Scotland and the SDGs

In 2015, the First Minister pledged that Scotland would lead the way to deliver a more equal, more just world. In signing Scotland up to the Sustainable Development Goals – also known as the SDGs or the Global Goals – the Scottish Government made a bold statement of intent not just to the people of Scotland but to the world.

Scotland should be a place where people can satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a good quality of life. Unfortunately, this is simply not a reality across our country today. These Goals give us the framework to achieve real change, from eradicating poverty to ensuring a good home for everyone. Meeting these goals for 2030 is not just up to politicians, it is a responsibility for us all.

Scottish National Review

In July 2020, the Scottish Government published its landmark review of the progress Scotland has made in delivering the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.

The review was developed in partnership with SDG Network Scotland, a coalition of over 500 organisations and individuals, and provides the most detailed and honest analysis to date of any nation within the UK on progress towards the SDGs. Its contributors urge ‘leaders and champions from all areas of Scottish society, including children and young people,’ to make the choice to join them to drive the sustainable development agenda forward. 

Scotland is making good progress but the report also highlights a number of gaps and challenges for the country that existed before the pandemic and suggests how we can move forward. Now in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of a global approach to a green and just recovery is further heightened, and Scotland’s role in this is crucial.

The report makes the case that the Scottish Government can do more to ensure all policy action complements and promotes sustainable development aspirations, not least through further work aligning Scotland’s National Outcomes to the SDGs to ensure the country does not lose sight of where it needs to get to by 2030.

Action across Scotland

In order to achieve the SDGs, we believe they need to be understood and owned by everyone across society.

During the summer of 2024, we carried out a survey of the action being taken and the levels of awareness of the SDGs across Scotland’s grassroots communities. Download the report to read the results of the survey below.