Converging Interests: Philanthropy-Government Collaboration to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs comprise a universal agenda without borders, oriented towards addressing the most pressing global challenges of the day as part of a shared commitment to end poverty, inequality and injustice regardless of where or how it occurs. The advent of a revamped new set of global goals marks the emergence of an important consensus on global priorities. The SDGs place an emphasis on the interconnectedness of targets to achieve economic development, environmental sustainability and social inclusion. However, people living in poverty, and those facing discrimination, are in danger of being left out of the progress that the SDGs promise. The new Agenda is not just about development cooperation —defined simply as a funding or aid mechanism -- rather it is about achieving structural economic, environmental and political transformation across all countries in order to ensure 'no one is left behind.