Countries can achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by prioritizing investments and policies that bolster positive relationships across the goals, says a new report released today by the International Council for Science (ICSU). The report examines the interactions between the SDGs – a universal set of goals to guide international development to 2030 – and applies a quantitative scale to determine the extent to which they reinforce or conflict with each other.

The report offers a blueprint to help countries implement and achieve the 17 goals and the 169 targets that sit underneath them. The ICSU report is a first-of-its-kind attempt to quantify SDG synergies and conflicts. ICSU, leading a consortium of 22 scientists, applied a seven-point scale ranging from +3, which applies when one goal or target is very reinforcing of others, to -3, which applies when goals and targets fundamentally conflict with each other.

Download report below