Advocating for Equality: The Backbone of the Sustainable Development Goals

This article is one in a series in which contributing authors discuss how the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to everyday clinical issues; national public health emergencies; and other nursing issues, such as leadership, shared governance, and advocacy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a 15-year plan of action to achieve the goals, was unanimously adopted by all UN member states in September 2015 and took effect on January 1, 2016. The Agenda consists of 17 SDGs addressing social, economic, and environmental determinants of health and 169 associated targets focused on five themes: people, planet, peace, prosperity, and partnership. The SDGs build on the work of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which were in effect from 2000 to 2015. The current article describes the interdependent relationship between SDGs 3 and 10. In addition, the authors focus on nurses' varied and increasingly essential roles in addressing health care inequities through such practices as care coordination and preventive care and education-work which will indirectly play a role in supporting other SDGs related to social and financial equity.