in particular for planning and evaluation.
10
o Strengthen good financial governance (including improvement of
domestic resource mobilization through sound and just fiscal systems and
elimination of corruption and illicit financial flows).
13. Ensure stable and peaceful societies
o Strengthen effective, formal and informal mechanisms to manage
disputes peacefully.
o By 2030, significantly reduce violent deaths caused by homicides per
100,000 inhabitants
o By 2030, reduce proliferation of small arms and light weapons
o By 2030, make more people feel safe and have confidence in public
institutions and mechanisms to resolve conflicts.
o By 2030, reduce significantly organized crime including through
addressing its root causes (fight illicit flows of goods and human
trafficking)
o By 2030, increase capacities for and access to disaster risk
management in order to reduce the social and economic impacts of
natural hazards and increase the resilience of societies at risk.
Stakeholders