International Trade, Investment, and the Sustainable Development Goals: Introduction

In September 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, a global effort under the auspices of the United Nations(UN) to tackle poverty, climate change and violence while promoting moreequal, inclusive and prosperous societies. They agreed on 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) and 169 ambitious SDG targets coveringall areas of human development and the environment to guide develop-ment efforts through the 2030 time horizon. The SDGs representa fundamentally distinctive approach to development that moves awayfrom a narrow perspective on economic development to an integrativeagenda that simultaneously pursues ecological, social and economic goals(Stevens and Kanie 2016). By aiming to create socialfloors and to ensurethat the human impact on the environment does not exceed planetaryboundaries, the SDGs encapsulate the seeds of substantive transformation toward sustainable development. The effective implementation of theSDGs requires national action and international cooperation, as well asthe involvement of a wide variety of both state and non-state actors