​The sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 are political objectives of the United Nations, which are intended to ensure sustainable development at the economic, social and ecological levels.

The Federal Council attaches great importance to Agenda 2030, which was adopted in September 2015 by the UN General Assembly. Although it is not binding under international law, it is the Federal Council’s intention to see it implemented both in Switzerland and globally.

The themes of NRP 73 have been assigned to individual Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 - without reference to the sub-targets - although contributions to other goals are not excluded. The most important goals are:

• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure: build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation;
• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable;
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production: ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns;
• Goal 15: Life on land: protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.