Chile faces the challenge of decreasing multidimensional poverty, which affects rural areas more prominently. Additionally, there is a need to reduce territorial and social gaps in access to services and opportunities, which influence the quality of life and well-being of individuals, and to strengthen public policies on social protection and productive inclusion, which will help prevent and mitigate the effects of poverty and vulnerability.

Addressing multidimensional poverty with a coordinated multisectoral approach, will result in greater food security, particularly for the poor and those in vulnerable situations (goal 2.1). Furthermore, it will provide more protection against financial risks linked to adverse health events (SDG 3) and enable access to quality education (SDG 4). It also contributes to ensuring full and effective participation of women and equal leadership opportunities (goal 5.1 and 5.5).

Chile still faces a gender gap related to challenges, such as time use disparities, the scant recognition of unpaid domestic work that mainly affects vulnerable women, and the need for services that facilitate co-responsibility at home are areas that need special attention. Despite progress in meeting Target 5.4, there are still challenges to achieve equality in the domestic sphere, and beyond.

Intersectoral collaboration is essential to implement comprehensive policies that value domestic work and promote co-responsibility. Progress in this area can contribute to greater equality in the world of work (Target 8.5) and to greater gender equality. Recognizing and value of care and domestic work can empower women providing them with more resources and a better position to face and adapt to the impacts of climate change (Target 13.1). Thus, investments in a national care system could lead to closing several SDG gaps in terms of employment, inequality and gender.

Similarly, investments in the elimination of violence against women and girls should also contribute to reducing gender inequalities and promotes their inclusion in all aspects of society (SDG 10). Protecting women and girls from violence directly impacts their health and well-being, and ensuring their access to health services is essential for their recovery and protection (SDG 3). Education promoting gender equality and human rights can also help prevent violence against women and girls (SDG 4). Ensuring safe and equal access to public transportation may reduce women's and girls' vulnerability to violence (SDG 11).​

Chile has made progress in the development of inter-institutional agreements, policies and programmes to promote sustainable productive development. However, it is still necessary to accelerate the decarbonization processes of those productive industries with the greatest environmental impact, strengthen support for smaller green companies and integrate them into value chains, and also to develop financing instruments that promote the diversification of the production matrix at the local level.

Decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation in Chile and improving efficiency in the use of resources will contribute to mitigating climate change by reducing pressure on natural resources (Target 13.3), by reducing energy demand and by increasing energy efficiency (Target 7.3). Likewise, it can be a powerful engine to reduce poverty and improve access to productive and well-paid employment for people in situations of poverty and vulnerability (Target 1.2).

The country faces the challenge of reducing labour informality, which affects 26.5% of the employed population, and regional and gender disparities. Likewise, there is a need to increase female labour participation, to promote equal pay between men and women and to advocate for decent work and social protection for all workers. Additionally, the transition towards a green and circular economy should be encouraged, which will generate quality jobs and contribute to climate action.

Achieving goal 8.5 could contribute to empowering and promoting social and economic inclusion, especially for young people and women (goals 10.2 and 5.5). Furthermore, actively addressing economic inequality can reduce the gender wage gap and help more households escape poverty (goal 1.3). The transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy (goal 13.1) can provide full and productive employment.

The country is challenged to increase employability and the job integration of young people, especially those most vulnerable and affected by the health and economic crisis. It is crucial to enhance the quality and relevance of education and technical-professional training, thereby meeting the demands of the labour market and taking advantage  of the opportunities of the green and circular economy.

This goal is related to the empowerment and social and economic inclusion of young people and the reduction of inequalities (goal 10.2). It also synergizes with ensuring equal access for all men and women to quality technical, professional and higher education at an affordable cost, including university education. Training and education are vital to improve job opportunities for young people (SDG 4). Engaging trained and educated young people in climate solutions and sustainability-related jobs is crucial to combat climate change and to promote a green economy (SDG 13).

Chile faces significant challenges, such as high income inequality (one of the highest among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries), stagnant labour income growth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lack of opportunities and social protection for the poorest 40% of the population – all of which translates into low labour participation, increasing informality, low educational quality, limited coverage and quality of public services and insufficient social security.

For this reason, investments and reforms leading to a better income and opportunity distribution can have a multiplyier effect on several other SDGs, since the reduction of inequality is a key factor for sustainable development in several dimensions, such as the empowerment of women and their decision-making (Target 5.5), poverty reduction (Target 1.2), better financial protection against health risks (Target 3.8) and improving technical and professional skills essential for the modern world of work (Target 4.4).

Chile also faces housing and urban challenges, including a deficit that affects more than a million homes due to quality and overcrowding; the existence of informal settlements with more than 40,000 families living in precarious conditions; lack of basic services in rural areas; and the urgency of improving urban planning.

Improving access to adequate housing and basic services also has repercussions in areas such as equality, social cohesion, the local economy, health, and education, among others.

Given Chile’s high exposure to the negative consequences of climate change, making progress in achieving this goal would help to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of poor and vulnerable people to extreme climate-related events (Targets 1.5 and 13.1).

Despite the undeniable achievements that the country has obtained in integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, more progress is still required in the implementation of different laws and their instruments. Updating the NDC goals that incorporate the actions of the transition process, advancing the implementation of a new green tax policy and of a compensation market, and strengthening water efficiency for the implementation of adaptation measures are all needed.

Climate change has ramifications for virtually all aspects of sustainable development. Therefore, by addressing and advancing in realizing this target in Chile, there is a likelihood of positive impacts in several areas: on food security and agricultural production (Target 2.4); on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and on climate (goal 12.2); climate measures are integrated into urban policies leading to more resilient and sustainable cities (Target 11.3); among others.

In recent years Chile has continued its efforts to make progress in the modernization of the state and in the strengthening of transparency and accountability of public institutions, both at central and local levels. However, there are pending institutional reforms in these areas, and a high degree of institutional distrust on the part of the citizens continues to be an issue.

Achieving this target would have cross-cutting effects and may directly or indirectly influence several other SDGs. For example, responsible and efficient institutions can enact policies and regulations that encourage sustainable consumption and production practices (Target 8.4); ensure policies that seek to reduce inequalities (Targets 10.1 and 10.7); implement and monitor policies related to climate change (Target 13.2); ensure policies and practices that promote gender equality (target 5.5); among others.