By endorsing Agenda 2030 and its 17 goals, the world community has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development, to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection, and to do so in partnership and peace.

Agenda 2030 is universal, transformative and rights-based.

It's an ambitious plan of action for countries, the UN system and all other development actors.

The Agenda inspires us to think creatively about the sustainability challenges of today, so we can develop the right partnerships and take the right actions.

At the heart of the Agenda are five critical components.

People, prosperity, peace, partnership, planet.

These, in turn, underpin the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and are applicable in all countries.

Agenda 2030 and the SDGs are not simply items on a checklist.

They represent a holistic approach to understanding and tackling problems by guiding us to ask the right questions at the right time.

To achieve this, we need to consider several challenges in order to work out how they connect with and impact upon each other.

Finding these interdependencies helps us to address the root causes of problems and to create long-term solutions.

So how does this work?

Sustainable development is usually viewed through a lens of three core elements.

Economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

But it's important to remember that these are not just categories or boxes.

They are connected and have aspects in common.

For example, a health challenge like tuberculosis is not only determined by an unhealthy lifestyle.

It could also be influenced by other factors such as poverty or air quality.

To develop this approach a step further, two critical dimensions that will drive Agenda 2030 were adopted by Member States.

Partnership and peace.

Partnerships strengthen the capacities of all stakeholders to work together.

Peace, justice and strong institutions are essential for improvements in the three core areas.

Genuine sustainability sits at the centre and it will be important to consider each of the SDGs through the lens of these five dimensions.

Of course, we can't consider every possible angle of a single challenge.

That's why it's crucial to build partnerships to share knowledge and expertise to learn how we can jointly address challenges.

This requires new ways of working together focused on co-creation.

National ownership is fundamental to address challenges properly.

Many organisations and actors have an important role to play.

Their involvement ensures long-term engagement and guarantees that no one is left behind.

The universal nature of Agenda 2030 also asks us to look at the planet as one.

Every country, every community has issues to address and everyone shares the responsibility and ownership to address the challenges that face us collectively.

To move forward, we must develop the right capacities for Agenda 2030.

We need to invest in lifelong learning to be able to advocate for change, foster action for implementation, measure progress and to identify and empower new partners to support Agenda 2030.

We all need to lead the way towards the vision of a better world within our lifetime.

Because only if we ask the right questions and seek the right answers and only if we take our responsibilities seriously will we be able to achieve a truly transformational Agenda, leaving no one behind.