The Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations
At the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the Millennium Declaration from which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were extracted. The MDGs were supposed to provide concrete, time-bound objectives for dramatically reducing extreme poverty in its many dimensions by 2015 through eight goals focusing on poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, disease, environmental sustainability, and global partnership for development.
In 2005, the Government of Iceland secured core funding for the GTP to expand its capacity strengthening activities by offering annual short courses/workshops in geothermal development in selected countries in Africa (started in 2005), Central America (started 2006), and in Asia (in 2008). The announcement was made at the International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn, Germany, 1-4 June 2004. This was a contribution of the Government of Iceland towards the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.
The courses/workshops are set up in cooperation with the energy agencies/utilities and earth science institutions responsible for the exploration, development and operation of geothermal facilities in the respective countries/regions. A part of the objective of the workshops/short courses is to increase cooperation between specialists in the field of sustainable use of geothermal resources. The courses may in the future develop into sustainable regional geothermal training centres. Further information on each course can be accessed through the short course database.
The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations
On September 25th 2015, the resolution Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the General Assembly at the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda. The new Agenda is meant to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what they did not achieve. This Agenda is meant as a plan of action focusing on people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. It states that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. The support of the Government of Iceland to the UN Development Goals continues through the SDG Short Courses.
The Sustainable Development Goals are 17 in total with 169 targets and they are as follows:
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End poverty in all its forms everywhere |
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End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture |
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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages | |
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Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all | |
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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls | |
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Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all | |
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Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all | |
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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all | |
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Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation | |
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Reduce inequality within and among countries | |
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Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable | |
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Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns | |
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Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts | |
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Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development | |
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Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss | |
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Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels | |
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Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development |