17 Days, 17 Goals
17 Days, 17 Goals - philanthropy's work on the Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainability. Quality education. Poverty reduction. Gender equality.
These are issues American foundations are working on every day. But this list is not uniquely American: it is global and universal. Each of these areas is among the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global framework tackling 17 areas of economic, social, and environmental development. The SDGs were ratified by 193 governments and apply to every country, both in their domestic policymaking as well as their international aid.
Philanthropy played a large role in developing these goals and will play an even larger role in the implementation of the goals. In the days leading up to the first anniversary of the goals, the Council on Foundations will feature US philanthropic organizations and projects that are tackling the goals with this blog series, 17 Days, 17 Goals, a part of our SDGs & Philanthropy Initiative.
The Council launched this initiative after President Obama committed the United States to achieving this agenda and we are working with partners, including the SDG Philanthropy Platform, UN Foundation, and Foundation Center to help US philanthropy support and engage with the global goals.
"Today, we commit ourselves to the Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, we recognize that our most basic bond - our common humanity - compels us to act. An impoverished child in a distant slum or a neighborhood not that far from here is just as equal, just as worthy, as any of our children, as any of us, as any head of government or leader in this great hall."
- President Barack Obama, Sept. 27, 2015, United Nations, New York, NY
We launched a report in July 2016, From Global Goals to Local Impact: How Philanthropy Can Help Achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in the U.S., after convening more than 150 foundations across the country to discuss how the goals are relevant to their work on issues like climate change, health, education, poverty, and jobs.
The Council is proud to support the work of our members as they strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the US and abroad. With this blog series, we will highlight our members and hope you will join us on social media to share about your foundation's work via the hashtag #PhilSDGs on Twitter. Please make sure to follow @COF_ on Twitter to join our conversation.
Keep any eye out for Goal 1: Poverty on Wednesday, September 7!
