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SDG Academy: How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

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The world has adopted an ambitious agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Learn how we can achieve these goals through careful planning and engagement of diverse stakeholders.

7 weeks
4–6 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available
How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

About this course

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On September 25, 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with a new set of goals collectively called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This ambitious agenda is a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

This course on How to Achieve the SDGs provides an in-depth look at planning for SDG implementation. The range of topics covers financing, policy development, roles of stakeholders, and more. A comprehensive understanding of the societal transformations needed to achieve the SDGs is conveyed.

This course is for:

  • Policy professionals who want to understand frameworks for SDG planning.
  • Sustainable development practitioners seeking knowledge on goals-based development.
  • Advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in key concepts related to the SDGs

At a glance

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcripts: English, Bahasa Melayu, Русский, Türkçe
  • Associated skills: Planning, Sustainable Development, Policy Development

What you'll learn

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  • The scale, scope, and establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals
  • The societal transformations required to meet the SDGs
  • The governance, planning, and financing essential for progress
  • The role of civil society and the business sector in advancing global development
  • The types of transboundary cooperation needed to achieve global goals

Syllabus

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Module 1: The SDG framework and Agenda 2030

  • Chapter 1: Scale and Scope of the SDGs
  • Chapter 2: A Brief History of the SDGs
  • Chapter 3: Transformation Challenges
  • Chapter 4: Differential Diagnosis
  • Chapter 5: Structures of power and decision making

Module 2: Transformation Pathways to Success

  • Chapter 1: Education, Inclusion, Jobs, and Growth
  • Chapter 2: Health and Wellbeing
  • Chapter 3: Clean Energy and Industry
  • Chapter 4: Sustainable Food and Land Use
  • Chapter 5: Smart Cities and Transport
  • Chapter 6: Digital Technologies and E-Governance

Module 3: Government and the SDGs

  • Chapter 1: Planning and Back-casting
  • Chapter 2: Organizing Government for the SDGs
  • Chapter 3: SDG Policy Instruments
  • Chapter 4: SDG Pathways: The Case of Deep Decarbonization
  • Chapter 5: Industrial Policies and the SDGs

Module 4: SDG Financing

  • Chapter 1: Needs assessments: estimating resource needs for the SDGs
  • Chapter 2: Types of Financing
  • Chapter 3: Capital Markets and the SDGs
  • Chapter 4: New financing mechanisms and Global Funds
  • Chapter 5: Development financing for the SDGs.

Module 5. The Business Sector and the SDGs

  • Chapter 1. The Role of Business in the SDGs
  • Chapter 2. Shareholders and Stakeholders
  • Chapter 3. Global Value Chains
  • Chapter 4. Unsustainable Industries
  • Chapter 5. Public-Private-Civil Society Partnerships

Module 6. Civil Society and the SDGs

  • Chapter 1. Public awareness and Consumer Activism
  • Chapter 2. Data for Accountability and Decision-making
  • Chapter 3. Investor Activism
  • Chapter 4. Litigation and Human Rights
  • Chapter 5. Social business, CSOs, and operations where government is weak

Module 7: Global Partnerships for the SDGs

  • Chapter 1: Development Assistance
  • Chapter 2: Other dimensions of Global Partnership
  • Chapter 3: The Role of Universities and SDSN
  • Chapter 4: Moral Advocacy: Religious Leaders
  • Chapter 5: Cross-Border Cooperation
  • Chapter 6: The World in 2030: Mapping a path forward

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