ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter contextualizes the A-Z Guide ‘Essential Concepts for Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals’ into existing research and political developments concerning the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It sets the stage for the following 105 entries that describe major concepts and terms related to the implementation of the SDGs. The chapter starts with a thematic overview and takes stock of the global efforts to implement the SDGs. We then point to key governance areas where incremental changes due to the SDGs have been observed before we summarize calls for reforming the SDGs to make governance by goal-setting more transformative. Finally, we highlight the main rationale of the A-Z Guide.
