Universality

The principle of universality means that the 2030 Agenda applies to all countries – to developing countries and emerging economies as much as to industrialised countries. Each country is called upon to define its contributions to implementing the 2030 Agenda, for example in the context of national planning processes and sustainability strategies.

Implementation of the 2030 Agenda depends on cooperation between all countries in a global partnership. Universality therefore also means doing more to promote mutual exchange and learning as equals. On behalf of the German Government, GIZ provides countries with advice on attaining their national sustainability goals.

One example is Germany’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiative with Namibia. On behalf of BMZ, GIZ is supporting its partners in Namibia in integrating the 2030 Agenda into their development planning; as a result, the National Development Plan and various sector strategies have now been aligned with the 2030 Agenda. A key element of that support involved Namibia’s National Planning Commission, the German Council for Sustainable Development and the German Federal Statistical Office sharing their experience. Delegations from Namibia visited the two German institutions to share ideas. These exchanges brought immediate practical results, with the Namibian statistics authority since having reported twice to the United Nations on implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) – in 2018 and 2021.