
Have you heard about the SDGs?
“SDGs” stands for Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs were made based on a strong sense of crisis: Poor people are being forgotten about, the global environment is getting worse, and if nothing is done, eventually the world will collapse.

“Sustainable” means that something can carry on forever. The SDGs aim to create better ways of life without destroying the environment and resources for the future.
Of course, it’s important that leaders of countries and companies work together to achieve these goals. But we too need to think and talk about the SDGs, and live in ways that help benefit other people and the Earth. Let’s look at the 17 goals.

Goal 1 : No poverty

The goal is to end poverty in every shape and form, all over the world. Solving the type of poverty where people don’t have enough to eat in order to live is the first step. This goal goes beyond just food and water; it also includes making sure everyone has work and a place to live, access to hospitals, and the opportunity to say what they think or to use the skills they have.


Goal 2 : Zero hunger

Starvation is a state of malnutrition that occurs when you haven’t eaten properly for a long time. This goal is to make sure everyone, from children to the elderly, gets enough food with sufficient nutrition. The goal is to preserve environment and crop diversity (having lots of different types of things available), while increasing stable food production.


Goal 3 : Good health and well-being

The goal is for everyone to be healthy, to prevent disease, and to have access to adequate medical treatment. Women should be able to have babies safely, and medicines or vaccines should be available to everyone. This goal also includes reducing injuries or deaths due to accidents and contamination of air, water, and land.


Goal 4 : Quality education

The goal is to provide equal education of high quality to everyone, with lifelong opportunities for learning. Providing safe, easily accessible schools and increasing the number of qualified teachers will help achieve this. It's important to continue education even in the middle of conflict and disaster.


Goal 5 : Gender equality

The goal is to empower women and girls to stop discrimination against them. Ways of doing this include preventing physical, emotional, and sexual harm to women; valuing work done in the home; protecting women's rights relating to pregnancy and childbirth; and encouraging equal participation in politics, economics, and so on.


Goal 6 : Clean water and sanitation

The goal is to provide everyone with clean water and a healthy environment through proper hygiene management. This makes good water management and garbage disposal for everyone and steps to reuse water essential.


Goal 7 : Affordable and clean energy

The goal is to provide reliable, low-priced energy to everyone, not just from wood or coal but also from new sources of electricity or gas. Making greater use of clean, renewable energy (such as sunlight, the wind, flowing rivers, and ocean tides) and increasing energy efficiency are key.


Goal 8 : Decent work and economic growth

Decent work means everyone having access to fulfilling work that benefits economic growth while protecting natural resources. The goal is to end child labor that mentally and physically harms children under the age of 18 who are forced to work.


Goal 9 : Industry, information, and infrastructure

Infrastructure means the buildings, transport, services and so on that people need in their daily lives. More examples are water supply, railroads, gas, electricity, and the Internet. The goal is to build disaster-proof infrastructure, encourage sustainable and inclusive economic development, and make it easier to come up with new technologies.


Goal 10 : Reduced inequalities

The goal is to reduce inequality or differences both between countries and inside countries. Inequality can be eliminated by raising the incomes of poor people and getting rid of laws and practices that discriminate against particular types of people.


Goal 11 : Sustainable cities and communities

The goal is to create cities and communities where everyone lives in safe, good-quality housing with access to water, electricity, and other essential services. Communities must be resilient against disasters. And they must monitor air pollution and waste management while providing safe and easy access to services for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable people.


Goal 12 : Responsible consumption and production

The goal is to make sure resources are not wasted when things are made and used. Important ways of achieving this include halving food waste worldwide; monitoring harmful chemicals that are discharged when making things to prevent water, air, and soil contamination; and adopting the Three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) to minimize waste.


Goal 13 : Climate action

Climate change is happening because emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other substances by humans are making the Earth hotter and changing the weather. The focus is on taking action now to prepare for climate change problems and the natural disasters it will cause.


Goal 14 : Life below water

Most ocean pollution is caused by things people do on land. The goal is to reduce pollution of the ocean, end illegal fishing that harms the environment, and make sure the resources of the sea can be used sustainably.


Goal 15 : Life on land

Protecting forests and stopping desert expansion are important for preserving and regenerating land ecosystems (in other words, animals and the environments they live in) and for using them in a sustainable way. Endangered species must be protected and the loss of biodiversity must be prevented.


Goal 16 : Peace, justice, and strong institutions

The goal is to create peaceful and inclusive societies in which everyone has access to the law (courts and legal procedures), and to ensure that just institutions are active at the community, country, and global levels.


Goal 17 : Partnerships for the goals

The goal is make sure that all countries work together to achieve Goals 1 to 16. The SDGs must be included in national plans while greater steps are taken to attain them. Each country needs to think about what actions it can take and how it can use its financial resources to achieve the goals. Developed countries can help developing countries in their efforts.



Let’s find out how companies are working to achieve the SDGs!
The guides were prepared for teachers and parents/guardians. Their purpose is to help Primary School Students, Secondary School Students get a better understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Two guides are prepared for each of the 17 SDGs: “SDGs Learning Guide for Primary School Students” and “SDGs Learning Guide for Secondary School Students.” We hope that teachers and parents/guardians as well as students will choose the guides that interest them and use them to learn more about the SDGs.
*Please note that you must have Microsoft Office PowerPoint (PPTX) software installed on your computer to use the guides.

Get started by clicking on a topic that interests you!
Each of the SDGs (1 to 17) has a guide that can be downloaded. Two guides are available: “SDGs Learning Guide for Primary School Students” and “SDGs Learning Guide for Secondary School Students.” Download the type that’s best for you by choosing the appropriate icon. If you are an Primary School Students, download and use it with your teacher or someone in your family.

You can play a boardgame about the SDGs to learn more!
Go Goals! is an SDGs learning game fun for kids to adults. Play it and learn about the SDGs at the same time!
“Go Goals! A game to learn about the SDGs” United Nations Information Center, Tokyo
Note: The Panasonic Kids School “What are the SDGs?” web page was created with the cooperation of Toshio Tejima, deputy chairperson of the Japanese Society of ESD, and with reference to web pages explaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the United Nations Information Center and Save the Children websites.