Regional Briefing on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Region of the Americas

Abstract

[A New Vision for the Future]. In 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, establishing a groundbreaking approach to further strengthen global efforts and collaborative international action. The eight MDGs were ground-breaking, in that they provided a common language to inspire a global commitment to development. In the fifteen years following their implementation, great progress was achieved, particularly in terms of health-related goals. In the Region of the Americas, many countries reached or surpassed goals to reduce child mortality, control infectious diseases, reduce poverty and increase access to improved water, sanitation, education, and infrastructure. However, the favorable trends that were reflected in national and regional averages tended to mask persistent health and income inequalities within and across countries. The unequal distribution of health and the emergence of new challenges in health helped redefine the global agenda. In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/70/1, “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The product of numerous consultations, the 2030 Agenda lays out an ambitious and universal plan of action for people, planet and prosperity for the next fifteen years. At the heart of the Agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets, and 232 indicators. The broad scope and interconnectedness of these goals has the potential to transform the public health landscape by shifting policymaking priorities toward the intersecting social, economic, environmental, and political determinants of human development and population health. The 2030 Agenda calls on all countries to commit to and act on its implementation to ensure that all people can fulfill their potential to live in health and with dignity and equality...