Transforming a noble aspiration into specific actions to help specific people

The ambitious 17-point agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 by all members of the United Nations, contains a pledge that “no one will be left behind.” This book translates that bold global commitment into an action-oriented mindset, focused on supporting specific people in specific places facing specific problems.

Experts from Japan, the United States, Canada, and a number of other countries address a range of challenges faced by people across the globe, including women and girls, smallholder farmers, migrants, and those living in extreme poverty. The basic needs and prospects of individual human beings lie at the heart of the aspirations embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals. Fulfilling the agenda implies universal access to essentials like healthcare, quality education, decent work, affordable energy, and a clean environment.

Leave No One Behind is the result of a collaboration between the Japan International Cooperation Research Institute and the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. The volume offers practical ideas for transforming “leave no one behind” from a slogan into effective actions that, if implemented, will allow the world to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In addition to policymakers in the field of sustainable development, this book will be of interest to academics, activists, and leaders of international organizations and civil society groups who work every day to promote inclusive economic and social progress.

Homi Kharas is the interim vice president and director of the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. John W. McArthur is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution and senior advisor on sustainable development to the United Nations Foundation. Izumi Ohno is the Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute.