Effective action requires a strategy which encompass all activities and key players necessary to achieve desired goals and outcomes. Unfortunately, the world’s long-term strategy to address major global challenges such as poverty, environmental protection, health and wellbeing is missing a key component. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) unite 99% of the world’s nations in focusing efforts on areas of key global concern, but largely fail to advance the prevention of injury as a strategic objective.

While the burden of injury is increasing with 4.48 million injury deaths globally in 2017, the prevention of injury appears explicitly in only two targets: SDG 3.6 and SDG 11.2 (both related to road safety). However, injury prevention efforts can be advanced substantially by integrating them within the broad range of SDG goals. In this State-of-the-Art review, published by Injury Prevention in September 2020, we discuss several global injury prevention priorities and opportunities through an SDG lens. We link injury prevention to a wide range of sustainable development agenda items such as urbanisation, population shifts, water safeguarding, and corporate social responsibility.

For example:

To reduce road transport injuries, we should re-consider the entire urban fabric within which roadways and public spaces are a part, in the context of a larger mission to promote sustainable cities and communities.

To reduce drowning incidents, we should safeguard water systems per WASH targets, as daily contact with water for work, transport, agriculture, and nourishment is implicated in injury risk.

To reduce fall-related injuries, we should consider the system level strategy of age-friendly cities as a means of making environments safer for older people.