Resources on the Sustainable Development Goals
Access key resources on UNICEF and the SDGs, including tools to engage children and implementation guidance for countries.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a landmark global call for action to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Discover in our tools and resources how the Goals speak to the rights of children and young people.
Guidance on implementing the SDGs for and with children
Issue briefs on child rights and the SDGs
These issue briefs are produced annually in the lead-up to the SDG Voluntary National Reviews, which are country-led reviews of progress. The briefs cover policy recommendations, monitoring guidelines, social spending priorities, and opportunities to strengthen child and youth participation in SDG processes.
Issue briefs on cross-cutting areas:
- Investing in Children, Adolescents and Youth
- Monitoring the Situation of Children, Adolescents and Youth
- Linking Child Rights and the SDGs
- Including Children, Adolescents and Youth
- Business, Children and the SDGs
Issue briefs on specific SDGs:
- Issue Brief on Goal 1: No Poverty
- Issue Brief on Goal 2: No Hunger and Improved Nutrition
- Issue Brief on Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
- Issue Brief on Goal 4: Quality Education
- Issue Brief on Goal 5: Gender Equality
- Issue Brief on Goal 6: Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
- Issue Brief on Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Issue Brief on Target 8.7: Ending Worst Forms of Child Labour
- Issue Brief on Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Issue Brief on Goal 10: Reducing Inequalities
- Issue Brief on Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Issue Brief on Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production
- Issue Brief on Goal 13: Climate Action
- Issue Brief on Goals 14 and 15: Life Below Water and on Land
- Issue Brief on Goal 16: Peace and Justice
- Issue Brief on Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Tools to educate and engage children and youth on the SDGs
The World's Largest Lesson
Bring the SDGs to the classroom! Through a set of free and translated lessons, animations and activities, students can participate in the World's Largest Lesson to learn about the SDGs and identify actions they can take to make the goals a reality in their own lives and communities.
Comics Uniting Nations
Comics Uniting Nations works with world-renown comic book artists and storytellers to bring the SDGs to life through comics. Co-founded by PCI Media Impact, Reading with Pictures and UNICEF, the current library of comics has reached 20 books and counting.
Youth Activate Talks: Young People Take the Stage
Youth Activate Talks bring young change-makers to the stage both to inspire young people to take action and to showcase to decision-makers the ways that young people are already supporting the Goals. This how-to guide explores ways to engage children and young people with an 'Activate Talk' format.
The Road to the SDGs: A Discussion with Students
This animated video helps children to learn about important concepts for people and the planet, as covered in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also available (subtitles) in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish and English (for hearing impaired).
The World We Want: A Guide to the Goals for Children and Young People
A child-friendly overview of all the SDGs.
Highlights: Advancing the SDGs at the United Nations Processes
2022 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) from a Child & Youth Perspective
In partnership with Nord Anglia Education, five students ages 15-17 covered several panels of the HLPF.
2021 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) from a Child & Youth Perspective
In partnership with Nord Anglia Education, five students ages 15-17 covered the first week of panels of the HLPF.
High-level week 2019: Action for People and Planet
Priorities that world leaders discussed at five summits during the United Nations General Assembly this year to accelerate progress on sustainable development.
Perspectives on the SDGs
A Million Voices: The World We Want
With perspectives from over one million voices, this report depicts the unprecedented level of people's participation in designing the SDGs.
A Post-2015 Agenda Understood by and Inspiring to Children and Young People
Children and young people express their views in a global e-consultation about the SDGs.
COVID-19, Climate Change & Environmental Degradation: Key Asks for Public Sector Partners
This document provides recommendations for a long-term response to the pandemic that invests in at-scale sustainable and inclusive processes and practices.
Research: Why the SDGs matter for children
Mapping the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
An interactive document to explore the links between the Global Goals for sustainable development and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Investing in All Children: Towards Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Development
Originally published in the Harvard International Review, this article focuses on children's education and engagement on the SDGs as a key step to promote equitable, inclusive and sustainable development for all.
Your Rights, Your World: The Power of Youth in the Age of the Sustainable Development Goals
This report identifies examples and make recommendations for engaging children and young people in the implementation of the SDGs.
Statements of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs
The Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs is a group of 63 UN Member States that was created during the SDG negotiation process to ensure children’s issues were included in the SDGs. Since the adoption of the goals, the Group continues to work with the strong conviction that children’s participation is crucial for achieving a sustainable future for all.
The Group of Friends has made several joint statements:
November 2022: Joint Statement on behalf of 64 Members of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs Delivered at COP27
November 2021: Joint Statement on behalf of 61 Members of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs Delivered at COP26
April 2020: Protect Our Children: Response to the UN Secretary-General’s Call on Countries to Prioritize Children’s Education, Food, Health and Safety amid the COVID-19 Pandemic (Initiative launched by the EU, GRULAC and Members of the Group of Friends)
19 May 2015: Statement by Bulgaria on behalf of 24 Member States of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs
21 April 2015: Statement by Luxembourg on behalf of 28 Member States of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs