How many targets have been set according to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
- (a)116
- (b)132
- (c)154
- (d)169
Correct — D, 169. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states in September 2015 as General Assembly Resolution 70/1 ('Transforming our world'), sets 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are broken down into 169 targets. Progress against those targets is measured through the global indicator framework, which carries 234 unique indicators (251 entries in all, since thirteen indicators repeat under more than one target). So the standard chain to memorise is 17 goals → 169 targets → the indicator framework.
- (a)116 — Not a figure used anywhere in the 2030 Agenda — the agreed counts are 17 goals and 169 targets.
- (b)132 — No part of the SDG architecture (goals, targets or indicators) uses this number; it is a pure filler option.
- (c)154 — Close enough to look plausible, but wrong. The Agenda lists 169 targets — a mix of numbered outcome targets (like 3.2) and lettered means-of-implementation targets (like 3.a).
The 2030 Agenda is a UN General Assembly resolution, not a treaty: it is politically agreed but legally non-binding. Its architecture is three-tiered — 17 goals set the direction, 169 targets make each goal concrete and time-bound, and a global indicator framework of 231 unique indicators supplies the measurement. It replaced the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015: 8 goals, 21 targets) and is far broader, covering people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, and applying to developed and developing countries alike.
These questions are pure number-recall, and the examiner's ammunition is the cluster of similar-looking figures: 17, 169, 231, and from the MDG era 8 and 21. Fix the sequence 17-169-231 as one string; if an option offers a number in the 100-170 band that is not 169, it is wrong by definition.
- Adopted on 25 September 2015 at the UN Sustainable Development Summit; UNGA Resolution 70/1, 'Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'
- Structure: 17 Goals → 169 targets → global indicator framework with 234 unique indicators (251 entries, 13 repeated across targets)
- Came into force on 1 January 2016 and runs to 2030; it is voluntary and non-binding
- Predecessor: the Millennium Development Goals, 2000-2015, with 8 goals and 21 targets
- In India: NITI Aayog coordinates SDG implementation and publishes the SDG India Index; MoSPI maintains the National Indicator Framework
- Mixing the three counts: 17 goals, 169 targets, 231 unique indicators
- Assuming the SDGs are legally binding on member states — they are not
- Carrying MDG numbers (8 goals, 21 targets) into an SDG question
MPPSC asks the raw count or 'which is NOT an SDG'; UPSC prefers statement-based framing about the Agenda's origin, its non-binding character and the monitoring machinery.
Consider the following statements: 1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'. 2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(b) 2 only
Same concept — the basics of the 2030 Agenda (its origin and its 2030 deadline), which is the framework whose 169 targets MPPSC 2026 asks you to count.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the UN General Assembly in:
- (a)2000
- (b)2012
- (c)2015
- (d)2016
Answer(c) 2015 — adopted in September 2015; the goals took effect from 1 January 2016.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Millennium Development Goals, which preceded the Sustainable Development Goals, covered which period?
- (a)1990-2000
- (b)2000-2015
- (c)2005-2020
- (d)2010-2025
Answer(b) 2000-2015 — the MDGs had 8 goals and 21 targets and were succeeded by the 17-goal, 169-target SDG framework.