Understanding of the scientific basis for action will be needed to achieve the ambitious and transformative goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, according to a new report issued by the United Nations during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. According to the Global Sustainable Development Report 2016, key elements of the 2030 Agenda –such as what it will take to ensure that no one will be left behind—have yet to be thoroughly scientifically researched. The Report finds that the new Agenda requires asking different questions, many that have not yet been answered by the research. The Report, an assessment of a broad array of scientific literature pertaining to the sustainable development agenda, was prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and draws on the technical expertise of 245 scientist and experts. But the Report concluded that “if no one is to be left behind in 2030, the notion of inclusiveness cannot be treated as an afterthought. Rather, it should be an integral part of institution design and functioning; of research and development, and of infrastructure planning and development, to mention only topics covered in this report.”