Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form an international development agenda agreed by more than 190 United Nations member states. The seventeen goals came into force on 1 January 2016 and will shape global efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change for the next fifteen years.  

The SDGs apply equally to developed and developing nations. Governments are expected to work to establish national frameworks for the achievement of the seventeen goals. Although the SDG agenda is led at nation state level, all national and international stakeholders are expected to contribute towards its realisation - including NGOs.  

War Child contributes towards the SDGs through the development of our programme strategy. The six specific SDGs that are of particular importance to us as an organisation are:  

• Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

• Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages  

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

• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 

• Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.   

We will continue to ensure that our work contributes to the larger goals for children as outlined in the SDGs. This will be made manifest through our programme interventions and our engagement with, and participation in, international networks established to uphold child rights at the international level.

In 2017 we began to collect data on how we contribute to the relevant SDG goals above. In future we intend to systematically collect data on this contribution, to fulfil our obligations related to our membership of ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council).