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The last week has seen a renewed focus on the big issues of poverty, inequality and climate change. 193 nations adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals which officially replace the Millennium Development Goals and will set the tone for the UN’s development agenda from now on through 2030.

For Philip Jennings, the General Secretary of UNI Global Union, “this is a major breakthrough in the history of the United Nations as well as for the UNI family. The 17 SDGs cover most the agenda that we have been advocating for years, including poverty reduction, gender equity, decent work for all and inclusive growth. Many of the “Including You” messages from our Cape Town Congress have found their way into the goals.”

The adoption of the SDGs also comes after a week of mobilization for action against climate change. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon met with several group leaders with the aim of “reaching a durable and meaningful agreement in Paris”. Pope Francis called upon the UN General Assembly and the US Congress to take the impacts of climate change on sustainable development seriously, emphasizing that “any harm done to the environment is harm to humanity.” Recent figures from the Overseas Development Institute reveal that nearly 720 million people around the world risk falling back into extreme poverty conditions if emissions aren’t capped by 2100.

The US and China’s game-changing announcement, Brazil backing decarbonisation, and pledges by Fortune 500 companies to go 100 per cent renewable all show that the political momentum for a climate agreement in Paris is building up to a crescendo.

“It is now essential to set a global agreement that can speed up a just transition towards a low carbon future and unions have a key role play in this transition. The ambitious SDGs adopted at the UN need to turn into concrete government action to move away from our addiction to fossil fuels and create millions of green jobs.It's time to get down to work and score some SDGs goals: the key is a robust method of implementation", concluded Philip Jennings.