Knowing better, doing better: Taking stock of the UN Agenda 2030, its means, its progress, and its shortfalls

With 4 years left until the deadline of the UN Agenda 2030, our article ascertains the urgency of appraising the role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We consider their main shortcomings and suggest interventions to enhance the global impact of the SDGs and their succeeding framework. We highlight the limitations of a static document designed for the following 15 years amid a rapidly changing global landscape that consistently poses new challenges and demands the development of better responses. Our perspective calls for the need to embed periodic reviews in the Agenda, a decentralized approach to applying the SDGs and the introduction of enforceable commitments among signatory parties. An effective set of sustainability pledges would recognize the risk that the fragile transition away from fossil fuels poses to communities worldwide and support a mission-driven approach to financing solutions. In addition, the Agenda requires rigorous methods that quantify the impact of sustainability interventions.