A Curriculum Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals

Education becomes the unifying force enabling learners to shape sustainable futures with creativity, responsibility, and compassion.

Education is the most powerful catalyst for change. It shapes values, builds skills, and unlocks the potential of every learner to create a more just, sustainable and hopeful future. When the Curriculum Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was first piloted in Fiji in 2016, the Commonwealth Secretariat took a bold step to connect the global goals with local classrooms and to equip learners everywhere to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development. Since then, this framework has inspired action across continents from universities in Canada exploring food security, to schools in the Philippines aligning science education with the SDGs, to vocational training in Africa embedding green skills for the future of work. Its reach and adaptability prove a simple truth: education is a unifying force, capable of transforming societies while reflecting each countrys unique context. This new edition comes at a critical moment. Climate change, technological disruption, and persistent inequality are reshaping our world and testing our resilience. To meet these challenges, learners must be prepared not only with knowledge, but with the creativity, responsibility, and compassion to shape solutions.

Table of Contents

• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 1. 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals The centrality of education
• 2. Outline of the Curriculum Framework for the SDGs Aim and purpose of the Curriculum Framework. Framework application Integrating learning across the life course Core competencies for sustainable development Guiding principles for developing competencies
• 3. Goal 1 No Poverty
• 4. Goal 2 Zero Hunger
• 5. Goal 3 Good Health and Wellbeing
• 6. Goal 4 Quality Education
• 7. Goal 5 Gender Equality 8.
• Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation 9.
• Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy 10.
• Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth 11.
• Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure 12.
• Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities 13.
• Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities 14.
• Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production 15.
• Goal 13 Climate Action 16.
• Goal 14 Life below Water 17.
• Goal 15 Life on Land 18.
• Goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 19.
• Goal 17 Partnership for the Goals References