SDG 3: Good Health & Well-being

Goal: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Global Context

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in global health systems and reversed decades of progress on health indicators. Non-communicable diseases account for 74% of global deaths. Mental health conditions affect one in eight people worldwide. Access to essential health services remains inequitable, with significant disparities between and within countries.

Key Targets

Key targets include reducing maternal mortality (3.1), ending preventable deaths of newborns and children (3.2), ending epidemics of communicable diseases (3.3), reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (3.4), strengthening prevention and treatment of substance abuse (3.5), halving global deaths from road traffic accidents (3.6), ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health services (3.7), achieving universal health coverage (3.8), and reducing deaths from hazardous chemicals and pollution (3.9).

Business Contribution

Businesses contribute through occupational health and safety programmes, employee wellness initiatives (including mental health support), responsible marketing of health-related products, pharmaceutical access and affordability programmes, reducing pollution and hazardous substance exposure, and health-focused product innovation. The pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, and chemical sectors face particular expectations around SDG 3 alignment.

Measurement & Reporting

GRI 403 (Occupational Health and Safety), GRI 416 (Customer Health and Safety), SASB Healthcare sector standards, SASB Food & Beverage standards. The Access to Medicine Index benchmarks pharmaceutical companies on medicine access.

Primary Sources

WHO, The Lancet, Global Health Observatory

From ESG Library

• ESG & GRI Reporting Made Simple — SDG mapping and disclosure guidance
• Practical Guide to ESG Integration — Integrating SDGs into business strategy

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Related Topics

• GRI Standards
• UN Global Compact
• Environmental SDGs
• Social SDGs
• Governance SDGs

References

• UN SDGs — Goal 3 — official targets and indicators for Goal 3
• UN SDGs — the 17 goals and 169 targets (adopted 2015, 2030 Agenda)
• UN — Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda — the founding resolution