Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and the Role of the International Society of Nephrology in Improving Global Kidney Health.

The United Nations (UN) 230 agenda for sustainable development includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals that represent a universal call to end poverty and protect the planet and are intended to guide government and private policies for international cooperation and optimal mobilization of resources. At the core of their achievement is reducing mortality by improving the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is the only NCD with a consistently rising age-adjusted mortality rate and rising steadily up the list of the causes of the tears of lives lost globally. Kidney disease is strongly affected by social determinants of health, with a strong interplay between CKD incidence and progression and other NCDs and SDGs. Tackling the shared CKD and NCD risk factors with help with progress towards the SDGs and vice-versa. Challenges to global kidney health include both pre-existing socioeconomic factors and natural- and human-induced factors, many of which are intended to be addressed through actions proposed in the sustainable development agenda. Opportunities to address these challenges include public health policies focused on integrated kidney care; kidney disease surveillance; building strategic partnerships; building workforce capacity in person and through optimal use of virtual platforms; advocacy/raising public awareness campaigns; implementation research; and environmentally sustainable kidney care.